Patent ID: 6894078

Claim:
A method for enhancing an anesthetic effect by applying a topical anesthetic to an area of skin, the method comprising the steps of: a) forming a homogeneous solution by dissolving into a volatile solvent an anesthetic in a lipophilic base, the lipophilic base selected from the group consisting of White Ointment USP, Yellow Ointment NF, Oleic Acid USP, Olive Oil USP, Paraffin USP, Petrolatum NF, White Petrolatum USP, Spermaceti Wax USP, Synthetic Spermaceti NF, Starch Glycerite NF, White Wax USP, and Yellow Wax USP; b) applying the homogeneous solution into the area of skin to be treated; and c) evaporating the volatile solvent from the homogeneous solution; wherein the homogenous solution includes from about 40-80% of the volatile solvent; from about 3-40% of the anesthetic; from about 0.5 to about 2.0 of a thickener; from about 0.5 to about 2.0 of an emulsiifer; and the balance being the lipophilic base wherein the anesthetic is chosen from benzocaine, butambenpicrate, tetracaine, dibucaine, prilocaine, etidocaine, mepivacaine, bupivicaine, lidocaine, proprionic acid derivatives, fenamates, pyrrolealkanoic acids, pyrazolone derivatives, oxicams, pramoxine, an eutetic mixture of lidocaine and prilocaine, or mixture thereof.