Effects of tretinoin pretreatment on TCA chemical peel in guinea pig skin.

This study was done to characterize the structural changes in the tretinoin pretreatment on trichloroacetic acid(TCA) chemical peel. In guinea pigs, the right halves pretreated with tretinoin and the left halves treated nothing were compared in their structural changes after TCA chemical peel. Epidermal thickness in the tretinoin pretreated group was almost the same in the first and second week. But epidermis of the TCA group increased continuously. In the first week, mitotic figures in the epidermis were more increased in the TCA group, but those in hair follicles were more increased in the tretinoin pretreated group. In the second week, mitotic figures in the epidermis were almost same in both group, but in hair follicles of the tretinoin pretreated group, mitotic figures were much more increased. In alcian blue staining, glycosaminoglycan was stained much more strongly in dermis of the TCA group in first week, but was more strongly stained in the tretinoin pretreated group in second week. On electron microscopic findings, the fibroblasts in upper dermis were larger and had plentier cytoplasm with more organelles in the tretinoin pretreated group. Conclusively, tretinoin pretreatment on TCA chemical peel sustained the effects of TCA longer and showed synergistic effects of TCA and induced enhanced wound healing.