THE EFFECTS

OF IODINE
ON SKIN
By Jack Kessler, PhD
 The History of Iodine in
MEDICINAL PRACTICE
The Bernard Courtois, the man credited with the discovery,
was a French chemist who manufactured saltpeter from
discovery of seaweed. The process involved treating seaweed ash with
sulfuric acid to obtain sodium and potassium salts. One
iodine, like particular day in 1811, Courtois accidentally added too
much acid which caused the iodides in seaweed to oxidize
many other and form a violet vapor of iodine above the suspension.

significant Upon crystallization, he was able to create various iodide

salts.
discoveries, Since its discovery, iodine has been used by folk medicine
was an as well as in rational therapy for its medicinal values. In
1819, eight years after Courtois’ discovery, Swiss
accident. physician Jean-Francois Coindet used the tincture of
iodine to successfully treat 150 goiter patients.1 The
results were published a year later. Throughout the 19th
century, iodine was tested by physicians and surgeons for
every conceivable pathology. Iodine, in its various forms,
was prescribed for an astonishingly wide variety of
diseases. This included paralysis, deafness, burns,
asthma, ulcers, and syphilis.2

Towards the end of the 19th century, iodine was identified

as the active ingredient of thyroid extracts. It was soon
deduced that iodine was the essential chemical that
regulates the healthy functioning of the thyroid gland.

1
Iodine and THE SKIN
Apart from regulating thyroid levels, iodine is responsible
for various other important aspects of our body like
metabolism, the immune system, and repairing damaged
cells. Historically, iodine and iodide salts have been used
to treat skin diseases and wounds. This is because, iodine
acts as a catalyst in the regeneration of lower layers of the
skin by accelerating cell function. As a result, iodine finds
use in healing deep cuts to avoid extreme scar tissue
formation.

Thyroid hormones, namely triiodothyronine (T3) and

thyroxine (T4), are partially composed of iodine. These
hormones are responsible for various bodily functions.3
One of these functions is regulation of skin moisture. Low
levels of T3 and T4 can result in reduced skin moisture,
leading to dry, flaky skin. Thyroid hormones help maintain
skin moisture. Iodide salts, like potassium iodide (KI) have
also been used to treat various skin conditions such as
psoriasis, eczema, and various other forms of
dermatoses.4

These applications illustrate the medicinal value of iodine

in treating skin conditions and wounds. Nevertheless, one
of the most promising uses for iodine on skin remains skin
antisepsis. For over 200 years, iodine has been used as
topical disinfectant. Despite this, there have been no
observed instances of microbial iodine resistance which
makes it safe to use against bacteria. Iodine also rapidly
inactivates virus and fungi and can even kill bacterial
spores with prolonged contact. Iodine as an antimicrobial
can be applied to the skin in the form of diatomic iodine
(I2) – often referred to as molecular or free iodine.
Molecular iodine is the active biocide in all available
iodine germicides.

2
Iodine as AN ANTISEPTIC
Dermatology practices widely use antiseptics as
prophylaxis (preventive treatment), acute and chronic
wound management, and in the treatment of operating
field disinfection. For these purposes, antiseptics are
judged on basis of four broad characteristics.

Four broad parameters of antiseptics in dermatology

practice:

Broad Persistence Speed of Degree of

spectrum of effect action penetration
of activity

Compared to other antiseptics such as chlorhexidine, the

non-aqueous formulation of I2 has a more extensive
spectrum of antimicrobial activity. Iodine has been
observed to be effective against bacteria, viruses, and
fungi. But what gives iodine a decisive advantage over
other antiseptics is its degree of penetration and the
persistence of its effect.

3
 Penetration and Iodine has excellent penetrability in unbroken skin. In
fact, skin penetration is an important characteristic of
persistence of iodine antimicrobial activity. Other topical antiseptics
rely on oxidizing bactericidal complexes that remain on
Iodine when the surface of skin. In contrast, I2, when applied to the
skin, kills all microbial load upon first contact and
applied to skin provides a persistent antimicrobial activity since it
penetrates into beneath the epidermis of the skin.

When applied to the skin, iodine is rapidly absorbed

into the epidermis, stays in situ in solution, and
maintains its biocidal activity for more than 12 hours.5
The stability of iodine in the skin and its excellent
tolerance makes it ideal for topical use. Once iodine is
absorbed into skin it does not wash away with soap and
water. Instead, the iodine level in the dermis slowly
reduces over time as molecular iodine, which is a gas
at room temperature, diffuses out of the skin. Studies
suggest that this deposit iodine can remain in the
dermis for up to three days.6

This decrease in the

deposit iodine is caused
by gradual diffusion.
A small part of the absorbed iodine, which has been
estimated to be 5%,7 diffuses deeper into the tissue,
forming serum iodide. The remaining part of the
deposit iodine diffuses back to the surface of the skin
as a colorless, odorless gas. This effectively creates an
antimicrobial atmosphere at the skin surface. This
atmosphere is what lends iodine its persistent
antimicrobial effect.

4
The longer time taken by molecular iodine to
completely diffuse from the skin ensures it exerts an
antimicrobial effect that is sustained over long periods.
On average a colloidal suspension of I2 is active for 12
to 24 hours. An ex vivo study of skin permeation of
iodine under controlled condition showed that the
extended availability of iodine combined with its
permeability allowed it to suppress microbial regrowth.8

Two types of use for

iodine-based antiseptics

Single-use Antisepsis of intact skin

application Antisepsis of mucous membrane

Multiple Antisepsis of open wounds

(temporary) Treatment of dermatoses (with infection or superinfection)
application General hygiene

Iodine’s antiseptic mechanism on microorganisms

involves rapidly penetrating the cell wall and
dislocating the cell’s protein synthesis. It then proceeds
to disrupt the cell’s respiratory function and interfere
with the lipid membrane and nucleic acid functions.

5
Conclusion
Over the years, various powerful drugs have been introduced that have targeted one
or many areas of iodine’s efficacy. However, in the current landscape with growing
microbial resistance to drugs, the idea of a more advanced, more powerful iodine
formulation as antiseptic has been gaining in importance. As a broad-spectrum
antimicrobial, iodine-based antiseptics (iodophors) are capable of fighting off risks of
bacterial infections such as tuberculosis, viral diseases such as H1N1 swine flu and
even the incumbent COVID-19, as well as fungal infections like ringworm.

The spike in adoption rates could be

further underpinned by iodine’s
exceptional virucidal activity considering
the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to rapid antimicrobial treatment, iodine

can also be used as hand rubs as opposed to
alcohol-based disinfectants. The distinctive
advantage over other popular disinfectants being
iodine’s ability to be carried by strong emollients
creating a nourishing and hydrating effect on skin.
While the rate of microbial resistance can be
expected to rise, iodine-based antiseptics will
witness more widespread adoption, at the
commercial, large-scale medical, as well as the
industrial level.

6
References
1. Source - Milestones in European Thyroidology:
https://www.eurothyroid.com/about/met/coindet.html

2. Source - Iodine in Medicine and Pharmacy Since its Discovery-1811-1961:

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/003591576105401001

3. Source - Thyroid hormone action on skin:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3219173/

4. Source - Use of potassium iodide in Dermatology: updates on an old drug:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3754371/

5. Source - The uptake and release of molecular iodine by the skin: chemical and bactericidal
evidence of residual effects caused by povidone-iodine preparations:
https://www.i2pure.com/docs/Gottardi_1995_J_Hosp_Infect_29_9-18.pdf

6. Source - About the Fate of Free Iodine upon Application to the Unbroken Animal Skin – An
Experimental Study: http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/45/1/85/tab-article-info

7. Consequences of excess iodine: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3976240/

8. Source - Antimicrobial activity and skin permeation of iodine present in an

iodine-impregnated surgical incise drape:
https://academic.oup.com/jac/article/70/8/2255/811587

I2Cure was founded on a simple idea: ’to provide the world

with a product that gave more than just a short-term,
superficial protection against germs and microbes.

Know more at www.i2cure.com

 About the Author

Jack Kessler PhD

Chief Scientist & Researcher, I2Cure

I2Cure comes from a long line of revolutionary inventions by Dr Jack Kessler.

Dr. Kessler’s academic journey began at Steven’s Institute of Technology where he
obtained his Bachelor of Science. He later went on achieve his Ph.D. in Chemistry
from the State University of New York, Syracuse.

Jack Kessler has worked as Senior Scientist, New Technology Evaluation at

Hoffman-LaRoche, a Swiss multinational healthcare company. He later went on to
work as Senior Principal Systems Engineer at Elbit Systems of America. He is a
member of the founding team of Symbollon Pharmaceuticals, Iotech International,
and I2Pure, all three of which are focused on the development and commercialization
of proprietary drugs based on molecular iodine technology.

He has led formulation teams responsible for the development of several

iodine-based products including the Violet tablet, ioRinse line of oral care products
and the initial generation (powder) of the Iodozyme teat dip product marketed by
DeLaval. He has also published basic and applied research on iodine formulations
and the biochemistry of iodine/thyroid hormones.

Apart from a 12-hour anti-microbial barrier for your skin, Dr Kessler’s list of inventions
includes a molecular iodine-based solid oral dosage for mammary dysplasia and
methods, systems, and devices to identify microorganisms in culture samples. Dr
Kessler has dedicated more than 25 years to the development of applicative areas of
iodine-based formulations, bio-analytical assays, and in vitro diagnostic (IVD)
medical devices.

Jack Kessler’s patents have been filed for approval at the United States Patent and
Trademark Office (USPTO). His patent listings include applications pending approval
as well as patent already granted by the USPTO.