How much is 1 gram of topical cream?

Author: Toney Schaden  |  Last update: Friday, November 7, 2025

A fingertip is from the very end of the finger to the first crease in the finger. One FTU is enough to treat an area of skin twice the size of the flat of an adult's hand with the fingers together (ie a 'handprint'). Two FTUs are about the same as 1 g of topical steroid.

How do you measure 1 gram of topical cream?

  1. Line expressed from a 5mm nozzle starting at adult index finger DIP joint and extending to finger tip.
  2. One FTU is equivalent to 0.5 grams of Topical Medication and covers 2 hand prints (1.6% of body surface area)
  3. Two FTU is equivalent to 1 gram of Topical Medication and covers 4 hand prints (3.2% of body surface area)

How much ointment is 2 grams?

In this example 2 grams is 4 fingertip units of emollient. In addition, when prescribing say, a 500 g pump of emollient cream, it allows a rough calculation of how long it might be expected to last the patient.

How much is 0.5 g of cream?

The fingertip unit (0.5 g) is a guide to the amount of a cream or ointment needed to treat an area for a certain time. One fingertip unit covers one side of 2 flat hands, and one gram covers both sides of the patient's two hands. It takes 20–30 g of cream or ointment to cover an adult's total body once.

How many grams of cream to cover a face?

When applying a cream to your face, you need to use 1.0 FTUs, or 1.2 grams, or 0.04 ounces or 1/4 teaspoon to cover the entire face. You will need another 1 FTU (1.2 grams or ¼ teaspoon) to cover the front of your neck and decollete.

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How many grams is a fingertip unit?

Quantity of Ointment Based on Fingertip Units*

*— One fingertip unit = approximately 0.5 g.

How many grams is a pea-sized amount of cream?

'Normal' versus 'pea-sized' parental dosing was investigated in a small pre-school-based study in 3-year-olds by Levy22. 'Normal' dosing was found to be very close to 0.25 g, whereas 'pea-sized' dosing was slightly greater (0.31 g).

How many grams is a teaspoon of cream?

In this instance, our original conversion (1 teaspoon = 5 grams) holds true. This is because 1 teaspoon is equal to a volume of 5 mL.

Is 0.5 g equal to 500mg?

A medication dose of 0.5 g is equal to 500 mg, not 5.0 mg. The conversion factor for grams to milligrams is 1000, as there are 1000 milligrams in a gram. Therefore, to convert grams to milligrams, you multiply the value by 1000. In this case, 0.5 g multiplied by 1000 gives you 500 mg.

How much is a fingertip amount of cream?

The quantity of cream in a fingertip unit varies with age: Adult male: 1 fingertip unit provides 0.5 g. Adult female: 1 fingertip unit provides 0.4 g. Child aged 4 years – approximately 1/3 of adult amount.

How many grams is a hydrocortisone cream?

Hydrocortisone Cream USP, 2.5% 30 grams Label

Each gram contains: 25 mg Hydrocortisone USP in a cream base consisting of purified water, cetyl alcohol, glycerin, stearyl alcohol, propylene glycol, sodium lauryl sulfate, cetyl palmitate and sorbic acid. Usual Dosage: 2 to 4 applications daily.

What is 1g in hands?

The Rule of Hand: 4 Hand Areas=2 FTU=1 g.

How much is 1g of ointment?

One handprint is 0.8% (i.e. approximately 1%) of the total body surface area, and one FTU covers approximately two handprints. As two FTUs are approximately equivalent to 1g of topical application, the "Rule of Hand" states that "4 hand areas = 2 FTU = 1 g".

What can you use to measure 1 gram?

You can use a measuring cup or measuring spoon to estimate amounts, but for the most accurate way to measure ingredients, you should use a digital kitchen scale (or food scale).

Which steroid cream is strongest?

Topical steroids are grouped into classes based on their performance and concentration. 1 Class I steroids, such as clobetasol propionate, are the strongest and require a prescription; Class VII steroids, such as hydrocortisone, are the weakest and available over-the-counter (OTC).

Is 1 gram the same as 500mg?

Is 500 mg equal to 1 gram? 500 mg is not equal to 1 gram, 1 g is equal to 1000 mg.

How to measure 0.5 g?

The only way to accurately measure in grams is to use a scale. Other tools, such as kitchen cups and spoons, provide a rough estimate. Also, keep a conversion calculator or chart on hand so you can measure grams when you don't have a scale available.

How much is 1 gram in medicine?

The amount of medicine in each tablet or capsule is usually given as grams (g), milligrams (mg), or micrograms (mcg). 1 g = 1000 mg 1 gram has 1000 milligrams 1 mg = 0.001 g This means a milligram is much smaller than a gram.

Is 1 gram equal to 1 teaspoon?

For liquids like water, 5 grams equals 1 teaspoon. For other ingredients, like sugar or flour, the weight varies.

What does 1 gram of salt look like?

What Is a Gram of Salt? A gram of salt clocked in at about 1/6 tsp, making it the heaviest ingredient. But salt is composed of chloride as well, with only 40% of its weight accounting for pure sodium. Doing some math there gives us about a 1/2 tsp of salt to amount to 1 gram of sodium.

Is cream measured in grams?

Some medicines, but not many, are dosed in grams. This includes tablets and some gels or creams. Tablets measured in grams are usually pretty large. If your gel or cream is dosed in grams, there will be a card in the box with the cream to guide you in measuring the correct amount.

Is a pea size of tretinoin enough?

Applying tretinoin to wet skin can irritate it. To use the cream, gel, or lotion form of this medicine: Apply just enough medicine to very lightly cover the affected areas, and rub in gently but well. A pea-sized amount is enough to cover the whole face.

How long will a 45g tube of tretinoin last?

Typically, for facial application, a “pea-sized” amount (which is around 0.25 grams) is recommended for each application. If you use a pea-sized amount per application once daily, a 45g tube would last around 180 days (or about 6 months).

What is the sandwich method of tretinoin?

Option one: The sandwich technique

In this method we sandwich tretinoin between two layers of moisturiser. This buffers your skin from tretinoin and slows down the release. After washing your face, apply a layer of moisturiser. Allow it to dry down for 5-10 minutes.

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