Table 1.

Comparative analysis and drug delivery applications of transdermal patches, hypodermic needles, and topical creams. Adapted from [16].

	Topical Cream	Transdermal Patch	Hypodermic Needle	Microneedle
Description	Creams and Ointments	Cohesive patch placed on the skin	Sharp tip with a small opening at the end	Microneedles fixed on the surface of a small patch
Application	Steady	Steady	Rapid	Rapid
Pain	Pain-free	Pain-free	Sore	Pain-free
Bioavailability	Sparse	Sparse	Good	Good
Patient Compliance	Non-compliant	Compliant	Non-compliant	Compliant
Self-administration	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Mechanism	Permeation through the stratum corneum	Permeation through the stratum corneum	Drug impaled into the dermis	Drug bypassing the stratum corneum and directly into epidermis or dermis