Phenol melanocyte toxicity

Histological sections taken after phenol peels show that melanocytes are still present, though many of them are inactive. Clinically, fewer melanocytes are rendered inactive with the latest formulas (e.g. Lip EyeHd ). This means that long-term prognosis for sun exposure can be better with these peels than with older phenol formulations and that a few months or even a year after the peel, it is often difficult to see a demarcation Hne. The melanocyte toxicity of phenol means the practitioner must choose the product most suited to the patient s complexion. 

As a result of the almost immediate formation of an impenetrable protein coagulum, solutions with a high concentration of phenol (88%) that are untamed , as described above, do not penetrate deeply enough to become fully toxic to melanocytes, and the skin becomes hyperpigmented in reaction to the chemical burn. 

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