Iontophoresis and Phonophoresis

Iontophoresis and Phonophoresis have wide clinical applications that include skin cancer treatment, pain-relieving, and anti-inflammatory treatment. Dermatologists introduced these concepts for cosmetic purposes to achieve skin rejuvenation and decrease hyperpigmentation for a clear brighter look.

Iontophoresis is a transdermal drug transport technique that uses a low voltage electric energy to increase the absorption of drugs to deeper skin layers. It is applied through two electrodes (one positively charged while the other negatively charged) to allow the passage of ion-charged particles of the drug. The electrical parameters and drug formulation must be carefully adjusted to optimize the iontophoresis results.

Phonophoresis (sonophoresis) is another way of transdermal drug delivery that uses ultrasonic waves to allow deep absorption of the applied drug.

Skin is the largest human organ as it covers the whole body. The main functions of the skin include regulation of the body temperature and protecting the body from any harm like toxins, microorganisms, ultra-violet rays, etc.

The large surface area of the skin encouraged the introduction of transdermal drug delivery, which provides better results than the oral route as the drug remains intact away from GIT metabolism.

The transdermal pathway faced the limited absorption efficacy of the stratum corneum layer which is the outermost layer of the skin that prevents the passage of large molecules and certain chemical compositions to the deeper layer. This was overcome by using an energy booster (electric and ultrasound energies) for deeper drug penetration.