My experience with an at-home 15% TCA peel (pictures before, during and after)

[beautyup]

Thank you for your post, after reading my help, I think my skin will be better

 

[Lynn Cochran]

Originally Posted by silly rabbit /img/forum/go_quote.gif

please don't peel your skin, as a doctor told me that nothing comes close to the original layer of the skin.  peeling it with hard acids isn't safe.  Our skin peels it self regularly  so we don't need it.

Plus the outer layer is supposed to be thicker so it can protects the inner layers.  With peeling you've damaged the protecting layer.

I've compared your before and after and they look similar.  You have good skin why go the harsh way?

Skin of the face and neck are extremely delicate.  Plus we are still young, our inner organs are still young and fresh and able to do their work properly and make our skin great.

The skin gets more of its glow from inner care (food..etc) very little from outside (creams...etc) even if the results are fast.  We're talking 10-20-30 years in the future.

If you have problems, pigmentation...etc I recommend visiting a dermatologist to prescribe on spot treatments for the problem (no peeling of course)

Also would like to add that skin problems takes months and months to be treated and get everything back to normal, never think it would go right a way.

And again Laser has now done wonders to us from removing wrinkles to tighting skins and removing tattoos.

Not trying t be harsh, but just want everyone to have good skin in a long term.

I completely agree with this post. There are non-chemical peels that will do the same thing without damaging your skin. I know because I use them on myself and my clients. To the poster that said she must be comfortable with it, being comfortable with burning off the layers of our skin does not make it the right thing to do. 

 

[Andi]

Originally Posted by Lynn Cochran /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I completely agree with this post. There are non-chemical peels that will do the same thing without damaging your skin. I know because I use them on myself and my clients. To the poster that said she must be comfortable with it, being comfortable with burning off the layers of our skin does not make it the right thing to do. 

Which non-chemical peels improve post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation?

I was on Retin-A for I believe almost 2 years, and my hyperpigmentation did not go away. Also, hydroquinone (in combination with Retin-A) didn´t make them go away.

As I have said before, I would have gotten this done professionally, but in my entire home state there is ONE dermatologist who does peels, and his office was too far away and had several months of waiting lists. For me it was the right thing to do because I have done everything else before that peel but none of these things gave me the results I was looking for, I did my research as well as patch tests, and I`m a medical graduate so I understand what the possible risks are.

 

[Brandt]

Greetings ladies you are now not alone in the world of TCA peels and how fortunate I am to be the only man surrounded by all you beauties. I am 50 and started in January working on "turning back the clock".  That being said I have massive amounts of cremes, serums, peels, gels, you name it - I have probably have it or something very close. I am very interested in reading a lot of the back info of this thread because some you really know your biz on peels and I can probably really improve my technique (like prepping for the peel). I have a clairsonic too, use dermabrasion crystals, and use glycolic prep every day after I cleanse and before applying cosmetic. For me glycolic toner every day is just a must now. Anyone have any recommendations on % glycolic for daily use? The Cellbone Prep I buy is 5% and I boosted it up some because it seemed a little weak. The results are starting to show! I did a TCA peel on Sunday July 8 and am getting some good flaking with 12.5 TCA but not scabs like the first time when I bunked it up. Like many of you I don't want to over do it like I did once with my first glycolic peel which left me with 2 little picks that I now regret. I didn't frost with the 12.5 TCA at all after several coats probably because I use about an 8% daily glycolic prep that has probably conditioned my skin over time. My goal is to stimulate the collagen and try to slow the aging as much as I can. I'll be posting what works for me too and hopefully we can all get good results together. Once this peel is over in a few days how long until I can do the next one? Some people say 6 or 8 weeks but that seems too long to me. I know you just have to gague your skin and its acid tolerance and yes like some of you I have some related health care education and background so I am trying to be safety conscious too. What do you recommend for applying the acid? Those fan brushes make me nervous and I am always afraid it is going to flick into my eye. I also don't want to use cotton balls because it will catch on my beard even though I shave right before to be as smooth as possible. Any suggestions?

 

[Wahoo]

I have fair skin.  I wish I did peels long ago.  I am 27 now and have had acne for years, since my teens. I would get some laser treatments which cost $500.  I didn't want to do that anymore, so I really looked into the peels and what people said about them.  I recently did a 12.5% TCA peel.  My skin has been used to antibiotics for acne pill form and topical.  My issue is more hyperpicmentation than anything now.  I had a picking problem, and still regress sometimes.  I did my first peel a week ago.  I can't believe how my face changed after 1 peel.  I hate feeling like I have to put makeup on for the gym,beach,whatever.  It truley plays a negative part in my life. I just did my second 12.5% TCA peel(2 layers) and am on day 3, not much peeling, rather tight skin.  I am so excited that I found something that gets such AMAZING results.  I too order from makeupartistchoice.com.  Have you done a peel yet? I know this is an older post.

 

[Wahoo]

Have you ever layered peels? I see that people do do that.  Can anyone tell me about the peels they do,%s and how long they have been layering.  I like the TCA and Glycolic peels and was wondering if anyone has used them together

 

[CDC88]

Good Afternoon.

I have done several other acid peels with no frosting, even at increasingly higher concentrations.  I did a 15% TCA this Saturday with a glycolic prep and had the red/pink skin and frosting develop.  As you pointed out, it did not frost evenly, even though the peel was evenly spread.  I am able to withstand a 20+ minutes time with other high concentration acids; however, with this one, I left it on for between 60 - 90 seconds.  I rinsed with cool water, then a neutralizer and more cool water.  After a few minutes the frosting diminished and a few hours later the skin was nearly a normal color.  The next day dark areas formed and not uniformly.  The skin started to get tight.  Freckles that were removed with IPL seemed to reappear.  I had a blemish on my chin (from hormones that I am on) and the skin peeled the third day leaving pink skin under where it peeled.  Neosporin was applied to the new skin.  Are the uneven dark spots and pink skin under the peeling skin normal?

 

[CDC88]

I had three IPL sessions last year.  With my fair skin I was able to turn up the intensity quite high.  The first session was the best for visible results.  Freckles on my cheeks turned black and fell of.  The skin was in good condition before the treatment, but showed some improvement around the forehead and chin.  The second and third showed little visible improvement with my skin.  I believe it depends on the skin pigmentation and condition starting out.  Normally three sessions are recommended.

 

[Is1andgirl]

Hello Andi, thank you so much for all this great information. I have been thinking of doing a peel for so long and its your blog that finally got me to give it a try. I will first try the 8%TCA peel. I just have a couple of questions.

First do you think that my Oil of Olay will have enough alpha hydroxy in it to properly prepare my face for the peel? Second do you think its ok to put the peel under and around my eyes. I would like to target my fine winkles as well as complexion.I am 34 and I think my skin is relatively tough. Thank you for any advise.

 

[Andi]

Originally Posted by Is1andgirl /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Hello Andi, thank you so much for all this great information. I have been thinking of doing a peel for so long and its your blog that finally got me to give it a try. I will first try the 8%TCA peel. I just have a couple of questions.

First do you think that my Oil of Olay will have enough alpha hydroxy in it to properly prepare my face for the peel? Second do you think its ok to put the peel under and around my eyes. I would like to target my fine winkles as well as complexion.I am 34 and I think my skin is relatively tough. Thank you for any advise.

I don´t think that any of the Oil of Olay moisturizers have enough AHA in it, it can´t be more than 2% and I am not sure if the pH is right (in many skincare products the pH doesn´t allow the AHA or BHA to work, check beautypedia.com for a review on your skincare products ingredients!). However, with only 8% TCA (I hope your skin is used to chemical peeling agents and TCA isn´t your first step) you may not need a prep regimen. I believe without a prep regimen, the peel doesn´t penetrate as deep as it would be with a good prep regimen, so for a first peel it may be a good idea to skip the prep (although I´m not 100% sure if this is correct advice!!!)

You can put a low % of TCA under and around your eyes, but I´d be very, very careful with that. I`ve read posts from people who successfully treated their crow´s feet area. However, these are mimic wrinkles so I wouldn´t expect a huge improvement just from the TCA.

The skin around your eyes is very thin, I have never used TCA near my eyes so I wouldn´t know how your skin reacts. If you´re going to do it, be very careful not to get it to close to the lashline or corner of your eye (use a layer of Vaseline right near the lashline to creat a barrier against where you apply the TCA solution), use a Q-tip to apply the TCA-solution so you have the most control.

 

[aimpact]

I have sun tan skin on my face .Will the 8% tca peel help remove or lighten the tan from my face?  

This will be my first time doing a chemical peel. Should I use two layers to get a better results?

My skin tan fast from the sun,And I just want to get my light skin back.

 

[Andi]

Originally Posted by aimpact /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I have sun tan skin on my face .Will the 8% tca peel help remove or lighten the tan from my face?  

This will be my first time doing a chemical peel. Should I use two layers to get a better results?

My skin tan fast from the sun,And I just want to get my light skin back.

No, do not use TCA for your very first at-home chemical peel, absolutely not.

Chemical peels exfoliate the skin and can make a tan fade faster, but it won´t give you overnight results.

If you want your pale skin back, apply a high SPF sunscreen with broad spectrum protection every single day, and your tan will fade naturally. People have tried all kinds of methods to lighten their skin (lemon juice, various "bleaching creams" with mysterious ingredients, peels) but you´re putting yourself at risk for hyperpigmentation.

 

[CDC88]

Everything turned out well.  My dermatologist was impressed with my skin.  She said the overly sensitive areas would heal, just keep them moist.  She was right.  I plan on another peel after my son's birthday party.  I have just that one stubborn freckle on my check that needs another application.  My dermatologist said three times with at least a month between is recommended.  She said she is surprised I used 30% and recommended 15% for starters.  Also not neosporin, since it can cause bumps in the skin, like acne.  Use petrolium jelly, any good after peel lotion or cream, available on Amazon.com or even aloe vera gel (as pure as possible).

 

[dle523]

I'm so glad I found this site!  Your experiences and helpfulness are awesome.  I'd like to get your opinion on a TCA peel I just had.

It was done by a dermatologist, and I don't know the strength, etc.  He did two layers, and put it all over, including my eyelids (!) and neck.  That was on Wednesday afternoon.  Now it is Sunday night (4 complete days) and I've only just started peeling around my mouth.  The skin on my forehead and around my eyes has that crinkly, shiny, dry appearance, but don't even seem close to beginning to peel, and the skin on my cheeks is still smooth and soft!

What do you think, at this stage?  If the skin doesn't peel, I'm afraid it will just stay crinkly for ages, and the whole point of the peel was to have my skin looking great for a trip in 2 weeks.  I've read that a second TCA peel can be applied 5 days after the first, if there is no peeling.  Seems a little harsh - and what about the mouth area that's peeling?  I'm afraid I'm going to end up with a patchy result...  :-/

I would truly appreciate your thoughts on this.  Thanks!

 

[Andi]

Originally Posted by dle523 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I'm so glad I found this site!  Your experiences and helpfulness are awesome.  I'd like to get your opinion on a TCA peel I just had.

It was done by a dermatologist, and I don't know the strength, etc.  He did two layers, and put it all over, including my eyelids (!) and neck.  That was on Wednesday afternoon.  Now it is Sunday night (4 complete days) and I've only just started peeling around my mouth.  The skin on my forehead and around my eyes has that crinkly, shiny, dry appearance, but don't even seem close to beginning to peel, and the skin on my cheeks is still smooth and soft!

What do you think, at this stage?  If the skin doesn't peel, I'm afraid it will just stay crinkly for ages, and the whole point of the peel was to have my skin looking great for a trip in 2 weeks.  I've read that a second TCA peel can be applied 5 days after the first, if there is no peeling.  Seems a little harsh - and what about the mouth area that's peeling?  I'm afraid I'm going to end up with a patchy result...  :-/

I would truly appreciate your thoughts on this.  Thanks!

First of all, I´ve read & heard about TCA being applied to the eyelids and neck. The eyelids are a sensitive area, and TCA applied anywhere below the face apparently tends to hyperpigment more. So that leads me to believe that it wasn´t a high concentration that was used.

Since it´s been a week since you posted this, I`m sure you have finished peeling. I don´t know what kind of prep regimen (if any) was used, sometimes with no prep the skin just peels slower than expected.

How are you liking the results that you see now?

 

[LuvlyChoc]

Hi Andi,

Oh boy! My chemical peel journey is not going well at all. First off let me give you some background. A few years ago I had several sessions of peels done at a med spa. That went well. I saw results by the 8th and final session. The scarring that left indentations in my skin was not totally gone but dramatically improved. My skin was no longer oily! I was satisfied. Now I can't afford these treatments at the med spa so I've been doing them myself at home. I purchased a 20% and 30% Salicylic peel. I did the 20% one first. I frosted immediately all over but never peeled. A week later I started doing the 30% peels. Same deal...I frosted right away but never really peeled...just slightly on my forhead. I basically started adding layers. By the 5th week I was doing the 30% peel with 4 layers. Still frosting, never peeling! I started to wonder if I just got bad product or if it's just not strong enough or what! I also thought maybe it's not working because I'm black and have dark skin. I actually ran out of the 30% but went back to the 20% and still adding layer upon layer upon layer. I still frost immediately. I have seen slight peeling only on my forhead but that's it. It also never burns. I feel slight tingling for only about a half a minute but then it goes away and I just have a white face. I've added multiple layers and had this stuff on my face for as long as 25 to 30 minutes and the only difference in my skin is that it's not oily and it has tremendously helped with acne. The bumps disappear, but that's all I get and the reason I've been doing this is to try to even the color out. So today is Friday. I did a 20% peel yesterday. I did 4 layers. I washed it off after probably 25 minutes or so. I am thinking I want to try something stronger. I ordered a 15% TCA peel today. I am just hoping that I see some results this time around. Do you have any idea what went on with the Salicylic peel? I really just want my skin to peel so that I can feel like it's getting that dead bad skin off. Also, do you think that these Salicylic peels are good preparation for me to try the TCA peel I just ordered?

 

[vanessa25]

Hi i was wondering how long after ur accutane treatment did u start with chemical peels? And what are the best results on getting rid of scares...

 

[Andi]

Originally Posted by LuvlyChoc /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Hi Andi,

Oh boy! My chemical peel journey is not going well at all. First off let me give you some background. A few years ago I had several sessions of peels done at a med spa. That went well. I saw results by the 8th and final session. The scarring that left indentations in my skin was not totally gone but dramatically improved. My skin was no longer oily! I was satisfied. Now I can't afford these treatments at the med spa so I've been doing them myself at home. I purchased a 20% and 30% Salicylic peel. I did the 20% one first. I frosted immediately all over but never peeled. A week later I started doing the 30% peels. Same deal...I frosted right away but never really peeled...just slightly on my forhead. I basically started adding layers. By the 5th week I was doing the 30% peel with 4 layers. Still frosting, never peeling! I started to wonder if I just got bad product or if it's just not strong enough or what! I also thought maybe it's not working because I'm black and have dark skin. I actually ran out of the 30% but went back to the 20% and still adding layer upon layer upon layer. I still frost immediately. I have seen slight peeling only on my forhead but that's it. It also never burns. I feel slight tingling for only about a half a minute but then it goes away and I just have a white face. I've added multiple layers and had this stuff on my face for as long as 25 to 30 minutes and the only difference in my skin is that it's not oily and it has tremendously helped with acne. The bumps disappear, but that's all I get and the reason I've been doing this is to try to even the color out. So today is Friday. I did a 20% peel yesterday. I did 4 layers. I washed it off after probably 25 minutes or so. I am thinking I want to try something stronger. I ordered a 15% TCA peel today. I am just hoping that I see some results this time around. Do you have any idea what went on with the Salicylic peel? I really just want my skin to peel so that I can feel like it's getting that dead bad skin off. Also, do you think that these Salicylic peels are good preparation for me to try the TCA peel I just ordered?

I have personally never used a Salicylic acid peel, so I can´t speak from personal experience. However, I actually think with a pure Salicylic acid peel (same as with a Glycolic peel) you actually don´t really peel like you would with a TCA peel, which penetrates deeper. It should be more like a flaking, and sometimes that doesn´t even happen. Even if you´re not even flaking from a Glycolic or Salicylic acid peel, your skin is still being exfoliated! Did your skin peel/flake after the peels you got at a medspa? I know sometimes these places can mix peeling agents (like salicylic+glycolic mix etc) to achieve different results.

And, a peel doesn´t penetrate deeper if left on for longer than the recommended time frame. The strength of the peel (and it´s pH I believe) and the prep regimen (if one is used) determines the depth of the peel. So please stick to the application guidelines, more is not always better!

I can tell you seem frustrated because you´re not getting the results you want. It´s possible that you got a bad product or that the peel doesn´t have the specific pH value it needs. Or, you may simply respond better to a different peeling agent. I would probably try a 2% OTC-hydroquinone cream before trying an at-home TCA peel, if evening out your skintone is your goal. And if you still do decide to try a TCA peel, please start with 8% and do a patch-test a few days before the peel. You really don´t wanna risk getting hyperpigmentation from a peel, which can happen with darker skintones!

 

[Andi]

Originally Posted by vanessa25 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Hi i was wondering how long after ur accutane treatment did u start with chemical peels? And what are the best results on getting rid of scares...

I would get that information from the doctor who prescribed Accutane to you. I`ve seen people post this question on acne.org, and I believe the answer was 1 year after, but I could be wrong.

 

[regretful]

hello i was wondering about doing a tca peel myself ive been a face picker for awhile and have little scars all over my face their shallow so i was wondering if a tca peel would work on them and ive never done a tca peel before what do u suggest thankyou