What are the advantages and disadvantages of ointments and creams?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of ointments and creams?

One of the greatest advantages of topical skin infection medicine is the avoidance of systemic side effects. 2. Disadvantages of Ointments Fat-based ointments (protective ointments) reduce the ability to grip and reduce quality of work.

What are the uses of ointments?

Ointments, which include medicines, moisturizers, or cosmetics, can be applied to the eyes, skin, and mucus membranes to help treat anything from dry skin to cuts, scrapes, burns, bites, and hemorrhoids.

What is the advantage of cream over Ointment?

In general, creams are better than ointments for treating oozing or wet skin conditions like eczema. Creams evaporate much quickly than ointments and thus heals such conditions faster. Ointments are thicker. Since they stay longer on your skin’s surface, they can add moisture to your skin and keep it hydrated.

What is the role of simple ointment?

To lubricate and protect the eye in conditions such as exposure keratitis, decreased corneal sensitivity, recurrent corneal erosions, keratitis sicca, ophthalmic and non-ophthalmic surgery, sticky eyes and to soften crusts formed due to inflammation of the eye lids. Adults, the elderly and children.

What are the characteristics of an ointment?

Ointments are preparations for external use, intended for application to the skin. Typically, they have an oily or greasy consistency and can appear “stiff” as they are applied to the skin.

What is stronger ointment or cream?

Being occlusive, an ointment will allow the medication to enter the skin more completely than a cream. At the same dosage, most topical corticosteroids will be classified as being stronger when packaged as an ointment as compared to a cream.

Does ointment absorb into skin?

Of all skin products, ointments contain the highest oil content. Their purpose is to have an occlusive effect, which means they stay on top of the skin, rather than being absorbed right away. This offers more protection against moisture loss and elements like dry air.

What is bleeding in ointment?

The use of excessive shear when the ointment base (or finished formulation) is cold/thick will cause loss of structure and viscosity. This loss of structure will be seen as oil “bleed” or syneresis as the lighter fractions of the base separate from the bulk formulation on standing.

What are the benefits of ointment form of medications?

Topical medications, such as antibiotics for infections or corticosteroids for psoriasis, may be ideal in ointment form because they don’t evaporate off the skin, ensuring maximum product absorption. Extremely dry skin may also benefit from moisturizers in ointment form due to the same benefits.

What is the difference between ointments and creams?

Creams and ointments can be either medicinal or cosmetic. The primary difference between the two is the ratio between oil and water. While a cream has equal parts oil and water, ointments have about 80 percent oil. Due to their water content, creams are easily absorbed in the skin. This can make them ideal for widespread treatment areas.

Should I use ointments or creams for my skin condition?

Wet or “weeping” skin lesions, such as eczema or poison ivy, are best treated with a cream (or gel). Ointments are best when treating dry skin conditions, such as psoriasis.

What are the disadvantages of ointment as a drug delivery method?

The drug delivery with ointment is associated with some disadvantages such as relatively poor patient compliance, which may be the result of occasional irritation and blurring of vision (Patel et al., 2010 ).