Nicotine

Patch 3: From the patch … into the body

During the entire 16 hours, the nicotine molecules are released from the patch at about the same speed. Because nicotine molecules can easily move through fatty substances, they penetrate the skin and the subcutaneous tissues under it.

They continue to move through the tissues until they are absorbed into the bloodstream via a capillary. The blood then conducts the molecules to the heart. About 95 percent of the nicotine molecules released by a patch find their way into the blood. The rest evaporates along the edges of the patch.