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Is the TCA CROSS ok for use with facial hair, like will it kill the hair follicle in the spot that it is applied?
Good question; I have no idea.
I'm lucky, my scarring is nowhere near my facial hair - and I don't have much facial hair, to begin with lol. I never heard anything about CROSS killing hair follicles, so I don't think so.
I requested that she use a 50% concentration seeing as the skin on the nose is notoriously delicate. She obliged and the whole thing took about 5 minutes- so short that she refused to charge me for her services!
That's just how great Rene is. 
As I stated earlier in this thread, she was blown away by just how much the pores on my nose improved after just one treatment (I quote: "Best improvement I have ever seen"), therefore stay positive and good luck.
Fu+k! They called me back today, and said that dr Billick doesn't take new patients! So what should i do now? I'm so depressed!
Did you tell them that it was for the TCA CROSS method? Because Rene handles those and seeing Dr. Billick isn't obligatory.
HeySamWitwicky)
No, i didn't, i will call back i guess and try to make appointment with Rene directly. I just wanted to treat my acne first, before making TCA CRoss, because i still have pretty bad acne+blackheads, and if the tca will help me, i will still have scars appear that's why i wanted to see dr. Billick first. Anyway, will try to call back. When is your next session? Btw, how much does one procedure cost?
I just wanted to treat my acne first, before making TCA CRoss, because i still have pretty bad acne+blackheads,
You can see another derm, for that; there's plenty lol.
When is your next session?
Mid-October.
In the meantime, I'm having subcision done on my one and only rolling scar, in a couple of weeks. Stoked.
Btw, how much does one procedure cost?
It all depends on your scarring.
It costs me 100 dollars per treatment and I have mild icepick scars.
SamWitwicky, at this moment how much improvment you can say you've got in percent?
SamWitwicky, at this moment how much improvment you can say you've got in percent?
Kind of difficult to tell since I'm still healing from only my second treatment and every scar is healing differently.
Some scars 5-10%, other scars 30-40%. The pores on my nose shrunk a whole lot, too. Overall, there's definitely improvement and it should continue.
Just thought I'd give a little status update now that I'm back in Toronto. The front of my nose has about 4 or 5 teeny tiny scabs where the TCA frosts are (hopefully) beginning to heal well. I am trying to rein in my optimism at the moment, because at this very early stage things look very good to me. The scabs have all formed nice and level with the surrounding skin, erasing the pitted profile of my nose when it catches the light. That pockmarked outline is what has driven me crazy for the last year and a half, so, as I said, I am a bit excited. Now, I'll just have to wait and see how things look when the scabs fall off. Fingers still tightly CROSSed.
It has been a little over 3 weeks, since my second cross.
Took me a little longer to recover this time, since Rene was much more aggressive, during my second treatment. That being said, the redness is practically all gone (or not noticeable) and a lot of scars have improved to some degree. In fact, 4 of them, have become the size of a pin's point.
The pores on my nose have shrunk significantly (my nose has improved incredibly), however, I noticed that one has enlarged. Definitely occurred after the second treatment and I will be bringing it to Rene's attention; she said she'd work on it, if something like this would happen.
Overall, aside from that one pore on my nose, my scars and pores have improved and I am very impressed by the results, thus far. This after only 2 treatments and 2 months. I could only imagine what 6 treatments and time will bring.
Next up: Subcision on my one and only rolling scar, on October 5th. I had subcision done once before and it rendered the rolling scar treated practically invisible (I, seriously, can't see/find it, anymore); hopefully, it does the same for this one. Can't wait to get that out of the way, so I can focus on just my icepicks and enlarged pores.
Hi Samwhitwicky, I am thrilled that you are getting positive results from the TCA Cross method, I'm from toronto and I'm planning to get the TCA Cross method done by Dr.Bargman. I wanted to know if there was anything I should be aware of when going to him. Do you know if his patients were satisfied with the TCA cross? I can probably stand any type of rudeness, as long as my scars improve ;P I'm preeeeeeeetty sure my scars are boxcars and rolliNg scars, maybe icepicks?. I heard that you can improve boxcars and rolling scars with the TCA method, why arent you treating your rolling scar with the TCA cross? Also, how much is subcision and how is it done? Sorry if i'm overloading you with questions, I'm just very skeptical ;P
I'm from toronto and I'm planning to get the TCA Cross method done by Dr.Bargman. I wanted to know if there was anything I should be aware of when going to him. Do you know if his patients were satisfied with the TCA cross?
All I know about Dr. Bargman, is what I have read about him online; his poor bedside manner comes up, quite frequently.
I did speak to him over the phone, once. He told me that the patients he treats with TCA CROSS show amazing results.
I heard that you can improve boxcars and rolling scars with the TCA method, why arent you treating your rolling scar with the TCA cross?
TCA CROSS doesn't do much for boxcars and nothing for rolling scars - it's best for icepicks.
Subcision is used to treat rolling scars. Like I said in my previous post, I had subcision done on one of my rolling scars, a couple of years ago, and it practically disappeared. Therefore, obviously, I am going to stick with subcision, for my second and final rolling scar.
Also, how much is subcision and how is it done?
About a hundred dollars.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subcision
Best of luck.
hey tca'ers,
well i guess i just came on tonight looking for a little bit of a pick-me-up, my first scab fell off today and the little hole looks same-to-worse. I'm aware that with CROSS it's often the case that an indent will look worse before it looks better but I guess I just wanted some reassurance...samwitwicky, when your scabs first fell of did things look about the same as they did before?? sheesh this stuff can be demoralizing at times. hopefully i'm gonna start filling in with collagen soon. fingers CROSSED!
samwitwicky, when your scabs first fell of did things look about the same as they did before?? sheesh this stuff can be demoralizing at times. hopefully i'm gonna start filling in with collagen soon. fingers CROSSED!
Most looked about the same, some already showed improvement, and very few looked worse. That being said, everybody heals differently and not everyone has the same kind of skin and scarring. The thing with TCA CROSS is, it takes a lot of time and patience. Give it a couple of weeks, then give your scars a thorough examination. Don't expect too much a week after your first CROSS; you're only at the point where the scabs begin falling off.
BUt how do you know that it won't work on boxcar scars?
I didn't say TCA CROSS doesn't work on boxcars - I said it does very little for them.
I'm basing my opinion on the online research I have done and feedback from a couple of people who practice the CROSS method (including Dr. Bargman); The TCA CROSS method is a treatment for icepick scarring.
Have you had the method done on your own boxcar scars?
I do not have boxcar scars - I have icepick scars.
i am totally not satisfied with my results on my self-tca cross. the scars i had have enlarged. i look so embarrassed going out now. i only see improvement on one of my scars -.- even the small circle dot scars, have enlarged them selves. there are some scars that have filled in with the dept of my face, but still have the defined borders. its like a small red circle on my face. does anyone know wad i should do next with those scars?
the rest look so ugly 
god i dunno wad to do no more. how often does ppl do tca cross. i used to do it once every two weeks.
i guess that is wad i get for experimenting on my face.
i am totally not satisfied with my results on my self-tca cross. the scars i had have enlarged. i look so embarrassed going out now. i only see improvement on one of my scars -.- even the small circle dot scars, have enlarged them selves. there are some scars that have filled in with the dept of my face, but still have the defined borders. its like a small red circle on my face.
And this is why I have always said that I would never perform the TCA CROSS method on myself.
I'm sorry to hear about all that.
does anyone know wad i should do next with those scars?
Go see a dermatologist.
Put your care into the hands of someone who has experience treating acne scars - not your own.
how often does ppl do tca cross. i used to do it once every two weeks.
And there's one of your probably many mistakes. Your skin is still healing, 2 weeks post-CROSS.
One needs a minimum of at-least one month, between CROSSes. CROSSing means re-injuring the scarred area; there's no point in re-injuring a scarred area, that is still healing from the last time you re-injured it, That's definitely going to spawn some unwanted results.
yeah i dont know where, but i read online that there was a two week wait time0. now i am stunned that it usually takes 1 month before another tca cross treatment. i think another factor that worsen my scar's condition was the fact that i was out in the sun for many of the days, without sun screen.
i think another factor that worsen my scar's condition was the fact that i was out in the sun for many of the days, without sun screen.
lmao
You're like a guide to what-not-to-do, when it comes to the TCA CROSS method, my dude. Definitely gotta avoid the sun and if you can't, sunscreen is vital.
Don't let it get you down, though. Find a good dermatologist (preferably one who performs the TCA CROSS method) and I'm sure they'll work with you, to try and fix the damage. Good that you stopped CROSSing; give your skin a rest and let it heal for a while, before even thinking about treating it all over again.
That's my advice.
Good luck with your subcision this week Sam.
Thank you so much. 🙂
You hang in there, risarella. I purposely had all of my scars CROSSed during my first treatment, but requested Rene skip a specific one, during the second, so I could see how long it would continue to improve, after being CROSSed the first time. That same scar improved significantly in the last week (2 months after being treated). This treatment is really all about time and patience. But, the collagen and improvement will come.
I'm really beginning to see a pattern: My scars scab the first week, heal the next and then begin improving in the 3rd week. I also noticed, that the TCA CROSS will shrink and split an icepick in two (or three) smaller icepicks (at that point, they look more like enlarged pores), breaking up the original scar, and that's how they start filling in. Basically, you go from having a big icepick scar, to having two (or three) much smaller and less noticeable icepicks, which will be easier to treat, with the following CROSSes. Pretty cool.
Keep the updates coming Sam. Best of luck to you.
yeah i dont know where, but i read online that there was a two week wait time0. now i am stunned that it usually takes 1 month before another tca cross treatment. i think another factor that worsen my scar's condition was the fact that i was out in the sun for many of the days, without sun screen.
yeah i know its totally my fault. i had just jumped from derma stamping to tca crossing. i agree with you though, if i did do my research, watch video and have a steady hand, those problems could have been avoided. i dont know if its a good thing or not but ive only tca crossed 3 times 1 month period time >.<. (applying the tca cross on my scars was very easy)
hopefully the damage permanent. I think i am going to wait out 2 months before doing another tca cross.
Keep the updates coming Sam. Best of luck to you.
Thank you; really appreciate it.
And I couldn't agree more with the rest of your comment (I've said numerous times in here that doing research is so instrumental), except I do believe a skilled professional can perform the CROSS better. An obvious reason would be their experience. They're used to it, therefore their hands are already steady (Rene was FLYING through it - it was like seeing one of those people who quickly but accurately stab a knife in-between their fingers lol) They also have a better vantage point (the naked eye can see the inside of a scar much better than you via a mirror); that's why a lot of people on here who perform the CROSS on themselves, complain that their scars get wider. And, as I mentioned in this thread previously, Rene was CROSSing scars even I didn't know I had lol. That's definitely a plus.
Granted, doing it yourself is cheaper than paying 100 bucks a treatment/per month, but I'd rather pay a little extra and have peace of mind and be in the hands of a professional. I mean, after all, it IS acid you're poking into your face. Not to mention, all your questions get answered.
That's just my honest opinion.
okay all, status update:
my last scab came off this morning as I gently washed my face, it was the one on the biggest pit that bugs me the most. To be honest, everything looks about the same but I am still only ten days out from my CROSS session so I think it's too early to call this project a bust. In the next ten days I'm optimistic that some collagen plumping will occur. I was browsing the original TCA thread last night and found a girl remarking that her nose scars "just seemed to melt away" after a cross session. Man, I'd give my left nut for that to happen!
For those who are interested, I avoided the sun the week of my scabs, and began to take ample zinc and vitamin c supplements. now that the scabs are off, I've resumed putting mandelic acid on the area at night, as I believe it's important to keep the scarred pores clear while they (hopefully) fill in. If anybody has information to suggest application of a topical like MA is a bad idea, please let me know.
This waiting game is no fun but at least i don't think any of the pores look markedly worse. which is a mercy, for sure.
Fingers CROSSED.