How long does it take for an ointment/cream to penetrate the skin?

Depends on the skin and the ingredients of the applied stuff.


Look up DMSO , that stuff works FAST. Is sometimes added to ointments or stuff for pain reliefs.


There are a few chemical names or varieties of DMSO now, back in the 70s and 80s it was like a wonder thing.


Also have to remember balance, if the body is 90% water or fluid, adding more means that some has to evacuate to allow room, that gets to be some real complicated math.


I guess about a minute for capillary action of the skin to occur. If it is a water based ointment, could take a while, because if water could polymyositis that fast and with good performance, one bath could literally drown a human. That is where te keratin and dead skin cells come in.


Most creams/ointments are like 80% ++ water.


So I guess the answer is , it depends on the skin that it is applied to.