TCA Skin Peel

TCA skin peels can have great cosmetic benefits for acne, scars, wrinkles and blemishes. Once upon a time, chemical peels were only available in spas and doctor’s offices. Today, home chemical peel kits give you the option of performing your chemical peel yourself, at home. Let’s take a look at how the benefits of home peels compare to the benefits of in-office peels.

Benefits of TCA Home Peels

Mild TCA skin peels are often sold for use at home. These solutions typically contain between 10 and 20% trichloroacetic acid, or TCA, the active ingredient. The biggest benefit of home peels is that they’re significantly cheaper than in-office peels, making them attractive to many who can’t afford a professional peel. Since insurance companies typically won’t pay for cosmetic procedures, home peels make skin peeling accessible to more people.

Benefits of In-Office TCA Skin Peels

One of the benefits of having your TCA skin peel performed by a dermatologist is that you can rest assured of a minimal risk of complications. While the low acid concentrations found in home chemical peels make them generally safe for home use, there is a higher risk of complications, like scarring and hyperpigmentation, when you perform a chemical peel yourself. Your dermatologist has professional training in the chemical peel procedure, and you’re much less likely to experience complications under professional care.

Another benefit of in-office skin peeling is that you can have a deeper peel. Home chemical peel solutions are usually sufficient only for mild peels that remove the uppermost layers of your epidermis. Using a stronger peel solution to give yourself a deeper peel at home could be dangerous. A dermatologist can safely administer a medium to deep peel. Deeper peels are more effective against scars and discolorations of the skin. With a deeper peel, you can enjoy longer-lasting results and will likely need far fewer maintenance peels.

TCA skin peels are a great way to refresh and rejuvenate the skin. But TCA skin peeling is a medical procedure, and before you have one you should know what’s involved, and be aware of the risks and side effects. If you’re thinking about a TCA skin peel, ask your dermatologist these questions.

1) Is a TCA Skin Peel Right for Me?

TCA skin peels aren’t for everyone. Everyone’s skin is different; your skin might be too sensitive for a TCA skin  peel. A mild peel, using AHAs, might be more appropriate for you. Or, your dermatologist might ask you to consider another facial resurfacing procedure, such as dermabrasion or laser skin resurfacing.

2) How Can a TCA Skin Peel Improve My Appearance?

TCA peels can dramatically improve the appearance of scars, blemishes and wrinkles. Results, however, may vary widely from person to person. A TCA peel may not give you the results you’re looking for. Only your dermatologist can give you a realistic idea of what to expect after your peel.

3) Will I Need Multiple TCA Peels?

For many people, a single TCA peel offers very desirable results. Depending on the extent of the damage to your skin, you may need multiple peels, spaced several weeks apart, to achieve your desired results. Your dermatologist can help you decide if you need multiple peels.

4) What Are the Risks of a TCA Peel?

Like any medical procedure, a TCA chemical peel carries certain risks. Rarely, TCA skin  peels can cause scarring, hyper-pigmentation, and permanent lightening of the skin. These risks are higher if you have a dark complexion. Your dermatologist can help you assess your risk.

5) How Can I Prepare for a TCA Skin Peel?

Preparing your skin prior to a TCA skin peel can help make the peel more effective. Pre-treatment skin care often involves applying AHA creams or other gentle chemical exfoliants for four to six weeks prior to the peel. Your dermatologist can tell you how to best prepare.

6) What Should I Know About Recovering from a TCA Skin  Peel?

It can take up to two weeks to fully recover from a TCA chemical peel. During much of your recovery, you’ll need to keep the treatment area clean and moist to prevent infection and promote proper healing. Your dermatologist can tell you what normal side effects you can expect to experience, and how to care for your treated skin while it heals.

TCA peels are a type of chemical peel performed using trichloroacetic acid. They are considered a medium-depth peel. They’re used to treat sun damage, hyperpigmentation or discoloration of the skin, fine lines and wrinkles and precancerous growths. The TCA chemical peel is often used to treat mild to moderate acne and can sometimes improve the appearance of mild acne scars.

What You Can Expect from a TCA Peel

TCA peels can help to improve skin tone and texture. They can help to rejuvenate the skin to make it look brighter and younger. They can improve the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, age spots, and hyperpigmentation problems like melasma. They can treat mild acne by helping to keep pores clean. TCA peels are considered safe for those with darker complexions. Like other chemical peels, however, TCA peels carry a small risk of permanent skin lightening and demarcation lines when used on those with darker skin.

Drawbacks of TCA Chemical Peels

TCA chemical peels are usually not an effective treatment for deep wrinkles and moderate to severe scarring. Phenol peels can improve the appearance of deep wrinkles and more severe scarring.

You may need to receive more than one TCA peel to achieve the desired results. Two or three peels are generally sufficient when one peel doesn’t achieve the desired results. If you receive multiple peels, you’ll probably have to wait for at least three months between them.

While the results of medium-depth TCA peels may last a lot longer than the results of mild peels, they won’t last forever. You will need to repeat the peel every six months to one year, at minimum, to maintain results.

Read the rest…

Benefits Of Using TCA

TCA which stands for trichloroacetic acid is a chemical used in skin peels to treat and even eliminate scarring. TCA is also the main ingredient in a medium skin peel. It is most often used to treat acne scars on the face and has been shown to get rid of other face impurities including pimples or discoloration It is also used to reduce wrinkles, even out skin tone and improve stretch marks. TCA has been used as a treatment for scars due to the removal of melanoma.

How TCA Is Used

When used as a peel on parts of the body other than the face the solution contains both TCA and glycolic acid (this acid is used in light skin peels). This solution is somewhat stronger than what is used for light peels but milder than the chemicals used for deep skin peels.

A dermatologist (a physician who specializes in skin care) will mix TCA with other substances into a cream then apply it to the skin usually with an applicator. It is then left on for about 15 to 20 minutes. After this time, a neutralizer is applied to stop the chemical’s action and to help remove them.

For a few days after the procedure a person will have a sunburned appearance and could have mild swelling. The peeling of the skin begins after a few days and last for about two weeks. After this time the skin will look and feel smoother.

About Chemical Peels

Chemical peels can last up to a year depending on the depth of and the area covered by the scars. If a large portion of the skin is covered by scarring additional treatments may be necessary and these are usually done three months apart.
Most people who have a peel have no serious side effects after the procedure. A dermatologist will take a full medical history before undergoing a skin peel. A person who has a history of heart disease, frequent blisters or cold sores or other medical conditions specified at a consultation may not be a good candidate for a peel.
The cost of chemical peels can vary from $500 to $800 depending on the area of skin treated and the physician. These peels typically are not covered by insurance as it is an elective procedure and not medically necessary.

Consult Medical Help

Even though TCA peels have been found to be the best method for treating acne and the resulting scars, a person should consult their dermatologist to determine if this procedure is right for them.