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Types and Uses of Ointments Explained

Ointments are thicker than creams and can be both lipophilic and hydrophilic. They promote skin hydration by occlusion and preventing water loss, making them useful for dry skin conditions. There are water-soluble and non-emulsifying ointments. Water-soluble ointments contain macrogols or polyethylene glycols and are easily washed off, used in burn dressings, and allow drug penetration. Non-emulsifying ointments do not mix with water, adhere to skin to prevent evaporation, and are helpful for dry, scaly conditions but cause maceration with exudation. The consistency of ointments depends on the ratio of components like petrolatum, mineral oil

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83 views2 pages

Types and Uses of Ointments Explained

Ointments are thicker than creams and can be both lipophilic and hydrophilic. They promote skin hydration by occlusion and preventing water loss, making them useful for dry skin conditions. There are water-soluble and non-emulsifying ointments. Water-soluble ointments contain macrogols or polyethylene glycols and are easily washed off, used in burn dressings, and allow drug penetration. Non-emulsifying ointments do not mix with water, adhere to skin to prevent evaporation, and are helpful for dry, scaly conditions but cause maceration with exudation. The consistency of ointments depends on the ratio of components like petrolatum, mineral oil

Uploaded by

Mhaturi Sitti Rao
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Ointments are greasy and thicker than creams. Some are both lipophilic and hydrophilic, i.e.

by occlusion they promote dermal hydration, but are also water miscible. Other ointment bases are
composed largely of lipid; by preventing water loss they have a hydrating effect on skin and are used
in chronic dry conditions. Ointments contain fewer preservatives and are less likely to sensitise. There
are two main kinds:
Water-soluble ointments include mixtures of macrogols and polyethylene glycols; their
consistency can be varied readily. They are easily washed off and are used in burn dressings,
as lubricants and as vehicles that readily allow passage of drugs into the skin, e.g. hydrocortisone.
Emulsifying ointment is made from emulsifying wax (cetostearyl alcohol and sodium lauryl sulphate)
and paraffins. Aqueous cream is an oil-in-water emulsion of emulsifying ointment.
Non-emulsifying ointments do not mix with water. They adhere to the skin to prevent
evaporation and heat loss, i.e. they can be considered a form of occlusive dressing (with increased
systemic absorption of active ingredients); skin maceration may occur. Non-
emulsifying ointments are helpful in chronic dry and scaly conditions, such as atopic eczema, and as
vehicles; they are not appropriate where there is significant exudation. They are difficult to remove
except with oil or detergents, and are messy and inconvenient, especially on hairy skin. Paraffin
ointment contains beeswax, paraffins and cetostearyl alcohol.
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. Typical ointment
bases comprise petrolatum and mineral oil, or petrolatum and waxy/fatty alcohol combinations, the
ratio and grades of these components being selected to give the desired finished product
viscosity/spreadability. Proprietary ointment bases are also available.
Depending on the physicochemical properties, desired site of action, and formulation
strategies for the drug, drugs incorporated into semisolids can show their activity on the surface layers
of tissues or via penetration into deeper layers to reach the site of action or through systemic delivery.
In some cases, some topical preparations may be designed to limit their activity on the surface of the
skin with no stratum corneum penetration, for example repellents and chemical treatments for
pediculosis. In such cases, excipients that inhibit skin penetration can be used to retain the drug on the
surface layer of the skin. The barrier nature of the stratum corneum greatly limits the entry of drugs
into the systemic circulation. Nonetheless if the drug is to act locally or systemically, it must first
penetrate the stratum corneum.

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