How long ago where you on accutane?
Do you think its a worthwhile medicine to take?

JOYLOVEPEACE~on the 35 or so treated scars only 6 are still not flat with the surface. About half of the treated icepicks are flat with the surrounding skin but the pigmentatio is slightly different. The rest look excellent. I would say on the cross treated areas am 90% improved but I really can't qualify that. Just an estimate. My rolling scars are maybe 40-50% improved and I think collagen would make it look perfect but as I have said in the past, I am trying to break that addiction.

Missionaryman101~ Accutane was a miracle for me. I know some people have had poor results with it but I took it 9 years ago between high school and college (10mg for 3 months) and have never had a cyst since. I do get the occassional small whitehead if I use a greasy product on my face but other than that I have been completely clear. After taking every antibiotic known to man and still breaking out; I could not be happier w/ my experience w/ Accutane.

SCARVICTIM~ I gathered all the information on cross from the 100% cross thread on this board. I encourage you to read that thread just to be thoroughly informed about the pros and cons of TCA cross. I started my scar treatment regimen in January so it has taken approximately 5 months to see these results.


Reilly

reilly hi can u pm to where u order your tca ur pics seems like u used a legit one i dont wanna order a fake ones , i read all the tca post but i see about a few ways to order it , and seeing as how u have such great result i would like to use ur source on myself .

thanks in advance

So the last cross you performed was like 4 months ago? thanks for answering all those questions!

Reilly- Congrats on your results. I have just one question for you... How long after your last TCA Complex peel did you take the 3rd pic on your initial post? The reason I ask this is because I have had 2 TCA Complex peels and my skin always looks really good right after my skin peels for a few days, and then of course the results begin to disappear and my normally scarred skin returns.

nativetexan23...your scarred skin returns after doing tca complex peels? :think: That sucks. What type of scars do you have (that return)?

I have also used TCA complex several times and at first, my scars look a lot better. But then over time, my scars (boxcars and a few ice picks) look like they did prior to the peel. I don't believe the complex is strong enough to penetrate deep enough to induce any long-term change in the scars.

The last pic was approximately a month after my last cross. As for the 2 Tca complex treatments, they did not seem to improve my scars at all. I do like what it does for my overall complexion and it may have faded my freckles slightly but I don't think it is effective for scars even with many applications. IMO a 12.5% TCA peel is the minimum to improve scarring over time.
Reilly

It has been my experience that TCA Complex is nothing more than 3 days of peeling, followed by 2 or 3 days of my skin looking really good, then sadly going back to it's normal rolling scar type skin. Somewhat similar to what your skin looks like for a day or 2 after a Smoothbeam or V-beam.

Reilly- What product did you put on post TCA Cross. If I remember correctly, it was EGF wasn't it?

I agree. For me, I used TCA complex to help with my hyperpigmentation marks. I hope that those don't come back. :angry:

I believe that she now has something called Turbo TCA complex?? Anyone hear about that?

I have to concur with the majority here in regard to the TCA Complex. I only did two of these peels and it did made my skin look glowy and much smoother for a few days post peel. There were no long term effects. However, the complex did cause me to break out pretty badly.
My results from CROSS however have been very good in treated icepicks and scarred pores. I have an overall crappy skin texture with many rolling scars and boxcars which CROSS can only improve so much (I treat the scarred pores inside of the boxcars and rolling scars. I do not put the acid into the entirety of the shallow scar).
I plan on doing a 20% TCA peel when I get back from my vacation in a couple of weeks. I am using high potency EGF products. I am not sure if the EGF is really all it's cracked up to be, or if the hyaluronic acid in the ReVive EGF that Reilly is using is partially responsible for her improvements. The EGF products I am using are supposedly stronger than the ReVive. I haven't done a CROSS though since the beginning of March so I am not sure how my EGF products will work following CROSS, yet I will find out after my next treatment.
I am even considering taking pics (huge for me since I would have never considered it for the longest time but Reilly and others have inspired me).
I have already had about a 50% improvement within the last year, if I had comparitive pics I'm sure I'd be very grateful for the achieved improvement. I still have a long way to go, as my scarring was and is much more severe than Reilly's and most others who post their pics on the board.
Hugs to you Reilly, I hope you are well!!

holy fvckin crap!

i wish my skin looked like that. The scars on my right cheek look similar. I don't consider those very deep scars. But the improvement on your face is extraordinary.

now I want to try cross method.

How does the skin look after you apply tca 100%, but before complete healing?

WOW! :o Reilly your skin looks fantastic! Those pictures have also got to be the best skin improvement pictures I seen yet on the internet! Thank you for posting your pictures! Congratulations to you!

BTW...where do I sign up for this treatment!

Reilly, what are HA supplements?

Hyaluronic Acid Supplements. Used to moisturize your skin from the inside out, and good for lubing your joints.

Hi Reilly,

Your pics look amazing! Congrats!

In one of your posts you said that TCA CROSS by itself was much less effective than CROSS w/ Revive Sensitif. When and how often did you apply the Revive, before and after your treatment? Did you just spot treat your scars with it? I hesitate to buy the stuff because it's so expensive, but if that's what made your 2 (?) CROSS procedures so successful.... it'd be worth it.

Cheers,
Chrissy

Thank you, thank you everyone.
I think EGF is really important to enhance healing post cross. I experimented w/ one scar without using an EGF cream and one with and had MUCH better results on the EGF/cross treated scar. That being said, I am not endorsing Revive. As Scorpion Vixen said, she has a cream with higher EGF concentration and I believe lower cost. The important issue is the EGF not the brand of cream.

Scorpion~as I have said before, DEFINITELY document your progress with pictures. I was soooo hesitant to post my pics on this forum but it has been the most encouraging experience for me. Just from our correspondence, I know that you will feel rewarded in many ways if you decide to do it as well.

The down time from the cross+EGF really stinks. Ugly scabs that are more noticeable than the scars and can't be covered with makeup. I took a week off the first time and wore a mask the second time(fortunately part of my job so do't go picturing Michael Jackson).I hate the recovery but I can honestly say that no other treatment (CO2 laser, 2 smoothbeams, microdermabrasion, frequent collagen injections) has ever improved my skin to this degree.


Killercupcake~ I would LOVE to perform cross on patients but I believe their is an ethical issue w/ my state licensing board. I currently have other cosmetic services offered in my office (facials, etc) but I think they would give me problems over TCA cross therapy. Thanks for the vote of confidence though and if I ever can get approval to perform cross I vow to provide it "at cost" to everyone(what would that be? maybe $5.00?).

It is only through the scar board that I have found cross and so much more invaluable information so I would love to give back.

Thanks again everyone,
Reilly

Hey again Reilly....
I was also wondering if maybe some of the improvement to your CROSSed scars is in part due to the HA supplementation, which is said to assist in cellular repair and wound healing? Although I have been taking HA supplements, I found out after I ordered them that not only are they tablets (which are not easily absorbed into the system), but they contain about 10% HA and most of the rest of it is glucosamine (which supposedly converts to HA in the body). I am wondering if I take a more potent HA capsule if that will also expand on the improvements of my next CROSS? I think trying that would be worth a shot.
I am not sure when I am going to have time to CROSS again, however I was thinking of using the EGF serum I use from Vanessor Cosmetics underneath some Spenco Quick Heal (contains hyaluronic acid) during recovery.
I am also taking Bromelain which has been proven to accelerate and improve the quality of wound healing. Vitamin C, MSM and zinc are also worth taking, IMO.
I think I am really seeing the EGF work it's magic. Today, I noticed that the spots I test needled on my face look smoother and the scars are more shallow.
I will try to get my digital cam working or borrow one to take pics within the next few weeks before my next treatment which will be a TCA peel. I am hoping that the peel combined with the EGF serum produces some results and I have high hopes for my next CROSS.
Thanks again for sharing your pics... they give us all hope!!

Reilly where did you buy your TCA from and did it include the instructions on how to do Cross?