What does transdermal mean?
Transdermal means through the skin and is used primarily in medicine and pharmacology. The term commonly describes medicines, patches, or delivery systems that carry a drug across the skin so that it reaches underlying tissue or enters the bloodstream. A transdermal patch, for example, releases medication gradually, allowing effects to continue without repeated oral doses or an injection. The word is precise rather than general: applying a cream to the skin does not automatically make the application transdermal, because the medicine must pass through the skin rather than simply rest on its surface. Transdermal also appears more broadly in research concerning routes of administration, including proposed needle-free vaccines. Its connection to skin has made it a familiar term wherever sustained medication, discreet dosing, or avoiding gastrointestinal side effects is discussed.
adjectiveRelating to or denoting passage through the skin, especially the delivery of a medicine through the skin into underlying tissue or the bloodstream.
- Relating to or denoting passage through the skin, especially for the delivery of medicine into underlying tissue or the bloodstream.
"The clinic recommended a transdermal patch for sustained pain relief."
"The drug is available in a transdermal form that is absorbed through the skin."
"Researchers are studying transdermal delivery as a way to administer vaccines without an injection."
A transdermal patch turns the body’s largest organ into a medicine-delivery route, without a needle.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does transdermal come from?
Transdermal was formed in English by combining the Latin-derived prefix trans-, meaning “across,” with dermal, meaning “relating to the skin.” The element dermal comes through Latin from the Greek derma, meaning “skin.” Together, the components convey the central idea of passing across or through the skin.
Related word forms
How transdermal is actually used
Chiefly used in medicine, pharmacology, and drug-delivery technology. It usually modifies terms such as patch, delivery, absorption, and drug, and normally implies passage through the skin rather than merely onto its surface.
Easily confused with transdermal
Transdermal describes something passing through the skin, whereas dermal means relating to the skin itself.
Transdermal is the usual term for medicine or a delivery system passing through the skin; transcutaneous is a broader medical synonym that can describe other routes across the skin.