My TCA face peel experience…
I often remind those who shame me for enjoying the process of finding products and techniques to push back the hands of time, that maintenance is required on almost everything in this life. If you don’t change your car oil, it’s going to lose its mojo a lot sooner than desired. Don’t wash it and wax it, its exterior will dull and age, even if the car runs like a top! The same holds true with our human bodies, and if you want to let them age naturally, more power to you! But if you are like me and would rather “wash and wax” the exterior of our bodies too, for optimal longevity and beauty, then this blog is for you… let’s go on a TCA peel journey together!
TCA Peel
What the heck is a TCA peel? Well, it is even scarier when you type out the acronym. Trichloroacetic Acid…hmmmm acid on the face? It is actually far less scary than the name sounds. TCA has been known in the medical and beauty industries for decades to be the gold standard for helping with fine lines, wrinkles, sun damage and the like. Sounds good? Let’s dive in!
Where do I get this and what do I need to know?
If you are not a DIY, go to a dermatologist or qualified med spa. If you are capable of studying, following directions, meet criteria and like DIY, you can do it at home. Of course, I am offering no medical advice or telling you to, I am just sharing my experience. While there are a host of places to find it with a quick google search, I strongly encourage you to only purchase from a vendor you can verify has QUALITY TCA. There are certainly some stories floating about of horror stories from TCA that misrepresented the strength and subsequently caused some issues. Issues=scarring, hypopigmentation, THINGS WE DON’T WANT. I have spent a great deal of time researching and have used Platinum Skin Care for over two years. This is not sponsored, I just love them. They have quality products, thorough instructions via video and print, and are super available to help! They have a marvelous Facebook group where you can learn more.
Strength is important, and with most things in life, going slow is key. I started with a 7.5% on my face, then moved up to 15% for the facial peel I did this week. Last year I did a neck/chest/back peel where I have the most sun damage and I did a 15% and moved up eventually to a 30%. I caution you that 30% should not be done by most people and if so, only if you have the correct skin type and have done several at a lower percentage. More about that on my video, if you would like to see it here:https://youtu.be/OPa7SuLVZqk
How does this work?
Don your gloves…I always wondered who Don was, haha, but we will utilize him with, because TCA will think you want your fingerprints removed if not. (Me being overly dramatic again-but hey it is acid). Use a cotton pad or ball to apply, and swipe evenly across the areas desired, avoiding the eyes. Within a few seconds…it will hurt. Not gonna lie, this is not for the faint of heart! Have a fan nearby and mix up some water and baking soda in a bowl which will neutralize it if it becomes too much. It will self neutralize otherwise. You can do several passes in between, but again, start slow and small, like we are supposed to do with cake servings.
You are likely to see “frosting,” and I don’t mean the cake kind. Notice a theme here with my sweets love? Hee Hee. This happens when the acid coagulates the proteins in your skin. Super fun! Hah! You’ve made it through the tough part, now what’s ahead?
Onions…
No, you don’t get to eat one. Girl, (or guy, I’m an equal acid burning opportunist) you are going to peel like an onion. But first, it will look tight. Like twenty year old skin tight. Then the Elmer’s glue look. Like you smeared it all over your face and it dried. Don’t pick it! We must cure! By day 3-5, you generally started peeling. Moisturize as if lotion is the new toilet paper hoarding pandemic. But alas, after days 3-5, here comes the sun! No! Don’t go out into the sun! SPF and hats are gonna be your friend, but your new skin will shine through like a diamond. Or the sun. Whichever you prefer. (I prefer a new diamond while lounging on a beach sunshiny vacation, thank you).
Seriously, though, I feel like the effect is cumulative. Don’t expect to take off 10 years after one. But after 2-3, I began to see some of my sun damage and texture disappear and I’m hooked.
Frequency?
Experts often say about once a month, though I again would proceed with caution. I do twice a year and I think my skin thanks me for that. Take pictures! Documenting your journey will encourage you and help you decide if you want to jump on this TCA train– whoo hoo!
If you’d like to see my latest peel, you can check out my latest one here on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/OPa7SuLVZqk I am very proud because my usual 12 year old sounding voice got real serious when I felt the burn and I believe dropped an octave! I am glad that I got my spring TCA peel done for the year and definitely see improvement. Now I have to stay out of the sun, but having had 5 skin cancers, that’s old hat to me. Or a cute hat with a bow.
Let me know if you have questions in the comments and I would love to hear about your TCA experience!
