Local anesthetics are used to treat pain from minor surgeries, dental procedures, and certain skin conditions. They also have other uses, such as numbing an area before a medical procedure. These medications work by blocking nerve signals in your body, which helps to numb the area and reduce pain. Local anesthetics come in different forms, including creams, patches, and injections. Examples include lidocaine (Lidoderm, Xylocaine), lidocaine/prilocaine (Aprizio Pak, Nuvakaan, Prizotral), and proparacaine (Alcaine).