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Tca Cross Attempt - Worried - Help

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(@nuby3)

Posted : 04/09/2013 6:52 pm

I did a TCA cross with 50% TCA. I followed the directions and precautions, didn't really apply what I thought was a lot. The ice picks have turned into what can best be described as little saucers. It looks like I put a hot nail into a wax candle and then removed it and allowed it to cool. Is this at all normal? I am very worried I have just caused harm to my face. I only soaked the toothpick and then scraped the excess off and used the soaked toothpick to press into the holes, I didn't allow any to even "fill" the scars. Any help or calming words would be appreciated.

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(@nuby3)

Posted : 04/09/2013 7:17 pm

I did it the day before yesterday, so it's still early, but I am terrified. I have now become aware of how stupid this was.

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(@simonukox)

Posted : 04/10/2013 10:56 am

Sounds as if all you have is frosting - which is perfectly fine and to be expected with TCA since it is deeper than most. Don't worry, the important thing to do from now is not pick at anything and keep the areas well moisturised.

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(@austra)

Posted : 04/10/2013 1:00 pm

I had scabs for 1.5-3 weeks after cross. They usually form a couple of days after cross. I think mine lasted for somewhat longer than average, but that was still normal. You should just let the areas heal for a few weeks, and after the scabs have fallen off on their own, keep the scars moisturized.

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(@nuby3)

Posted : 04/10/2013 4:54 pm

thank you guys so much for replying. My scars look like little volcanoes with raised edges, which I'll admit freaked me out. I wondered if it was a combination of swelling and icing from the TCA. I have been keeping things moist as much as I can, using cicoplast as I have been recommended by other users on this forum, and through some of the research I did. Did you guys have the treatment? I think I must have gotten too much TCA into a couple of the scars, they look like they opened up quite a bit, but it's hard to tell the way things are now. All I can do is wait and see, which is a pretty helpless feeling. How long did it take you guys to completely heal? Most of my scars look like I would expect, but it's the few larger ones I treated that have me spooked, as they look like they have expanded, which could partly be from the "volcano" effect from the swelling and icing. Have any of you treated any larger scars? Did they open up some following treatment and then close up some after they healed? thanks again folks, I appreciate the help.

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(@austra)

Posted : 04/11/2013 8:27 am

I took 3 weeks to completely heal, until the last scabs fell. There was some redness remaining for a while, but that was quite minor. At first right after the cross (which was done by a doctor) my scars looked red and swollen for a couple of days, after which they formed scabs. I just let them be dry all the time, because I didn't know any better - now I would probably keep them moisturized from the word go. I was careful not to touch the scabs, slept on my back, didn't let water fall fall directly on them in the shower etc. Try to eat well, sleep well, and take some extra vitamin C and just let the skin heal. You can't say whether your scars have worsened or improved until after about 1-3 months. I had a couple of scars that looked a bit widened as a result, though not much, one scar became a bit deeper, but most remained unchanged and a couple of them improved and got shallower and softer. I've read some people on the forum having great success with cross for icepicks, but for some reason I didn't get the same results.

Good luck and keep us posted!

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(@nuby3)

Posted : 04/12/2013 8:14 am

now that I'm 5 days out, things are looking better. a couple of the scabs got knocked off of the very small scars I treated. The scars are a bit red, the ones that lost the scabs, like you said. I am keeping things moist, and I am a VERY healthy eater, and I take 10 grams of vitamin c a day every day anyways for general well being. Hopefully I get some decent results. I have been dermarolling for about 5 months prior to this, and I have had EXCELLENT results from that, but I wanted to do something for the ice picks. I'll keep you posted. Thanks again for the help.

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(@simonukox)

Posted : 04/12/2013 1:48 pm

Even if the scars do seem wider at first, this is still fine. From experience, when I have used Chemical Peels I have been horrified afterwards to see scars look deeper than before. But over the few weeks (sooner if you're using a retinoid) you'll see them fill in a lot more than before. It's all about kick-starting your skin into the healing process.

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(@nuby3)

Posted : 04/13/2013 8:13 pm

Everything looks okay now. I must be a fast healer, pretty much all of my scabs have come off already. The scars are still very red though and I am continuing to keep them moist. It's day 6. Some of the scars look to be filling in a little already. It looks like I did a good job. I'm trying to decide if I'm gonna do this again in a few more weeks, or when I heal enough- it looks like it can really do some good, but I think it will take 3-6 of these treatments to really make the difference I want it to and the recovery is brutal. Living in face hide town and keeping this stuff on my face all the time. I'd like to see them fill in some more though for sure. I feel like I've kind of committed to it already but it's a pain in the ass. Thanks everyone for the replies

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(@nuby3)

Posted : 04/16/2013 5:25 pm

9 days after treatment. Things are healing up really nicely. I see improvement in most all of the scars honestly, one has filled in nearly 50%. Ridiculous. I had a boxcar scar that I had gotten to about 80 or 85% with needling over the last 5 months, and I can't even tell it was there now. The boxcar had some remaining PIH, and it's gone now after it peeled from the TCA, which I'm sure helped a lot. The combination of needling and TCA cross appears to be doing me some serious good. I'm gonna stick with the TCA cross for the ice picks, and soon I think I will be to the point that all I need is some resurfacing. I'm thinking of starting out with an 8% TCA peel and seeing where I go from there. Thanks for the support, it looks like I have had a very successful TCA cross using 50% TCA. The one mistake I did make, I had an ingrown hair that was healing and I got too close to it with one of the scars I treated, and I made myself a new scar, although, it's not too deep, and I'm convinced I'll be able to treat it once I let it fully heal in a few months. So, I'm not too worried. Thanks again.

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(@nuby3)

Posted : 04/21/2013 8:29 pm

two weeks out, there is still redness in the scars that I treated, but nothing serious. the scars obviously improved, but still not enough to make me look pretty. I think I will not cross all of the scars again next time, but just the ones that are still deep. just a few of them. the others I'm gonna keep needling. good luck everyone with your scar projects and thanks for the help

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(@nuby3)

Posted : 04/25/2013 7:02 pm

figured I would keep updating about my progress for future crossers or people interested. it's clear to me at this point that this method is very effective. none of my scars that I treated are gone, but pretty much all of them improved somehow. one I couldn't see the bottom of before filled in to the point that I can see the bottom of it and it no longer looks like a bottomless pit, which is nice. one shriveled to the point it doesn't bother me any more. one ice pick on my right side, I missed somehow during the TCA cross and it went untreated. I'm actually kind of glad this happened, because now I have a clear comparison, because I clearly remember the others looked just like it before. The untreated one looks like a pothole in a street, with very sharp edges. the ones I treated all have soft edges now, that kind of works to mask their appearance and make them "not as ugly". big difference has been made. I am very happy I did this. I am also convinced that 100% TCA is not necessary . I had great results with 50% TCA. 50% is still very strong and should be used with just as much caution. extreme caution. and do NOT get it anywhere near anything that is already inflamed or you will have yourself a new scar to worry about. Found that out the hard way. ;) needling/topicals for rolling scars and boxcars, TCA cross for ice picks. Deadly combination. it takes a long time and a lot of patience, but it works.

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(@anthonytong)

Posted : 04/25/2013 9:17 pm

THANKS FOR YOUR SHARING. I am planing to go for tca cross too. Your experience is a great help to me.

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(@nuby3)

Posted : 04/25/2013 10:47 pm

THANKS FOR YOUR SHARING. I am planing to go for tca cross too. Your experience is a great help to me.

No problem. be careful not to get the TCA on healthy skin, if you have a wide scar, you can kind of paint the bottom of the scar with the tca, but make sure not to let it fill the scars up at all. just enough to serve as a "thin coat of paint" on the bottom of the scar, and if it gets on the walls of the scar, that's fine too, but do not "fill the scars up". judge the strength of your burn by the length of time the scars stay frosted. if they quickly lose the frost, put a tiny bit more on. the frost should last about 30 minutes. if it's gone after 10 or 15, put a tad bit more. if it's more than 45 or closer to an hour, you put too much. more than an hour and you burned yourself in my opinion. this worked for me, and don't worry, a little goes a long way. it will make your scars look worse. for days 3-5 they will look like someone burned you all over your face with a cigarette. some of them, you'll worry if they have been made wider, but after 2 weeks the real results begin to take shape. I am 3 days from the end of my third week post treatment and the scars are still closing up and getting better. weeks 3 and 4 appear to be the best weeks for results from the treatment. during week 2 I still worried for a few of the smaller scars I treated. now they all look great. I have a couple that are just about not there any more. if you have any questions I'm happy to help. Best of luck to you. oh, make sure to let the TCA soak into the toothpick for 30-45 seconds before you cross, and WEAR GLOVES. TCA soaked into the toothpick. I repeatedly changed toothpicks for worry this would happen, and I'm glad I did because it STILL caused my fingers to peel for weeks after. If I had not kept changing toothpicks, I bet I would have burned my fingers. this stuff is VERY corrosive.

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(@ripcurl1985)

Posted : 04/26/2013 1:21 am

Hey, thanks for the update/ Great to hear the cross has worked well for you. Did you buy the TCA Cross kit or solution online? If so would you mind sharing the website link?

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(@nuby3)

Posted : 04/26/2013 10:36 am

I got it off of amazon. It's called dermalure. 50% TCA

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(@nuby3)

Posted : 04/29/2013 7:57 pm

4 more days down the road, now past the 3 week mark and working toward 4, can't say I'm seeing any more improvement at this point, but I'm happy with what happened. Some of the scars I will not cross again, and the bad ones I have I'm crossing until they're gone. I think I'm gonna allow ample time between crosses. Especially since I have to be outside for work. I use heavy sunscreen and wear a bucket hat. : ) Plus, I want to do a good hard needling soon. Cross works. Improvement is obvious after one treatment. Patience is necessary though, bigtime. I'd say improvement was around 20-25% on the least effected scars and around 30-40% on a couple that really took it well.

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