Where should topical medications be applied?

Author: Marilie Hintz  |  Last update: Tuesday, November 11, 2025

Choose an area free of hair, abrasions, or irritation. Use gloves when applying ointment, cream, and lotion to avoid absorption of the medication into your skin. After application, label the patch with date, time, and your initials.

Where is topical medication applied?

Applying medication to the skin or mucous membranes allows it to enter the body from there. Medication applied in this way is known as topical medication. It can also be used to treat pain or other problems in specific parts of the body.

What is the site of topical application?

Most often topical medication means application to body surfaces such as the skin or mucous membranes to treat ailments via a large range of classes including creams, foams, gels, lotions, and ointments. Many topical medications are epicutaneous, meaning that they are applied directly to the skin.

How should topical medications be applied to the skin?

If skin is very dry and flaking, apply topical medication while skin is still damp. Applying while skin is damp helps to retain moisture within skin layers.

Where do you apply topical cream?

Apply the emollient to all areas of the skin, even if the skin is improving. For emollients that come in tubes or pump dispensers apply the required amount directly to the skin. For creams that come in tubs use a clean spoon or spatula to scoop out the cream.Do not put hands in the tub as this can spread infection.

How should topical medications be applied?: Drug administration procedures

Where do you apply Topicals?

Choose an area free of hair, abrasions, or irritation. Use gloves when applying ointment, cream, and lotion to avoid absorption of the medication into your skin.

What are the sites of topical administration?

Topical administration of the drug is employed to treat anterior segment diseases, most often in the form of eye drops. For this route, the site of action is generally the different layers of the conjunctiva, cornea, sclera, and other anterior segment tissues like iris and ciliary body (anterior uvea).

Which area of the body are ointments good to apply to?

Ointments are thicker and greasier, and are better for dry or flaky areas of skin. Lotion is better for treating large or hairier areas of skin.

How do you know where a topical cream is to be applied?

The medicine should only be applied to affected areas of skin. Gently smooth a thin layer onto your skin in the direction the hair grows. Wash your hands before and after you've applied the medicine, unless you are treating an area on your hands.

How should topical emollients be applied to the skin?

Emollient lotions, sprays, creams and ointments should be applied directly to the skin. They should be smoothed, not rubbed, into the skin gently in the same direction that your hair grows. This helps prevent hair follicles getting blocked.

On which part of the body can topical medication be applied?

Topical medication can be defined as the application of medicine on the skin or mucous membranes that allow it to go into the body and bring relief to body pain and other issues in the affected part of the body. Topical medication can be used to nourish the pores and skin to protect it from harm.

What are topical areas?

Topical: Pertaining to a particular surface area. For example, a topical agent is applied to a certain area of the skin and is intended to affect only the area to which it is applied.

What and where would you document when applying a topical medication?

Medicines Application Record (TMAR) for each topical medication prescribed. Ideally this should include a body map. The TMAR should be checked and countersigned. The TMAR should be kept in the resident's room.

Where can transdermal medications be applied?

Compounding pharmacies offer to make transdermal medications for many drugs using a variety of gels. Gels are applied to the skin where it is the thinnest so the medication can be absorbed more easily into the blood vessels; this is the inside of the ear in cats and on the belly of dogs.

Where is the topical anesthesia applied?

Topical anesthetics can be for your skin or mucosa, including: Your mouth and gums. Inside your nose, throat and ears. The conjunctiva of your eyes.

What are the sites of absorption for topical drugs?

4A, there are a range of epidermal, dermal, and appendageal target sites that include the keratinocytes, Langerhans cells, melanocytes, Merkel cells, and blood vessels, as well as deeper tissues such as muscle.

What is the instillation route?

Drug instillation, also known as medication instillation, is the administration of a medicine, generally in liquid form either drop by drop or with a catheter into a body space or cavity. Drop by drop administration may be done for eye drops, ear drops, or nose drops.

Where should you not use hydrocortisone cream?

Do not use it on skin areas that have cuts, scrapes, or burns. If it does get on these areas, rinse it off right away with water. This medicine should only be used for skin conditions that your doctor is treating.

What is the topical route of drug administration?

Topical and Transdermal Medications. Topical medications are medications that are administered via the skin or mucous membranes for direct local action, as well as for systemic effects. An innunction is a medication that is massaged or rubbed into the skin and includes topical creams such as nystatin antifungal cream.

How do you use topical medication?

If skin is very dry and flaking, apply topical medication while skin is still damp. If using a tub scoop a small amount using a gloved hand. If using a tube squeeze out a small amount into the hand. Let the person know that initial application may feel cold.

How should topical medications be applied to the skin Quizlet?

Match
  1. Change gloves between prepping the skin and applying the medication. ...
  2. Avoid using a heating pad on or near the application site. ...
  3. Other medications the patient is taking. ...
  4. Allow the patient to apply the topical medication and provide feedback on technique. ...
  5. Apply the medication using sterile technique.

Where do you use ointment?

Uses: Ointments are beneficial for very dry, chapped or cracked areas of skin, such as dry heels and psoriasis patches. The ointment is also a good choice for people whose hands are very dry and chapped due to frequent hand-washing. For dry, chapped lips, ointments keep moisture sealed in longer than waxes or balms do.

Where can topical medications be applied?

What are they? When and why are they used? What are they made from? Topical medications are applied to the skin or mucous membranes for the purpose of treating pain or other medical condition affecting a specific area of the body.

Does putting a pill under your tongue make it work faster?

Sublingual administration of drug refers to the placement of drug under the tongue (Rehfeld et al., 2017). The sublingual route bypasses the first-pass metabolism and hence facilitates rapid absorption of the drug into the systemic circulation. Drug directly reaches the systemic circulation using blood vessels.

What is a topical area?

topical in the Pharmaceutical Industry

A topical administration of a medicine is one that is applied directly to a particular or localized area of the body.

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