Local anesthesia provides numbness to a very limited area of the body for a minor procedure. In most circumstances, your surgeon — not an anesthesiologist — will inject a local anesthetic or apply cream or gel to the skin at the site of surgery. An anesthesiologist may be present for local anesthesia if your physical condition warrants close monitoring.

Monitored Anesthesia Care

For some procedures, you may receive local anesthesia combined with monitored anesthesia care. In this case, your surgeon applies local anesthetic while the anesthesiologist provides light sedation. During the procedure, the anesthesiologist both fine-tunes the level of sedation and manages any existing medical conditions you may have.