One fingertip unit — a line of cream from the tip of an adult index finger to the first crease — is about 0.5 g and covers an area roughly the size of two adult palms. Writing the dose this way tells the patient how much to use and tells you how much they should need.
It works in both directions: it stops under-treatment from fear of steroids, and it makes excessive use visible when a patient returns for more tubes than the area and duration would require.
- Write the site, the number of fingertip units and the duration on the prescription
- Estimate the expected quantity for the course and prescribe that amount
- Ask how many tubes have been used since the last visit
- Step down potency or frequency as the skin settles rather than stopping abruptly
Why it matters
Cumulative steroid exposure is only controllable if the quantity prescribed is deliberate.
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