Topical medication

A topical medication is a medication that is applied to a particular place on or in the body, as opposed to systemically. (The word topical derives from Greek topikos, "of a place".) Most often this means application to body surfaces such as the skin or mucous membranes to treat ailments via a large range of classes including but not limited to creams, foams, gels, lotions, and ointments.

Many topical medications are epicutaneous, meaning that they are applied directly to the skin. Topical medications may also be inhalational, such as asthma medications, or applied to the surface of tissues other than the skin, such as eye drops applied to the conjunctiva, or ear drops placed in the ear, or medications applied to the surface of a tooth. As a route of administration, topical medications are contrasted with enteral (in the digestive tract) and intravascular/intravenous (injected into the circulatory system).

A topical effect, in the pharmacodynamic sense, may refer to a local, rather than systemic, target for a medication. However, many topically administered drugs have systemic effects, because they reach the circulation after being absorbed by the tissues.