Can iodine and alcohol be used together?

In life, people's bodies often suffer from external injuries, which are mostly young people who like sports. Once serious physical injuries occur, they must be disinfected in time. The commonly used disinfection methods are nothing more than alcohol or iodine, but many people don't know whether these two disinfectants can be used at the same time. So, can iodine and alcohol be used together?

First, can iodine and alcohol be used together? They can be used at the same time, but it seems unnecessary because iodine tincture does not require alcohol to deiodine. Alcohol is highly irritating and its disinfecting ability is not as good as iodine. Alcohol is a medium-acting disinfectant that exerts its disinfecting effect by coagulating and denaturing bacterial proteins. Clinically, 75% solution is commonly used as a disinfectant and dripped into the traction needle eye to prevent needle eye infection. However, the method of dripping alcohol into the needle eye has a limited disinfection range, and alcohol is volatile and unstable; it is irritating to the skin and mucous membranes, so it can cause pain and other discomfort to the patient.

Second, iodine tincture is also a medium-acting disinfectant. Compared with alcohol, it has the following characteristics: Iodine tincture is an unstable combination of iodine and surfactant, and the surfactant acts as a supercarrier and solubilizer. Iodine combines with the amino acids in bacterial protein to denature it and form an extremely thin bactericidal film on the treated wound, slowly and persistently releasing effective iodine, which has a strong bactericidal effect on various bacteria, spores, viruses, fungi, and protozoa. Iodine tincture is mild, non-toxic, odorless, non-sensitizing, non-irritating to mucous membranes, has a cleansing effect, and is fast-acting and stable. Povidone-iodine is corrosive to divalent metals such as copper, aluminum, and carbon steel. However, the Kirschner wires, Steinmann wires, and skull traction arches currently used in clinical bone traction are all made of stainless steel and have strong corrosion resistance. Therefore, it is safe to use povidone-iodine to disinfect the traction needle eyes.

Can iodine and alcohol be used together? Alcohol and iodine can be used together, but it is not necessary. Generally, there are two ways to disinfect. The first is to use iodine first and then alcohol. The second method is to use only iodine tincture. Iodine tincture does not require alcohol to deiodine, so it can disinfect without using alcohol. Iodine-containing skin disinfectant is not very irritating and is suitable for home use. It can effectively kill and inhibit bacteria on wounds and skin. When using iodine-containing skin disinfectant, follow the instructions and pay attention to hygiene and safety.