Dr. Parvin Shafa | February 13, 2025
In OC med derm, we encounter patients who come in for treatment of acne daily, and one of the noticeable issues that these patients face even after undergoing successful treatment of active and inflamed acne are the residual atrophic acne scars, which are depressed in nature. OC MedDerm however, provides one or several services in order to aid the patients in achieving the best skin possible. Depending on the skin type we divide the patients and may counsel the patients about CO2 fractional laser therapy, Cosmelan Peels, Retin-A (Tretinoin, Tazorac), or TCA (trichloroacetic acid) Cross. In this blog, we want to delve into the benefits of TCA cross specifically.
Have you ever noticed some acne breakouts form scars and others don’t? The reason some acne breakouts do cause lasting skin damage, or acne scars, is due to the dermis being damaged. Our skin is consists of several layers. The top most layer is the epidermis (outer layer), followed by the dermis (middle layer), and the hypodermis (deepest layer). The prefix “epi-” translates to “on”, the prefix hypo, translates to “under”, and the root word “derm” translate to “skin”. When the middle layer, or dermis, is involved with the active acne lesion, the inflammation and damage from this section of the skin will leave a scar. The scars are difficult to treat without medical professional help and can be visible for a lifetime if without medical intervention.
Trichloroacetic acid is a chemical exfoliant that can be used to repair and enhance skin damage that improves skin textures and acne scars. TCA acid fits causes a medium amount of peeling. In essence, TCA speeds up the natural healing process and aids in collagen production. To an extent, skin texture gets smoother and atrophic scars nearly become almost invisible. Such kind of results will require multiple sessions to obtain the best results.
TCA Acid CROSS stands for trichloroacetic acid Chemical Reconstruction of Skin Scars. This facilitates the designated innervation of TCA in a dot/snowflake pattern over skin scars, which flattens and lightens the pigmentation and spreads the administered TCA in a circular pattern. Scars that are caused by acne, and leave a hole above the skin, may be stimulated to promote closure with constant usage of a TCA solution by trained professionals, filling in the gap between the scar and the skin. To cover them, the TCA solution needs to be applied to the stoma around the scar.
TCA cross is safe for a majority of skin types, except for some darkly pigmented skin types that pose a risk of hyperpigmentation. If pigmentation is a concern for the patient, it is best to determine if there are any concerns after a consultation at our office, regarding TCA acid CROSS. Also, herpes infection, any active skin infection, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and services like laser treatment give you a chance you might want to skip TCA Acid CROSS or discuss alternative atrophic acne scar treatment options. Our clinic has an extensive history of successfully diagnosing patients concerning their history and enables them to undergo the best treatment available for acne scars.
The length of time it takes to perform the TCA Acid Cross procedure in our office depends on the amount of acne scars one has. In the case of a small amount of acne scars the time duration can be as quick as 10-15 minutes, however in the case one has a large amount of acne scars the time can vary from 30 to 35 minutes.
The downtime for TCA cross is less than 1 week. It may be sensitive after the treatment and may be red for up to 2 days. We understand many of our patients have busy lives outside of taking care of their dermatology needs and have no restraints with allowing our patients to resume work and life after their procedure. We do however, advise our patient to avoid strenuous exercise and swimming for at least 48 hours after the treatment. The formation of scabs over the applied areas is expected and we encourage our patient to let the body naturally allow these formations to fall off on their own. The avoidance of sun exposure and usage of sunscreen will be crucial to the healing process.
Feel free to ask a question or call us (949) 551-1113 to make an appointment for a medical visit.
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