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Cream or ointment - which is better?

The pharmaceutical industry produces, in addition to solid forms of drugs (tablets, dragees, capsules, granules, powders), liquid forms (solutions, potions, suspensions, emulsions, liquid extracts, infusions, decoctions) also soft forms of drugs: ointments, creams, liniment , gels, jellies, pastes, medicinal plasters, suppositories.

Cream or ointment - which is better?

When choosing a medicine, presented in several milder forms, an ignorant person in pharmaceuticals should be guided by the following knowledge.

All soft dosage forms contain the drug itself and the base in which it is embedded. Fats, water, emulsion, hydrophilic substances are used as a basis (substances that have the ability to interact with water at the molecular level - absorb water well).

When making a choice between an ointment and a cream, it must be borne in mind that the ointment has a greasy water-repellent base, and the cream has a water base or an emulsion plus oils. This means that the ointment is absorbed more slowly into the skin (due to this, the effect of the ointment is more long-lasting), it remains longer on the skin surface (forms a water-repellent film), has the property of deeply penetrating tissues and into the bloodstream, for this reason it has a systemic effect on the body as a whole, despite its external use. And the cream is absorbed quickly into the surface layers of the skin, but does not reach the bloodstream, and therefore, it will act for a long time, but only within the upper layers of the skin (local action) and therefore will not have an effect on the entire body (systemic action).

What is liniment?

Liniment is a liquid ointment that has a melting point close to body temperature, which allows it to be absorbed faster into the skin and mucous membranes. Liniment is usually prepared as wound-healing, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory drugs.

The gel is a hydrophilic ointment, not a fatty one (does not contain animal fats and vegetable oils). It is the gel that is absorbed better than the ointment and cream, penetrates deeper into the skin and underlying tissues, and can have a systemic effect on the body. The gel is easy to use, as it does not stain clothes (it quickly evaporates from the skin surface). Jelly is a hydrophilic ointment with a more viscous consistency than a gel. The jelly is applied externally with a thicker layer than the gel. Absorbs longer than gel. An external effect is expected from the jelly-like drug.

A paste is a thick ointment containing a high percentage of the active powdery substance. The consistency of the paste is thicker and denser than the usual ointment, which makes it indispensable for external use (it can have a drying, antiseptic or protective effect).

Medicinal patches are soft medicinal products on a support that keeps them from spreading and prevents them from rubbing off. The medicinal patch has a superficial effect, without penetrating into the deep layers of the dermis.

Suppositories are a soft dosage form that, at temperatures below the temperature of the human body, keeps the form with a certain dose of the substance, and when it gets on the mucous membranes lining the internal surfaces of the organs under the influence of the heat of the human body, it begins to gradually absorb into the mucous membrane.