Is this estrogel that is tacky? This is suprising though I have never used it but Testogel (the 1 % that I used to use now no longer available) has the same composition (apart from the active ingredient of course!) and never was tacky though Testim which I now use - is very tacky and I have to wait ages - and like you with the oestrogen gel - I put my socks on while it is still tacky. Sandrena ( which I did use) is like Testim - and stays tacky for some time which was really annoying. As far as I understand it the tackiness is due to the ingredients in the gel that aid its absorption into the skin.
Sandrena product info says this:
"The Sandrena dose is applied once daily on the skin of the lower trunk of the right or left thigh, on alternate days."
"After application the gel should be allowed to dry for a few minutes and the application site should not be washed within 1 hour"
"As soon as the gel has dried after application, application site should be covered with clothing"
"Sandrena is an alcohol-based estradiol gel. When applied to the skin the alcohol evaporates rapidly and estradiol is absorbed through the skin into the circulation"
Estrogel product info says this:
"A frequent change in application sites is recommended."
"Oestrogel should be allowed to dry for 5 minutes before covering the skin with clothing."
"Washing the skin or contact with other skin products should be avoided until at least one hour after application of Oestrogel."
"Pharmacokinetic studies indicate that, when applied topically to a large area of skin in a volatile solvent, approximately 10% of the oestradiol is percutaneously absorbed into the vascular system, regardless of the age of the patient"
Therefore I'm guessing that even if still tacky it is fine to put your clothes on - but if you are using a large amount of gel - then maybe spread it a bit more thinly over a larger area? For estradiol it also says this:
"The area of application should be at least 750 cm2"
"Daily application of 2.5 g or 5 g Oestrogel over a surface area of 400-750 cm2 results in a gradual increase in oestrogen blood levels to steady state after approximately 3-5 days and provides circulating levels of both oestradiol and estrone equivalent in absolute concentrations and in their respective ratio to those obtained during the early-mid follicular phase of the menstrual cycle."
I did read some years ago that if it was spread too thinly, less is absorbed so I guess there is a happy medium. As the maximum dose given is 4 pumps then I doubt there are data for 5 pumps but I imagine the same principles apply but a slightly larger area could be covered?
Hurdity x