Skin is said to be outermost covering of the body, which is the outermost barrier between the human body and environment. Topical route of administration deliver drugs almost directly to the site of action, the risk of systemic side effects is reduced. Modern medicine have explained topical applications such as creams, lotions, liniments, etc. which can be w/o or o/w emulsions. In Ayurveda topical applications are mentioned under bahirparimarjan chikitsa and this chikitsa acts on respective dosha when applied on the skin. Whereas modern medicine has told various bases which are used in topical applications such as boric acid, menthol, glycerin etc. According to Ayurveda pralepa, pradeha, alepa, etc. are the classification of lepas and which consist of various ayurvedic drugs such as kushta, priyangu, daruharidra, etc. according to their veerya. This article explains descriptive information about topical application according to newer therapy and Ayurveda and also preparation of lepa.