Expression patterns of proliferating cell nuclear antigen in trichloroacetic acid peeled skin

This study was designed to investigate whether trichloroacetic acid (TCA) peeling induces cellular proliferation in human skin using an immunohistochemical method. A 40% TCA peel resulted in a greater number of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-immunopositive cells in the whole epidermis as compared with 60% TCA or phenol peels. This finding suggests that long-term and frequent TCA peelings of low concentration would require special attention for unexpected cutaneous lesions such as skin tumors.