Steroid creams in today's video I'm
going to teach you what pharmacists learn
to help patients use them safely
and to their full potential
please leave a comment at the end of the video if you found any of this information helpful
so topical steroids come in many
different formulations like creams, ointments and gels
and different formulations are suitable for different areas of the skin
topical steroids are used in conditions like eczema and dermatitis
when the skin is red, itchy and sometimes blistered now in the medical world we call this inflamed
but before we learn how to use our topical steroid
it's really important to mention that topical steroids are usually used in addition to your emollient
so never stop using your emollient unless you're told otherwise and that's Nadia in the background
to demonstrate I'm using an emollient cream
so please don't get confused that this is how you're meant to use your emollients
because emollients should be applied liberally and frequently
so in this demonstration it's only to demonstrate how you use a steroid cream or ointment
use thinly now you'll see that on your pharmacy label or on the information leaflet with your topical steroid
but how little should you actually use?
well it's quite simple and we call it fingertip units
and that's the amount of topical
steroid squeezed from a normal 5mm nozzle
from your first crease to the tip of your finger okay
and I like to do it this way, so from the
bottom to the top
because then you can kind of twist off, close your lids and that's it, and that is a fingertip unit
now that we have our fingertip unit this should cover an area two adult palms with fingers together
so that's how much it should cover
each area that you'll be applying the topical steroid to
will have a recommended number of fingertip units
so for example if I was applying the topical steroid to my hand the front and back of it
the recommended number of fingertip units is one
but let's say you're applying a topical steroid to the entire arm and hand of an adult
now the recommended number of fingertip units  for that is four
and to see a full list of all the areas of the body and the recommended number of fingertip units
I've left a great link in the description below which I highly recommend you read
fingertip units also apply for children however much less is required
because children are much smaller than adults and this information is also in the link provided in the description
always wash your hands before and after you apply a topical steroid
unless however the topical steroid is for your hand which then don't wash it after you've applied it
now let's move on to some quick and useful tips
tip 1 when applying creams or ointments always apply in the direction of hair growth
if you apply against it you're at risk of blocking your hair follicles and you may get an infection
tip 2 if you're using an emollient and a topical steroid first apply your emollient and wait about 15 minutes
so it can absorb and then apply your topical steroids
now I also made a video about paraffin based emollients and their fire risk a couple of months ago
and I'd highly advise everyone to watch it so I've left a link in the description below feel free to check it out
tip 3 which is the last tip short courses of topical steroids which are fewer than four weeks
are generally safe with very few problems
problems do start to develop though if you're using topical steroids for a long period
or you're repeating short courses of strong steroids
now I've left more information about this in the description below so feel free to read more about it
lastly always read the information leaflet that comes with your medicines
and if you have any questions ask your pharmacist, nurse practitioner or doctor about it
and that's it you're now a topical steroid pro!
let me know if you found any of my tips useful by leaving a comment below
which ones you maybe never knew about
and if you liked the video if you found it helpful then please hit that like button now
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5mm nozzle from your first crease to the end of your thinger, thinger! (LAUGHTER)
before we learn the best way (DROPPING BOX SOUND) god these guys are so loud today
oh is that thumbs up? (LAUGHTER) thanks
then please hit that like button now  leave it now (LAUGHTER)
