When you receive a custom-made topical medication like a cream or ointment, you might notice that it feels different from what you’re used to. While some creams absorb quickly and feel light, others can feel thick and greasy, and they may not seem as pleasant to use. But when it comes to compounded medications, how it feels on your skin is often a key part of its effectiveness.In this article, we’ll explore:
What’s the Difference Between Ointments and Creams?
Topical medications are applied directly to the skin, but they come in many different forms. Two of the most common are creams and ointments.
- Creams are typically a mixture of oil and water, making them lightweight and easy to spread. They absorb into the skin relatively quickly and are often preferred for their pleasant, non-greasy feel.
- Ointments are oil-based and contain very little to no water. This makes them much thicker and greasier than creams. They don’t absorb into the skin as quickly, and they create a protective barrier on the skin’s surface.
When to Use an Ointment
While ointments may not be as cosmetically appealing, they are often the most effective option for certain conditions.
- They Stay Put. The thick, greasy nature of ointments means they remain on the skin longer than creams. This extended contact time allows the active ingredients to work more effectively, which is particularly beneficial for treating conditions like severe eczema, psoriasis, or chronic skin allergies.
- They Protect and Heal. Ointments create an occlusive barrier on the skin. This barrier prevents moisture loss, helps the skin to retain hydration, and protects the treated area from irritants. This can speed up the healing process for dry, cracked, or damaged skin.
When to Use a Cream
Creams have their own set of advantages, making them the right choice in other situations.
- Fast Absorption. The water-based nature of creams allows them to be absorbed quickly into the skin. This makes them ideal for medications that need to act fast or for use during the day when you prefer a less greasy feel.
- Easy to Spread. Creams are easier to apply over large areas of the body, and they are often used for general skin care or for conditions that don’t require an occlusive barrier.
- Ideal for Hair-Covered Areas. The lighter consistency of creams makes them a better choice for applying to areas with hair, as they don’t leave a residue like ointments might.
It’s All About the Base
The “base” is the substance that the active medication is mixed into, and it is crucial to the medication’s effectiveness.
A compounding pharmacist chooses a base that is specifically designed to work with the active ingredients and your skin condition. Whether it’s a thick ointment, a fast-absorbing cream, or a different type of base, the goal is to ensure the medication is stable, effective, and provides the best possible outcome for you.
If you’re unsure about the feel or texture of your topical medication, don’t hesitate to reach out to a compounding pharmacist. We are happy to discuss the reasons behind the choice of base and how it benefits your treatment.
Video Transcript
This is a really a really good question. And without being too technical, as a pharmacist, I’ll, I’ll leave you with this really simple introduction. And it’s all about the base. You might be familiar with the song back in, in compounding training. There was a great trainer that we had. He was a pharmacist from America, and he just kept reminding us that in a topical product, like a cream or an ointment, it’s all about the base. So it might be hard to believe, but there are a multitude of bases available through compounding pharmacies for us to put your active ingredients in to make sure that it’s the best type of cream or ointment for you to use.
In situations like greasy creams, what they actually might be is an ointment. You probably tried an ointment before. It’s a bit occlusive. It sits on the skin, doesn’t disappear, doesn’t have that beautiful cosmetic feel. But one of the things that we would remind you about is it’s actually a really good product in situations where you’ve got a skin allergy or you’ve got a really problematic issue that requires, you know, tacrolimus or some sort of anti-inflammatory action. And when you’ve got a really thick ointment or a gel type, it actually will stay on there for a longer period of time than a prettier cosmetic cream. And by staying on there, it really helps your skin to go through the repair process faster than it would if it disappeared. So even though it doesn’t seem great having an ointment as in it’s not pretty, it’s not fancy. I would just encourage you to keep using it, because in some situations it’s a really, really appropriate and useful dosage form or dosage or base type to give you the best result. And just remember, if you’re using ointments overnight, if you’ve got your head on the pillow, for example, it may just transfer to your pillow if it’s in your hair. So just think about those types of things when using it in certain areas.
With fast absorbing creams like you might be familiar with. So creams like cosmetic creams which disappear and sort of feel like they’ve done the action. These are generally water or gel based. And because of that component, they’re not as thick as the previous ointments that I was just describing. They’re normally used quickly to use to quickly move drugs through the skin, so that’s why they’ll feel a bit different and not so greasy. But again, they won’t give that protective ability that an ointment might. So you might put cosmetic products in it, hydroquinone creams that type of thing to get it out of the off the skin quickly. But it will have a different usage form for the ointment. So normally daytime, easy to use, relatively stress free. So it is another really good compound cream alternative.
The key thing, though, that I love you to take away, is just remember that compounding pharmacies have a multitude of bases that are available in topical products. So it could be a it could be a greasy product, it could be a dry product, it could be a gel product, it could be a paint. So something that’s really impenetrable. But ultimately a compounding pharmacist is super experienced. And our role is to take what the doctor would like, as in the prescription that you’ve got and use the most suitable base for that product. So it’s it’s stable, it’s effective, and it works really, really well for you. So if the feeling of what you’re using isn’t great. Have a chat to us. We’re always happy to give you some pointers and some feedback, but often the base that you receive will be the most appropriate for what’s in it, which means it should give you the best outcome.
