No individuals are the same and neither are their allergies or dermatological conditions. The treatment given to them has to be specific to their condition and how it manifests itself in the individual patient. Based on a patient’s specific allergies or dermatologic conditions, special formulations for medications, custom sunscreen, and even makeup are compounded for them. A pharmacist works closely with a patient and their physician to formulate a customized prescription to treat their condition.

No matter what the field of medicine, there would be some patients who don’t respond to traditional methods of treatment. Sometimes they need medicine of very strong potency that is not manufactured by drug companies, or maybe they simply need a different method of consuming a medication.

Dermatology compounding is aimed at meeting all such needs. It provides a systematic approach for physicians and compounding pharmacists to customize an individualized prescription for the specific need of their patient. Dermatology compounding provides solutions which are usually not met by commercial products.

By this time, we are all well aware that compounding or more specifically dermatology compounding is the art and science of preparing customized medications for its patients. Its practice goes back to the origins of pharmacy. Yet, the presence of dermatology compounding in the pharmacy profession has changed in entirety over the last few years.

In the 1930s and 1940s, roughly 60 percent of all medications were compounded. With the introduction of drug manufacturing in the 1950s and 1960s, compounding declined rapidly. The pharmacist’s role as a specialist in formulation of medications quickly changed to that of a distributor of manufactured dosage forms.

However, in the last two decades, compounding has experienced recovery as modern technology, innovative techniques, and research have approved more pharmacists to customize medications to meet specific patient needs.

There are more than a few reasons why dermatologists compound prescription medications. One of the most important reasons is something that the medical community calls as “patient non-compliance.” I’ll explain it in detail to you.

Many patients are sensitive to chemical additions or colorants, or are allergic to standard drug potency. With a physician’s consent, a compounding pharmacist can change the potency of a medication, change its form to make it easier for the patient to consume, or add flavour to improve its taste. The pharmacist also can formulate the medication using some unique delivery systems, such as a sublingual troche or tablet, a lollipop, or a transdermal gel or cream that can be absorbed through the skin. For those patients who find it difficult to swallow a capsule, a compounding pharmacist can alternatively offer him/ her liquid medication.

Compounding pharmacists get the opportunity to work with a variety of specialties, such as hospice, paediatrics, pain management, and OB/GYN, which in turn broaden the scope of their practices and generate other opportunities to provide their services to other pharmacist.

Your pharmacy can easily develop into a compounding pharmacy; one that is committed to offering high quality compounded medications in the dosage form and strength as prescribed by the physician. This relationship between the patient, his/her physician, and the pharmacist is critical to the process of compounding so that all three can work together to work out unique medical problems.