ABSTRACT
Nonetheless, the use of anesthetics in children undergoing cutaneous laser surgery remains a controversial issue, and its use is left to the discretion of the treating physician (3-9). Painful laser treatments are made more tolerable by the use of different anesthetic techniques. Anesthesia may be delivered simply by precooling the lesion, applying a topical anesthetic or administering intralesional/block anesthesia using 1% lidocaine with or without epinephrine. Larger lesions in young children may be more effectively managed with the aid of general anesthesia or sedation. These anesthetic modalities along with their advantages and disadvantages are detailed below.
