A few weeks ago I had a TCA Chemical Peel. If you missed it, click here to watch our live feed of Dr Simon Ravichandran performing my chemical peel. This blog will go into detail about what a TCA peel is, how I prepared my skin, how I felt during the treatment plus what my skin looked like each day after the treatment.
What is a TCA Chemical Peel?
So what actually is a TCA Chemical Peel? A TCA peel is a medium depth chemical peel used to resurface the skin. A solution of Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) is applied to the skin to remove the outer surface layers allowing new, healthier skin to emerge. The majority of peels we perform at Clinetix are superficial peels. As TCA is a medium depth peel it penetrates deeper throughout the epidermis and sometimes into the dermis as well. We often find that we get faster results from TCA chemical peels so it is one of our go-to anti ageing chemical peels at Clinetix.
The TCA peel is effective for treating a variety of skin concerns such as improving fine lines and wrinkles, pigmentation abnormalities and acne scars. On top of this we usually see an improvement in skin tone and texture. TCA also stimulates collagen growth creating firmer, fresher and tighter skin.
How I prepared my skin for the peel.
Before having the TCA peel I had to make sure that my skin was prepared. Having prepared skin allowed me to get the maximum benefits and results with the minimum side effects. To prepare my skin I had been using an AHA Cleanser for a number of months, a retinol product and an SPF 30 to limit my sun exposure. Using these products has helped improve the quality of my skin which allowed for an even penetration of the TCA peel over my entire face. Even penetration of the solution meant that I had a much better result which a much lower chance of side effects.
What steps are involved in the treatment?
To start off the treatment Dr Simon applies an ointment called aquaphor to sensitive areas on my face (such as around my eyes) where we didn’t want the peel to take effect. He then used a preparation solution to clean my skin. This removed any excess oil on my skin allowing the TCA solution to soak through any oil that otherwise would be on the skin. Dr Simon then placed a bit of tape over each of my eyelids to prevent any of the TCA solution from getting in my eyes. Dr Simon then began to apply the TCA solution.
Once there was some visible signs of frosting Dr Simon then applied the neutralising solution to neutralise any of the superficial acid that was on the surface of my skin. After the treatment he recommended that I continually moisturise my skin and stayed out of the sun (not very hard in Scotland) until my skin has stopped flaking and is completely rejuvenated.
How I felt during the chemical peel.
During the peel my skin became quite hot and slightly uncomfortable. Throughout the treatment I was given a handheld fan to cool down my skin. When the neutralising solution was applied my skin did become increasingly warmer however the fan continued to cool my skin. Although my skin was quite pink and uncomfortable throughout the treatment, at no point would I have described the peel as painful. Once Dr Simon had finished neutralising the chemical peel my skin temperature had already began to return to normal. Around 30 minutes after the peel my face was no longer pink and flushed.
What my skin looked like each day after the peel
Immediately after the treatment my skin felt very soft and smooth. Downtime after a TCA peel can last up to a week so I decided to document each day after the peel to show you what you can expect!
Day One.
The first day after the peel you wouldn’t really be able to tell that I had a chemical peel! My cheeks were a bit flushed but at this point there was no signs of shedding or increased tightness in my skin. My skin felt really smooth and soft but no drastic changes had occurred yet. I was able to go out on the first day without having to worry about my skin starting to peel.
Day Two.
Day two after my TCA peel my skin was a lot tighter and started to become what I call ‘cling film’ skin. What I mean by this is that when I pressed onto my skin the appearance of it became like cling film. As my skin was tight it did feel quite uncomfortable. To combat this I used a moisturiser and SPF to relax the tightness in my skin. At this point there were still no signs of shedding however on certain areas of my skin such as my cheeks I could see an increase in dryness and could tell that this was likely to be one of the first areas to peel.
Day Three.
On day three my skin began to shed quite significantly around my mouth. It wasn’t particularly obvious unless the light was shining on it. The skin underneath my eyes and around my nose had become quite tight and like cling film! I could tell that these were the areas that were likely to peel next.
Day Four onward
My skin was still slowly peeling by day four. You could see areas of uneven skin tone on my cheek and around my eyes where the skin was yet to peel. You could also see that my forehead would be the last to peel as it was still the texture of cling film.
I stopped taking pictures after day four as there was very little change. My skin was simply peeling on different areas of my face. From day 6 my skin tone began to even out as the majority of my skin had already shed.
This photo was taken just over a week after my TCA chemical peel after I had cleansed my face. I am so happy with the results! The TCA has resurfaced my skin by removing the outer surface layer of my skin revealing smoother fresher skin. My skin feels so much healthier and my fine lines are completely gone. My acne scars have reduced significantly and after a course of these peels they will continue to reduce further. As the TCA chemical peel also stimulates collagen growth my skin will continue to become firmer and tighter over the next few months.
I’m so pleased with the results and I am planning on having a few more TCA chemical peels over the next few months to further enhance my results.
If you have any questions about the TCA Chemical peel or my personal experience with it then please email us on info@clinetix.co.uk or call 0141 221 0229 (West End) or 01698 854 221 (Bothwell) to for a chat.
Click here if you would like to find out more about the variety of chemical peels we offer at Clinetix.
