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Topical Medication QuantityAka: Fingertip Estimate of Topical Medication Quantity

Dosing: Tube Sizes to prescribe (twice daily application for 10 days)
1. Face and Neck: 30 grams
2. Trunk (Front and back): 60 grams
3. One Arm: 30 grams
4. One Hand: 15 grams
5. One Leg: 60 grams
6. One Foot: 30 grams
Protocol: Fingertip Unit Estimate for Ointment Quantity
1. Background
  1. One fingertip unit is equivalent of 0.5 grams of ointment
2. Face and Neck
  1. Fingertip unit needed for one application: 2.5 units
  2. Ointment weight needed per application: 1.25 grams
  3. Ointment weight needed for one week (twice daily): 17.5 grams
3. Trunk (back and front)
  1. Fingertip unit needed for one application: 7 units
  2. Ointment weight needed per application: 3.5 grams
  3. Ointment weight needed for one week (twice daily): 49 grams
4. One arm
  1. Fingertip unit needed for one application: 3 units
  2. Ointment weight needed per application: 1.5 grams
  3. Ointment weight needed for one week (twice daily): 21 grams
5. One hand (one side)
  1. Fingertip unit needed for one application: 0.5 units
  2. Ointment weight needed per application: 0.25 grams
  3. Ointment weight needed for one week (twice daily): 3.5 grams
6. One leg
  1. Fingertip unit needed for one application: 6 units
  2. Ointment weight needed per application: 3 grams
  3. Ointment weight needed for one week (twice daily): 42 grams
7. One foot
  1. Fingertip unit needed for one application: 2 units
  2. Ointment weight needed per application: 1 gram
  3. Ointment weight needed for one week (twice daily): 14 grams
8. References
  1. Long (1991) Clin Exp Dermatol 16(6):444

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This page was written by Scott Moses, MD. This page was last revised on 5/22/2009 7:00:42 AM. This page was last published on 3/22/2010. Please send comments and questions to the editor. Contact information may be found on the page About the Family Practice Notebook. These pages are best viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0.