One fingertip unit — a line of cream squeezed from the tip to the first crease of an adult index finger — is about half a gram and covers an area about the size of two adult palms. Telling patients how many units to use on each site, and how many grams a week that adds up to, prevents both under-treatment from steroid fear and over-use.
Write the number of units per site on the prescription, and give a weekly gram total so you can check refills against it.
- One fingertip unit is about 0.5 g and covers two adult palms
- Write units per body site on the prescription
- Give a weekly gram total and check refills against it
- Address steroid fear directly; under-treatment is the more common problem
Why it matters
Most eczema treatment failures are dosing failures, not drug failures.
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