Skin Test with Iodine

Skin Test with Iodine

Sometimes it is suggested to check your iodine status by rubbing a drop of iodine on your skin. If the iodine stain remains visible after 24 hours, it’s assumed you don’t have an iodine deficiency. However, we consider this type of test highly unreliable and do not recommend it. It’s difficult to standardize such a test: factors like skin temperature, humidity, amount of iodine used, and the pressure of rubbing will all affect the results. The humidity of your location can also influence how quickly the stain disappears.

88% of All Iodine Evaporates

In 1932, researchers studied iodine and found that when iodine is applied to the skin, 50% evaporates into the air within 2 hours and 75–80% within 24 hours. In total, 88% evaporates within 3 days. The remaining 12% is absorbed by the skin, and only 1–4% of what is applied to the skin reaches the bloodstream within a few hours. The rest is slowly absorbed into the bloodstream.

Water-soluble iosoljod will disappear from the skin very quickly. While iodine can be applied transdermally by rubbing it into the skin, it does not provide a clear indication of deficiency, and not all of the iodine will be absorbed as mentioned.

If you want to learn more facts about iodine, you can find them in the guide here.

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