Just be vvv careful with TCA, video on YouTube done by a dermatologist using a DIY low concentration that can help you out. Do NOT multicoat, do NOT drip, apply evenly and buffer the edges. Start low, start slow. Be careful, multicoating can be a disaster. Lets wait for the results.. I wish you well. These scars are amenable to further improvement. BTW, in Oz scar revision by plastics and dermatologist using subcsion carry a Medicare rebate. Not many people know that. This only applies to specialists. Regardless, stay safe91baby.

Hey Baby as Obi wan said ... all this is in a great video of Dr Lim doing a basic TCA, it's in the FAQ and a quick watch. scroll down to the TCA section and it's right there. Dilution is very easy. You take filtered water or distilled water or even tap (don't they have better water in AUS from desalinsation) ... Regardless take a tiny but with a dropper you said 30% right... so 1 drop acid and 1 drop water is 15% As your doing a test spot maybe you need only like 5 drops of each. Then use a q tip (we use a gauze we fully wring out of all excess fluid for face peels). All excess on the side of a glass or whatever get it to not be saturated on the 1-tip and pass over your "tiny" test spot towards the ear / in a hidden spot. See how it heals. Watch Dr. Lims TCA video it's very helpful for DIYers.

Oh yes I am sorry it was so much $$, get the TCA next time from like ebay / amazon, if you want cheap ... look at the reviews to see if it's ok. Makeupartists choice is a good brand and will even give you support through email if you need.

91baby,you will need alot of TCA peels to see improvement in the scars,and I mean alot.I think you would see better results doing the subcision with the suction method.

Even a phenol peel wouldn't get rid of those scars.A phenol peel is the deepest chemical peels anybody can have done.Look up phenol peels.

@Sam my doc wont do subcision anymore as she said there's no more tethering. 

I think ive seen phenol peels before, they look brutal lol. Ill be staying away from those.

The reviews I've read on TCA have been positive, even if they do nothing for the scarring i think (from reading the reviews) tca peels should be in everyone's skincare routine anyway so even if i didn't have scarring i would be giving it a go anyway.

Wouldnt say tca dosnt help with scarring its a case of horses for causes,you use the right method for the right scar.tca wont do much fir tethered scars as it would have to dissolve the tethers but it might make a noticable change to the outer parts of a scar.

why tca is good for ice picks,if it didnt work on ice picks we would all have ice picks,tca cross is one of the best methods for ice pick and smaller deeper boxcar scars.

you just need to use strong peels that at least get to the middle layers of your skin,the scar cant help itself but react,just add a method that acts from the lower region of the skin and you work the scar from ontop and below.

tca kinda makes you skin go stodgey and then it heals with gradual noticable effects but dont expect much on deeper more tethered scarring.

Peels will work for you. Your scarring is superficial. TCA can burn gunk of auto parts so it can remodel skin. Phenol peels can go down to the fat so yes they work. IT depends on the strength and how you heal. We start low for safety.  

You can always get the filler first before your peel right now. Then do your peels. This will improve the surface to peel. Does your doctor have infini rf or vinvance rf microneedling, a few treatments of that could help also.

Unless the pics are not accurate anymore your skin has texture issues.  

She has already done subcision and microneedling many times guys and uses retin a cream. Unless the doctor is terrible at it... 

I agree you need to work up to those 30% peels to get real texture improvement, but baby steps right. 

@Quadboy please advise about TCA.

Quad has some great experience / results with tca 91baby.

I don't think TCA peels will give you the results your expecting.In my experience with TCA peels,they are only good for improving skin texture and really minor scarring.

If you haven't already tried this,do dermarolling combined with suction method every 8 weeks apart.I found out that the longer inbetween treatments (sometimes longer than 8 weeks apart),I saw better results.

You have to understand that collagen can take upto 6 months to renew,it is also very fragile and can be easily damage.Common sense tell me,too much treatment in short periods of time would damages the harvesting of new collagen bc you wouldn't be allowing enough time for the collagen to reproduce itself.

There is also the Obagi products and the Obagi Blue Peel.The Obagi products (1 to 6 product regime) are good for getting your skin into tip top condition,and help with minor scarring and wrinkles.I tend to only use the Obagi Blender No5 with Retin A 0.5% cream bc its the main product that exfoliates your skin.You can also use the Retin A gel with it,but the gel is more aggressive than the cream,which also lightens your skin.Don't use Obagi Blender No5 bc it contains hydroquinone,hydro its supposed to be cancerous,oral and tropical.I haven't tried it yet,but you want the new Obagi No5 Blend FX which dosen't contain hydroquinone.

Btw Quayboy,who are you referring to,I never stated TCA doesn't work on scarring.

My last post was aimed at the last poster above me.

I only done 6 25% (estimated strength) peels.

your skin feel the pain so you hit the mid layers of skin for sure (i think) so pentration is sure enough to get nerve response thats painfull.

your skin swells,it pops your skin so it must have some effect on the fibres in your skin,long term i am finding its having an effect on my scarring.

i dont have much deep stuff and what i had i tca crossed and that works but some scars are stubborn,so you cant expect each scar to react the same.

my boxcar were minor and its reducing them for sure.

if i had taken before i did anything pics and now you will see noticable change especialy 6 months on but i dont have any,this was just a personaly experience.i would have lived to have had them now to prove that what i say is true.

i been doing 3 layers and frosting so i have been aggressive,trying to sock it to my face,i want results so i didnt dally and went strong and frosted.

even my smaller ice picks are reacting,they were not deep,more like tinsy boxcars.

not everyones skin or type is same and we dont heal the same,i would say if you want noticable minor improvement you gotta go strong and frost but dont frost to a hard cake on the surface,you want to get each layer penetrating into your skin,hard cake frost just soaks up the tca stopping it from pentrating plus the peel phase is weird on my skin,i want it to come off in sheets but not stay for too many days,every day i want to see more layers peeling for at least 3 days,2 days after application.

am currently on day 6 of a peel and the peel is nearly done,last place is always forehead with me.

your skin can look a bit more messier than from the start but it heals for 3 weeks then its back to peel.

i dont at home needle as it takes my skin backwards,if i had the money i would get rf needling or something that works from underneath.

 

@beautifulambition 'infini rf or vinvance rf microneedling' - i have never heard of these i believe my doc is heavily into dermapen and lasers and thats about it (other than subcision) and yes the pics are accurate. If i stetch my skin my skin surface goes flat and smooth which tells me there's no further tethering. I will do one peel first as a test run to see how i heal etc then i will get onto the filler asap (need to put some $$ aside)

I will be filling and peeling for now people, i definitely cant fathom doing another procedure ontop of that. Im just wanting to focus on that for now and see how it goes

@Sam why use suction with needling when theres no tethering? Is it still effective?

@Quadboy thanks for sharing all that, i appreciate hearing your experiences! 3 layers ouchhh! When you say it makes the skin stodgy, do you mean once your peel has healed your skin will look crappy for a while still? I was hoping to do the peel just before my birthday (with enough time to heal obviously) but i might rethink that if it makes your skin look dull afterwards
 

Yes,expect once you get to back end of the peeling phase that your skin looks kinda rougher (just my way of putting it) your face just got hit by acid and peeled for 7 days.it dosnt peel to a lovely shiny surface of new skin like adverts make out 

more slightly grubbier skin,your scarring will look different but you might think they look rougher,they got attacked by acid.

during week 3 you will notice the difference snd the improvement,it just gets better week after week.

one thing i notice is,your skin just gets shinier,thats tca peeling for you,yoyr skin becomes soo smooth it shines.but,that can nake yoyr imperfections show but your a girl so slap some makeup on.

my skin just feels nicer,more organised and it does look better.during the peeling week my face just feels relief,its kinda pleasant now after doing it for 6 months.

we are not wanting pleasant feelings here,what we want is improvement in the skin.it hurts for about a minuite then its ok.

start of easy but 25% is sweet spot for me.

19 hours ago, 91baby said:

@Samwhy use suction with needling when theres no tethering? Is it still effective?

I think so,unless it was the dermaroller that produced new collagen to improve my scars.

Scars are difficult to judge from a picture due different angles and lighting.Even if I saw these scars in the flesh it would be difficult for me to decide on the best treatment necessery.

I know its very difficult for us to make a decision on the best treatment necessery for improving these horrible acne scar,and I do hope I haven't made things worse with my advice.Good luck on your journey for improvement.

Kind Rgds
Sam

14 hours ago, Quadboy said:

Yes,expect once you get to back end of the peeling phase that your skin looks kinda rougher (just my way of putting it) your face just got hit by acid and peeled for 7 days.it dosnt peel to a lovely shiny surface of new skin like adverts make out 

more slightly grubbier skin,your scarring will look different but you might think they look rougher,they got attacked by acid.

during week 3 you will notice the difference snd the improvement,it just gets better week after week.

one thing i notice is,your skin just gets shinier,thats tca peeling for you,yoyr skin becomes soo smooth it shines.but,that can nake yoyr imperfections show but your a girl so slap some makeup on.

my skin just feels nicer,more organised and it does look better.during the peeling week my face just feels relief,its kinda pleasant now after doing it for 6 months.

we are not wanting pleasant feelings here,what we want is improvement in the skin.it hurts for about a minuite then its ok.

start of easy but 25% is sweet spot for me.

 

Thanks for your reply do you think it would be the same in regards to 'more grubbier' skin just using 15%? Or is that with the higher % tca? I just want to time it so im past that stage by my birthday haha. My skin is so shiny anyway so i suppose it wont be much different for me! Do you use alcohol swabs before your peels also? thanks!

Nothing special before tca application,just wash and dry,give skin time to air dry and apply.

everybodys skins different so what yiur skin will be like after the peel i dont know,expect lots of red.25% just seems to be the right place for me,i tried adding a bit more on 1 peel but it made my face frost and cake and the peel was just totaly different,i couldnt move my mouth right for nearly a day.

try lower and work up till you find the right % that your happy with.we want results here,this is acne scar removal (if we can rid them) so going weak will just freshen your face.to get resurfacing we must remove the old one,to get scar revision we must reach them and interact with them.

I just recieved the tca today  the sample bottle is teeeeny tiny haha i dont know how much use I'll get out of it but even this was expensive so im assuming to order the proper size would have been a fair bit more ! Ill do my test patch this sunday night and then go from there.

MUAC sent a booklet of directions etc. It states results last 6 months. Im hoping it turns into a skin care routine for me that improves my scarring rather than just a peel i do every so often. It also says after using the peel 3 times spaced between 3 weeks each that you should stop for between 3-6months. Any thoughts on this? Also with the 15% it says that layering it twice will give a 25% boost (rather than being a 30% peel) just like I was told

If you got 15% acid then layering the acid on your skin just provides more acid to penetrate into your skin,the first layer will sting your skin but as it penetrates it will neutralise itself so its not doung anything then,second layer will or should penetrate deeper as the first makes your top layers of skin stodgey so the second layer should get theough it easier penetrating a bit more.you need to get past all the dead gunky skin,get into the middle layers of your skin this is where the damage starts,not the top.idealy to see noticable change you need stronger peel layered more times and get right down to the lower layers of skin.

trying to promote collagen and new fibres beeing created where old ones are not right,shed skin to aid better skin come through,over time it should snoothen your skin out a small increment at a time,i wouldnt expect a great deal from 15%,perhaps a fresher look but your texture wont benefit deeper in your skin.

you can peel every month if you want,if you want maximum benefit from healing the linger the wait the more the healing.but,if your skin texture is bad then regar peels should make a more noticable difference,yes every few peels you could wait 3 month rather than the obligatory 1 month to just ket yoyr skin heal for longer and return back to more normality.

i have done my 6th peel,all 1 month apart,i am currently just 2 weeks after my last peel into healing,its week 3 you notice the healing benefits but i will peel again after week 4.

downside of peeling i notice for me is i get super shiny skin.i am happy so i plod along.

just use steady hands and take all the precautions and take it easy and you should get a good peel,its not as daunting after the first one.just take the pain!

i got 6 peels and 3 tca cross out of a 30ml bottle at cost of £12,just a bit left in that bottle.

MUAC is giving you instructions for a beauty upkeep peel. Hence results last only 6 months they say. People do these for beauty improvement not just scars. You will be doing them more often like Quad said and you need many of them. Your going to build up to the full 30% if you can handle it as that is where resurfacing begins (around the 20s%). Think of it this way. If you goto a doctor and they sedate you and do a very high percentage peel (70-100%) you have massive down time and possibly things go wrong they must deal with. Your doing smaller percentages and more often to get some results with less side effects.

Listen to Quad ;-P he has done peels and sees the improvements without any 6 month results. 15% will just be a peel, we are building up to avoid side effects remember. You can test spot 15% and 20% if you wish by your ear on a small test spot to see. MAybe you will start your first peel at 20%, that's why we test and 25% for your next peel after this one.Do not go by their instructions of months in between, if you want to do it once a month and you are fully healed from the last one ok, then do it. ( if not you can wait when you have some down time) .Your doing this for scars and resurfacing, you don't have to do it all over the face.

The higher the percentage the longer the down time typically, but also it works better to resurface.

This is not true, from everything I have read in medical journals about peels / my experience the PH changes when you do double layers (this is a advanced move), it really is more complex and I have seen people regret double layering. So your not going to get 30% with 2x 15% layers, you do a 30% peel once and be done, also less possibility of side effects. Than putting a second coat. How could one get 30% with 2 x15% as the skin has been altered and the TCA self neutralized (first layer) on the proteins thus changing how the peel will react with the skins structures. Dead skin reacts differently than normal skin w/ TCA.

This is good info too

PostedSeptember 25by Obi Wan

Just be vvv careful with TCA, video on YouTube done by a dermatologist using a DIY low concentration that can help you out. Do NOT multicoat, do NOT drip, apply evenly and buffer the edges. Start low, start slow. Be careful, multicoating can be a disaster. Lets wait for the results.. I wish you well. These scars are amenable to further improvement. BTW, in Oz scar revision by plastics and dermatologist using subcsion carry a Medicare rebate. Not many people know that. This only applies to specialists. Regardless, stay safe91baby.

hello people! Im currently sitting in the waiting room with emla (i think thats what its called) on my face.. the 'numbing cream' but who knows if it actually helps or not. I decided to email my dr and ask for one more agressive subcision (im gunna make her really go for it) and then peel while my skin is swollen from the subcision. I will discuss doing this with her today and also will discuss if thats the best option or if i should come back in a couple of weeks for some filler before i go through the peel (as beautifulambition said, it might be worth raising them before peeling.. makes sense, will probably see more benefits this way)

im just worried about the cost.. filler can cost upwards of $600 and thats just the first session.. ill more than likely need multiple sessions as thats what ive read with other users.. who knows how much the filler will cost overall.. and if it fails to work or if it absorbs within a couple of weeks (which ive heard can happen) that will devastate me. I have savings which is lucky but i dont want to blow them on scarring prcedures unless i knew its going to make a difference.. if i knew for sure this was a full proof plan i would put my whole $10000 worth of savings into it. You cant put a price on feeling confident/feeling mentally healthy and happy.

i will suction after this subcision and report back after im done! 

isnt it funny in some pictures i just look like a normal girl with no scarring (like in above photo) if only that was the case for all photos & lighting arghhh!@

thanks guys wish me luck xx

Just now, 91baby said:

hello people! Im currently sitting in the waiting room with emla (i think thats what its called) on my face.. the 'numbing cream' but who knows if it actually helps or not. I decided to email my dr and ask for one more agressive subcision (im gunna make her really go for it) and then peel while my skin is swollen from the subcision. I will discuss doing this with her today and also will discuss if thats the best option or if i should come back in a couple of weeks for some filler before i go through the peel (as beautifulambition said, it might be worth raising them before peeling.. makes sense, will probably see more benefits this way)

im just worried about the cost.. filler can cost upwards of $600 and thats just the first session.. ill more than likely need multiple sessions as thats what ive read with other users.. who knows how much the filler will cost overall.. and if it fails to work or if it absorbs within a couple of weeks (which ive heard can happen) that will devastate me. I have savings which is lucky but i dont want to blow them on scarring prcedures unless i knew its going to make a difference.. if i knew for sure this was a full proof plan i would put my whole $10000 worth of savings into it. You cant put a price on feeling confident/feeling mentally healthy and happy.

i will suction after this subcision and report back after im done! 

isnt it funny in some pictures i just look like a normal girl with no scarring (like in above photo) if only that was the case for all photos & lighting arghhh!@

thanks guys wish me luck xx

Really? up to 10000$?  Here in Bolivia these kind of cosmetic procedures are up to 500$ the whole treatmente lol!

@josemariatarima i think you misunderstood, i was just saying if i knew i would get full proof results i would spend all my savings to do so my subcision was only $160 today and filler will be $600

so here is me immediately after

My doc didnt do much on my right side as she said it was unnecessary.. but she definitely went hardcore on the left side, theres multiple needle points plus she spent a lot longer on that side. For some reason i have nezt to no brusing or swelling which is odd because this was probably the most aggressive session i had (for my left side at least) im not even icing it. There's just a lot of redness mostly.

i made sure to have a lengthy chat with her about filler & tca also. Now she uses something called restylan classic (not sure how its spelt) and its a HA filler used for surface scarring. She said it lasts for upto a year. Anyone had experience with this filler or any info that could help? Im booked in for 2 weeks time to get this done once my skin has recovered from today's subcision. She said i will only need one syringe which will be $600 (i personally thought i would need more) so that's a relief. She said her patients have left with immediate improvement and has never had anyone left unhappy. I want to make it clear that she was still determined to use the dermapen ($160 a session) and i had to tell her id rather the filler route so i know she is a doc looking for permanent improvement rather than temporary improvement otherwise she would be pushing filler etc. I also brought up the tca peel with her for after my scars are lifted with filler, her surgery doesn't actually perform peels but she said she would be happy to order the product in if i would like her to perform the peel rather than being referred somewhere else (or doing it myself)

I am very lucky to have a doctor who doesnt push me when i say no and who's happy to accommodate what i ask for. She LISTENS which is more than i can say for some! 

Any suggestions on when to begin suctioning? Im not very confident it will do much as my skin doesn't feel much different than before the procedure haha.

thanks!

Hey @91babyResty is a standard HA filler, it can be used for up to a year for these acne scar depressions. It is water drawing so will plump up a bit, hence why you need a pit to fit the filler, but she seems to have experience with Resty so I am sure it will be fine.

Suction - I don't even see where she did the subcision. I would have had her do saline injections when she subcided and that dissolves pretty quickly. Have her do this next time, or a follow up for this treatment, it's cheap and just saline water.You can suction over the areas of depression she subcided. You know the levels of your skin most. Run the vacuum over the areas you want to be raised.

$600 a year on filler isn't bad, don't you in AUS get the medicare tax credit thing for stuff like this. You may wish you had more filler to augment the cheek out, even if it's not under the scar per say as volume hides scars. Pull back on your temples the cheek skin and see if it looks better.

@beautifulambitionhello! Do you think this is a good choice of filler? I read on a thread on this site of an experience that someone had and it left him with bumpy, uneven skin for months apparently. My doc said it can be dissolved so im not sure how the lumpiness stuck around for months for him?

I know, right!!!? Isnt it strange? No swelling or bruising but mannn did i feel it! The only difference is that she didnt use as much adrenaline in the needle as she normally does (she said because i was taking it so well) but i dont think that would impact swelling or bruising? So, so strange. I usually feel bruised and hard under the skin. She also commented that my dermis is thicker than when we first began which is a good thing apparently. I have a hand held suction pump thing so is it ok to use straight away or should i wait?

you're right, $600 a year is fine by me.. but thats if it actually is a year and stays in my skin that long rather than a couple months (or weeks! Ive heard in some cases) so i get a medicare rebate on consultations but not on the actual treatment itself.

If i stretch my skin, my scars flatten completely, ive always wanted someone to invent some device to keep skin permanently stretched. My skin would be smooth 24/7!!

Don't freak out about the bump guy. He had surface scars and got filler. Filler does not do well unless there is a pit. But. it sounds like your DR is using it differently for volume of your cheeks. All HA fillers can be dissolved. He did not dissolve right away as he did not want to waste $$$. There is always Vobella and Boltero discuss those with you doc. They do not attract water so what you see is what you get with them. You want the water draw if say your filling in a big pit or augmented the cheek, but for surface scars they can bump. Its basically all about how good they are and she sounds like shell dissolve if needed.

Actually as you call it the adrenaline is what keeps us from swelling, and bruising, it closes blood vessels. So no idea what's going on with you. Thicker dermis makes it easy for things to not show. Sure you can suction right away, you heal so quickly. I'd do it 15 seconds 3 times a day all over the area needed.

Filler lasts longer if put in a subcision pocket in the dermis. The ones that have filler that go quickly are like body builders, they grunt and take steroids and stuff. Discuss with your doctor a longer lasting filler like Voluma by Juvederm which would augment those cheeks but not fill the scars, it's a big more but has the lifting power. In fact there is a device that keeps your skin smooth 24/7. ever seen a Hollywood movie they are full of filler so their cheeks are huge, hiding age and other things. For some people there is never enough filler. Quan had Voluma in his cheeks remember. Voluma does not work as well for spot treating, great for augmenting and puffing those cheeks out.

@beautifulambitionshe actually said the opposite, she said i dont need filler for volume and that she'll be using it at a more shallow level because my scars are close to the surface. I do agree with you though, when my face is swollen my scars are undetectable (one of the reasons im bummed out about no swelling after the subcision) so if i was to get a deeper filler i think that would definitely work.. but I'll go with what my dr wants to do for now and then go down that route if this type of filler doesnt meet expectations.

my goal is to lift the scars so i can start with my tca peels so hopefully this isn the way to go! Im getting my filler done on the 2nd of november and i have a wine tour on the 4th, do you think i will look ok by then? Can i wear makeup after filler?

thanks!

91baby. You can use filler in so many ways. What I was suggesting is if you pull your temples taughnt and they disappear (Scars), she can use it in the Augmentation method. This is not necessary. Again go with your Drs recommendation she is treating you. Just giving a different perspective 😉 Another way to use filler is as a spacer as I said above with subcision this is different. Sure sounds good give it a go what the Dr wants to try.

Sounds like a good plan. You will possibly be swollen FYI. I don't know how your body reacts. You will have to ice afterwards, some take a week or so for it to go down. You might go ok, I just can't tell, you know.

Yes makeup is fine a few hrs after.

Wow I can't believe one session of dermapen is 160u$!!