The skinny on the TCA Chemical Peel
Here is the progress on the peel – and a photo journal or expose. First, for six weeks prior to having the peel I used prescription strength TriLuma (an acne cream) and my skin care routine became glycolic wash, TriLuma and moisturizer at night and then glycolic wash and daytime moisturizer in the morning and every two weeks a visit to my dermotologist – Elizabeth Dimitri – and she applied for longer periods each time glycolic at a higher dose. My skin actually looked incredible during this time – so much so that people were wondering why bother with the peel. My friend is getting it done but she has darker skin, so her routine actually includes a lightener. The derm told me here’s what to expect – 2 days of the worst sunburn you ever had, 2 days of the worst sunburn and blistering, and 2 days of peeling and then WALA – you look five years younger.
So here are the photos:
This is the day before I went to get the peel:
This is day after the peel – Day 1
This is Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7 – almost completely peeled and now just a red and raw
Day 8 – just in time for Halloween – most fine lines gone – a little red and sensitive but mostly recovered!
December 16th, 2010 at 1:22 pm
Hi,
I am glad to have bumped into these information of yours. I am considering taking TCA peels. Do you think it will be wise to do it at home by myself? I am 28 and have got some laugh lines and under eye wrinkles due to stress. will this be helpful? When I read about women being 40-50 and using TCA peels I was afraid I may be going it for it very early but the girl with age 21 who posted in your blog actually helped me. I will be glad to get a feedback. Meanwhile, thanks for the pictures. It was very helpful.
February 9th, 2011 at 3:23 am
Thank you! I find this very helpful. I’m planning on starting with a 20% salicylic acid peel and am a little afraid. I can’t even take off any time from work so am petrified at what I’m going to look like…
March 28th, 2011 at 8:05 am
Hi! Your blog has helped me so much. I had a 20% TCA done last week. I’ve peeled almost completely, but have really bright red patches now that burns like a sunburn from the inside. There are lines of demarcation where it looks like the product wasn’t applied evenly. I was just wondering if anybody experienced this, and how long it will last? Could it be scarring? Please help! Thanks 🙂
March 28th, 2011 at 8:10 am
Did they give you cream to apply while you were peeling – that is supposed to help with the redness. Otherwise, I don’t think you would get scarring from the peeling.
March 28th, 2011 at 8:44 am
I am an esthetician at a spa and my boss did the peel for me. The peel came with emu oil, so I used that. I have also been using a ton of silver sulfadiazine. I have totally peeled and I’m very red now and uneven. It still burns a whole lot.
March 28th, 2011 at 3:43 pm
The burning part I don’t remember. Maybe you’re having a reaction to the cream/oil you are using and should stop using it. I used vaseline while peeling and then put this white prescription ointment that I don’t remember on (which was for the redness). It sounds like your skin is still feeling very raw which mine felt raw for a good three months after but not burning. The burning I fear might be a reaction or it might even be a sunburned as your skin is hyper sensitive to the sun and you should be avoiding it.
March 28th, 2011 at 5:29 pm
Thanks for all your help! The day went on and I am a lot less red. It actually looks like the uneven parts of my skin might be about to peel again. I’m hoping its normal to peel twice, because that’s what seems to be happening.
April 18th, 2011 at 12:24 am
Hi, I’m on a peel right now and am well…peeling. Except that I’m not left with red spots on my face. Did you run into this problem and how did you prevent it?
April 19th, 2011 at 10:40 am
I did not have red spots but used a cream throughout the recovery process that was prescribed by my dermatologist that was specifically to control redness.
September 19th, 2011 at 7:41 am
[…] ago, when I was about to turn 50 years old, I had a TCA peel, which is an acid wash that takes a few layers of your skin off and gets you back to this baby like […]
January 1st, 2012 at 1:21 pm
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January 16th, 2012 at 8:12 pm
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January 28th, 2012 at 2:55 pm
Wonderful diary-thank you. This was a very useful reference point for when I was going through my peeling and icky phase!
Thank you xoxo
February 10th, 2012 at 9:46 am
hi,rachel madam i’m from india and going to take tca peeling after one week. i am suffering ice pick scars on my face both sides. i would like to get some improvement on my face..can u suggest this?
February 10th, 2012 at 11:54 am
Yes, I would suggest this method.
February 11th, 2012 at 6:21 am
hi madam thank you for suggesting this method..u r looking georgeous…
February 25th, 2012 at 12:22 pm
Hi,
I just had a 30% tca peel done on Wednesday. Today is day 3. I woke up very swollen, especially on one side. My eye is very swollen. Some clear oozing. Starting to turn brown in some spots. I had a prescription for prednisone for 3 days. I have been putting aquaphor on all day. My question is if the swelling is normal after day 3. Any suggestions? The doctor’s office is closed since today is Saturday.
February 25th, 2012 at 9:54 pm
I sent you a reply via my iPhone but it doesn’t seem to have gone through. I would go to a nearby medical clinic that is open 24 hours and see about the eye. I didn’t have anything that had oozing which makes me think you might have an infection but I’m not a doctor so that is why I think it best to have a doc look at it. I had a steroid shot and cream that I put on every day – it was like white toothpaste almost that was to deal with the swelling and redness. Good luck.
March 7th, 2012 at 3:03 am
Hi, Rachel! You wrote that “European women just use water and moisturizer and they have beautiful skin.” Thanks for the flattering and kind compliment, but we Euro-women undergo just the same treatments to which you subject tyourselves in the States. The only difference is that fewer of us can afford them, and we are not so willing to charge our purchases and services: In Europe, Cash is still king (althought that, too, is sadly changing, gradually).
March 7th, 2012 at 8:57 am
Giulia – well Americans better be going to cash if they know what’s good for them!
March 15th, 2012 at 1:45 am
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March 20th, 2012 at 3:42 pm
I have extremely dry skin and it feels really caked up on my face. It feels like it pulls even when i use my eye muscles. Im only 33. I have had a bit of a love affair with vodka but started that because ofmy skin. It is also crepey from head to toe literally ive used all moisturizer but it just sits on top of crepey skin
July 6th, 2012 at 3:14 pm
Hello Rachel,
i just went to get a facial yesterday because my skin had been breaking out on the jawline. My esthetician recommended the TCA peel stating that it would be best to kill all the dead skin to unclog the pores and help out with my old blemish scars. The TCA was 10% and only stated on for like a good 4 mintues.. It burned sooo bad and she said that my skin took on to it really quick. She didnt even do layers. She just did one layer and that was it because again she said my skin took on quick. Right after my skin was red and today being my second day i noticed that there are bloctches of dark spots and the old scars have become darker. Is that normal? i also noticed that there are some dark spots that i never had before that came up after the peel. I haven’t started peeling but im at the tight stage where you can see the skin looking like its going to tear. Are those darks spots going to stay you think? I also didnt have any preperation. It was something she suggested and i should have done research prior but it is now done.. and im a freaking out a bit.
July 7th, 2012 at 3:03 am
Beatriz – the peel burns really bad, no doubt about it. They put a fan on my face as they were doing the procedure. I would not freak out about it until you have gone through the entire process. Which means the burning, the drying of the skin, the peeling, and then the new skin which even takes some time to adjust. At that point if there are still splotches it may be that you need to repeat the process but I believe you wouldn’t be able to do that for a year. By the way 4 minutes sounds like a lot! Good luck and hope it works out for you and you don’t have to repeat it.
February 3rd, 2013 at 5:38 pm
Hi Rachel,
I am 35 years old and live in Turkey. On Wednesday evening I applied %20 TCA for about 2 minutes. On 3rd day during bath the dead skin around my mouth and chin were peeled. The skin on my forehead were very stretched and thick. Although I applied several times a renewing oinment (Madecassol), which the govermental health security gives in our country without any additional fee, about an hour later the stretchiness was came. I have a very very oily skin, so I was anxious about having new black pores by applying Madecassol again. So on 4th day I did not want to apply Madecassol several times and after I had woken up and had washed my face, I put some herb into hot water, put the pot over a picnic oven, boiled it slowly while I was bowing my face onto the pot to make vapour wet my dead skin with a big towel over my head. I removed all dead skin in 1 hour vapour bath by massaging wetted dead skin. I got rid of living with the stretched dead skin. Now I have a pink skin, and applying 2 times Madecassol to make the skin complete the renewing.
I am thinking about applying Glycerine to make the skin mousturized and to prevent the stretchiness on 2nd and 3rd days because I do not want new black pores by applying several times Madecassol onto my very very oily skin.
I want to get rid off all my black pores and want to smooth the acne scars by applying 20% TCA 10-15 times.
March 23rd, 2013 at 10:52 pm
Rachel, I can’t believe that I stumbled onto this website. It is GREAT! Love You!
March 31st, 2013 at 10:07 pm
I have done chemical peels before by a professional. I recently bought the TCA 25% on Amazon after seeing such great reviews. I did the process yesterday and am already turning the brown/leather skin. Your skin was great before…I wish mine would look like that. I have lots of hyperpigmentation and it’s a constant hassle to cover it up. But thank you for posting your photos….
March 31st, 2013 at 10:35 pm
Thanks Bert – I have always had good skin, but I have to say into my mid40s the dry skin that kept me from getting acne has worked against me on the wrinkles – my wrinkles continue to get deeper and deeper. I recently did a VI-Peel with a local aesthetician – it wasn’t as harsh as the TCA but it did address the fine lines. However, it took the same amount of time to peel – a 7 day window. Good luck.
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