ABSTRACT
HISTORY OF CHEMICAL PEELS Although the ancient Egyptians used various herbs and chemical extracts as treatments to rejuvenate and beautify the skin,1 peeling agents such as salicylic acid, resorcinol, phenol, and trichloroacetic acid (TCA) were not scienti- cally described until 1882 by the work of German dermatologist P. G. Unna.2 Furthermore, the use of phenol to treat soldiers with gunpowder burns during World War I strengthened the knowledge base of this chemical peeling agent, which was used predominantly for the next 30 years.
