Is there tissue penetration after application of topical salicylate formulations?

Abstract

Many of the topical non-steroidal products used for treatment of local pain or inflammation contain either a salicylate ester (methyl, glycol) or salicylate salt (triethanolamine, diethylamine). There is controversy as to whether the active ingredient in these formulations penetrates into deeper tissues after application or is removed by the dermal blood supply to the skin. 1 Roberts MS Favretto WA Meyer A et al. Topical bioavailability of methylsalicylate. Aust N Z J Med. 1982; 12: 305-306 Crossref PubMed Scopus (37) Google Scholar . We measured dermal and subcutaneous concentrations of salicylates after topical application and compared salicylate concentrations in microdialysate 2 Anderson C Anderson T Boman A et al. Cutaneous microdialysis for the measurement in-vivo of the percutaneous absorption of organic solvents. Curr Prob Dermatol. 1996; 25: 37-46 PubMed Google Scholar from dermal and subcutaneous probes with plasma concentrations.