Abstract
Topical products are widely used in the treatment of pain or inflammatory and degenerative conditions. Their undeniable advantage is sufficiently proven clinical efficacy and also a generally favourable safety profile due to their minimal systemic exposure compared to orally used products.
It was also demonstrated that exact formulation used is critical for topical analgesic in management of pain conditions. This brief overview emphasizes the important role of different excipients like penetration enhancers which chemical properties suggesting a different disrupting effect on the skin barrier.
It summarizes the well-known properties of the skin as a key barrier to any pharmacological effects and focuses on a differences in using different excipients like penetration enhancers.