Nanotechnology-enhanced hydrogels for the topical administration of lidocaine and bupivacaine in Tropical regions.

Blepharoplasty entails the administration of local anesthetics with mild and consistent injections. The presentformulations of transcutaneous local anesthetics are deemed unsafe for application on the face. This paper presents aunique approach to developing safe formulations for eyelid surgery. The author investigates the penetration of localanesthetics, namely lidocaine and bupivacaine loaded self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems (SNEDDS) and their hydrogels, through both human eyelid tissue and mouse skin. The use of nano-enabled carbomer hydrogels with self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems (SNEDDS) has shown the potential to deliver potent anesthetics. The lidocaine hydrogels exhibit a reduced lag time and a much higher lidocaine flow rate, about 5.3 times more, as compared toEMLA, when applied to human eyelid skin. The ex vivo tape peeling technique was used to observe the presence ofanesthetics inside the epidermis along with stratum corneum. The histological examination reveals the absence of anydermatological abnormalities. The results emphasize the potential therapeutic applications of nanotechnology-basedanaesthetic hydrogels as a less invasive strategy for administering anesthesia during eyelid surgery.