Table 1.
Action of peeling molecules in the skin
| ULTRASTRUCTURE | LHA | SALICYLIC ACID | LACTIC ACID | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1% | 5% | 3% | 15% | 3% | 15% | |
| Dermo epidermal junction—separation | + | +++ | +++ | +++ | 0 | 0 |
| Alive epidermis | ||||||
| Expanded spaces | 0 | 0 | +++ | +++ | 0/+ | 0/+ |
| Vacuoles | 0 | 0 | +++ | +++ | 0 | 0 |
| Perinuclear edema | + | + | +++ | +++ | + | + |
| Spoiled membranes | 0 | 0 | +++ | +++ | 0 | 0 |
| Spoiled desmosomes | 0 | 0 | + | ++ | 0 | 0 |
| Granular junction | 0 | 0 | + | +++ | 0 | ++ |
| Spoiled corneodesmosomes | 0 | 0 | ++ | +++ | 0/+ | + |
| Stratum compactum—basket weave pattern (BWP) | 0 | 0 | +++ | +++ | ++ | +++ |
| Central spoiled corneosomes | 0 | 0 | +++ (D) | +++ (D) | ++ | +++ |
| Peripheral spoiled corneosomes | 0 | 0 | ++ | +++ | 0 | 0 |
| Spoiled proteic cornea envelope | 0 | 0 | + | ++ | 0 | 0 |
| Spoiled lipidic cornea envelope | 0 | 0 | + | ++ | 0 | 0 |
| Stratum junction compactum/stratum disjunctum BWP | 0 | + | Nonidentifiable | |||
| Central spoiled corneosomes—rupture | +++ | +++ | ||||
| Peripheral spoiled corneosomes—rupture | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Spoiled cornea envelope | + | ++ | ||||
| Saw tooth corneocytes | + | ++ | ||||
| Stratum disjunctum BWP | + | +++ | +++ | +++ | +++ | +++ |
| Peripheral spoiled corneosomes—rupture | 0 | +++ | +++ | +++ (D) | ++ | +++ |
| Spoiled proteic cornea envelope | + | ++ | +++ | +++ | +++ | +++ |
| Spoiled lipidic cornea envelope | + | +++ | +++ | +++ | +++ | +++ |
| Saw tooth corneocytes | + | +++ | +++ | +++ | +++ | +++ |
| Keratin content | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Adapted from Berson D, et al. J Drugs Dermatol. 2009;8:803–811