WHAT IS A FINGERTIP UNIT?A fingertip unit is the amount of ointment that fits on the tip of your index finger. A strip of ointment from a standard tube is squeezed along the entire length of the end phalanx, as shown in the photo below. A fingertip unit is equivalent to approximately 0.5 grams of ointment. One FTU can cover an area approximately the size of two hands.
| Number of fingertip units of ointment per body part, for different ages |
| age |
face
and neck |
arm
and hand |
leg
and foot |
for
side
hull |
back and
buttocks |
whole
body |
grams per week
when applying once a day |
| 3-12 months |
1 |
1 |
1.5 |
1 |
1.5 |
8.5 |
30 g |
| 1-2 years |
1.5 |
1.5 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
13.5 |
50 g |
| 3-5 years |
1.5 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
3.5 |
18 |
65 g |
| 6-10 years |
2 |
2.5 |
4.5 |
3.5 |
5 |
24.5 |
85 g |
| 11-16 years |
2.5 |
3 |
6 |
5 |
6 |
31 |
110 g |
| adult |
2.5 |
4 |
8 |
7 |
7 |
40 |
140 g |
Hormone ointment doesn't need to be applied in a thick layer; a thin layer on the affected skin is sufficient. Applying it thickly doesn't improve results, as the skin only absorbs a certain amount of hormone.
The chart above has been developed to determine how much ointment is needed per body part. This chart uses the fingertip as the unit of measurement.
An adult needs approximately 20 grams to cover the entire body. A 100g tube is therefore empty after applying the ointment to the entire body five times.
For the hands alone, an adult needs 1g (1 FTU = 0.5g per hand).
For the feet alone, an adult needs 2g (2 FTU = 1g per foot). |
