During iontophoresis, a patient had redness under one electrode for about two hours after a 3.0 mA for 10 minutes session. What should the therapist do?

• A. Continue with the present treatment
• B. Decrease the current amplitude
• C. Decrease the treatment duration
• D. Select a different therapeutic ion

Answer: (A)

Iontophoresis can cause mild irritation under the electrode due to local pH shifts and the electrical current reaching the skin. A superficial erythema that is transient—especially when it resolves within a couple of hours and is not accompanied by burning, pain, blistering, or increased swelling—is a common and usually harmless reaction. Since the redness in this scenario is short-lived, and there are no other concerning symptoms, continuing with the same current (3.0 mA) and duration (10 minutes) is reasonable, with careful skin monitoring before and after each subsequent session. If redness were to persist longer, worsen, or be accompanied by pain or blistering, then reassessing the protocol would be warranted—consider adjusting the current, shortening duration, or reviewing electrode prep and conductive medium.