Lidocaine belongs to the family of medicines called local anesthetics. This medicine prevents pain by blocking the signals at the nerve endings in the skin. This medicine does not cause unconsciousness as general anesthetics do when used for surgery.
Lidocaine topical is used on different parts of the body to cause numbness or loss of feeling for certain medical procedures. It is also used to relieve pain and itching caused by conditions such as sunburn or other minor burns, insect bites or stings, poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, minor cuts, or scratches. It may help relieve nerve pain caused by herpes zoster or Shingles.