TCA (trichloroacetic acid) peel is one of three chemical solutions(alphahydroxy acids(AHAs) and phenol) most commonly used in plastic surgery . It is perfect for persons who have uneven skin pigmentation, wrinkles or facial blemishes. TCA also treats sun damaged, dry, flaky skin and dark spots. Maybe you want to improve acne and blackheads or fade away your old tattoo? In this case TCA peeling is just for you.
To find out more detailed information about the procedure of TCA peel , preparation, after effects and the costs please continue to read below. This article will not answer all your questions because many details depend on your situation, but whenever you decide to try TCA peel you are welcome to ask everything you want your surgeon.
TCA peel
TCA peel can be used on various parts of the body: the entire face as well as arms, hands, chest or the neck. It can be used for light-skinned or darker-skinned individuals.To begin with planning to take TCA peel please be aware that it may have some risk.To avoid it first of all find the physician with an adequate experience and qualification. More over your physician can suggest you various combinations of peel to achieve the best result.
TCA chemical peel procedure
For the preparation of TCA peel procedure Retin A is used. It makes your skin surface layer thinner allowing TCA to spread more deeply and evenly. If you do not tolerate Retin A, you can be offered AHA cream pretreatment. This may take up to one month or even more. Also exfoliating sponges or buff pads as well as hair removal should be discontinued at least three weeks prior to procedure. If you decide to do a deeper TCA have in mind of someone to bring you home and assist you for a day or two.
The procedure itself might take from 15 minutes to one hour depending how much is needed to be peeled. The first step is to cleanse the skin. While the surgeon applies TCA you may feel some stinging sense which is normal. TCA is used in various concentrations starting from 10% to 50%. The bigger it is the deeper peeling will be.
If you have facial warts, sun allergies, past herpes simplex, experienced radiation treatment, pregnant or breast feeding or have had a bad peeling reaction before please let your surgeon know in order some precautions could be taken.
TCA peel recovery
Things you should know about the healing process. The first week your skin will be read and probably even swollen. Speaking about side effects, the most common one is the discoloration of the skin. The reason for it is usually sunburn after the peel not using sunscreen SPF 25 or more. From three to four days after peeling the dead layers of your skin will shed till it will be completely healed. At that time you will be required to keep your skin moisturizing with antibacterial ointment The results can be expected in approximately fourteen days. During that period you will notice the first getting better symptoms such as less pigmentation and wrinkles problems in addition to shiny skin. If in any case redness on your skin lasts more than two weeks let the doctor know. Otherwise it can turn into brown discoloration or even scar if not treated the right way.
TCA peel is not so long lasting as the other kinds of chemical peel . Might be you will need to repeat treatment to maintain the results.
TCA peel cost
The cost of TCA peel varies from $500 to $1200. To let you know that sometimes it may be covered by health insurance. So it is recommended to check your insurance company before you do TCA peel.
