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TCA cross and Subcision update

 
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37
(@scarface6556)

Posted : 04/08/2016 3:59 pm

sorry to bug you guys again with this.. I know I get a lot of hate ..to me these scars aren't mild...theyre not severe but id classify them as moderate.

the point of this topic was to let you guys know I will be doing tca cross on all the ice pick scars I have especially on the sides of my nose and subcision for my rolling and boxcar scars next Friday, so a week from tonight. what are some things to expect post procedure? how long till I will see improvement? what do you guys think about the improvement I wi get after 1st procedure? how much improvement should I expect after 1 procedure?2?3? ..Also finally, I heard of people derma rolling and/or suctioning after their treatment and in between treatments...I have no idea how to do this..can my doctor do this for me or? thanks guys.

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(@quanhenry)

Posted : 04/08/2016 5:11 pm

What scars?

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37
(@scarface6556)

Posted : 04/08/2016 5:31 pm

19 minutes ago, QuanHenry said:

What scars?

are you guys trolling me ? or do I really have bigger issues? the side of my nose in the last pic is covered with ice pick scars..my temple has a little scarring , and in the first pic I have 3 deep pitted scars creating a line ...also some scarring in left pic near mouth area..i just want advice.

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311
(@quanhenry)

Posted : 04/08/2016 5:37 pm

I can barely notice those even with you pointing it out. Those are superficial at most. You are a healthy good looking guy.

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(@scarface6556)

Posted : 04/08/2016 5:40 pm

Just now, QuanHenry said:

I can barely notice those even with you pointing it out. Those are superficial at most. You are a healthy good looking guy.

thanks man however look at the last photo I just edited and uploaded...that's the skin is harshest overhead lighting . idk they really bother me..the ones around my mouth and nose especially. I don't care about my little temple scarring . the one in the first pic where its pitted 3 scars making a line bothers me too . I do believe I have body dysmorphia though. iam taking electromagnetic physics class and calculus 3 , the last calc class, and I am extremely behind and failing all my classes because the entire time I think about my skin. I also think about my skin at home..all day I am on the laptop researching about skin..ive ruined my relationship with my hot gf because of it.

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311
(@quanhenry)

Posted : 04/08/2016 5:52 pm

I see what you mean with that last picture. I see how that would affect you but really isn't that bad imo. It isnt creating an asymmetry, which is the worst thing scarring can do. Ive never done subcision or tca (which I am looking in to) so I cant offer you anything about that, but you should try to find a therapist. Talking to somebody who can be impartial helps. Your school probably has free counselors you can talk to about it, and its not something you should be embarrassed to do. If you are on calc 3 then you are too smart to let this ruin your life.

There is a BDD epidemic in this society and nobody even talks about it.

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(@scarface6556)

Posted : 04/08/2016 6:09 pm

13 minutes ago, QuanHenry said:

I see what you mean with that last picture. I see how that would affect you but really isn't that bad imo. It isnt creating an asymmetry, which is the worst thing scarring can do. Ive never done subcision or tca (which I am looking in to) so I cant offer you anything about that, but you should try to find a therapist. Talking to somebody who can be impartial helps. Your school probably has free counselors you can talk to about it, and its not something you should be embarrassed to do. If you are on calc 3 then you are too smart to let this ruin your life.

There is a BDD epidemic in this society and nobody even talks about it.

I agree..ive seen some posts where there is LITERALLY nothing on that guys face and they are moaning about their scars..atleast with mine, you can see my actual scarring ...im not saying its severe, trust me, ive seen some really bad scarring from acne..all im saying is, mine is significant enough to me where it IS noticeable and does bother me..it just shouldn't be bothering me to this extent. its funny because ive had these scars for over a year but I was so clueless as to what scarring actually is,they would fade and it never hurt my confidence. since I now know they are permanent, its affecting me greatly.

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(@quanhenry)

Posted : 04/08/2016 6:18 pm

Thats what tv and social media are doing to us, its so stupid.

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(@utmostgeese)

Posted : 04/08/2016 6:24 pm

Hi,

I have had tca cross performed once, 3 weeks ago so I can tell you what to expect. You will see some scabs forming a couple of days after the prodedure, do not pick these! They will stay on for up to 2 weeks. You want to avoid washing your face harshly as it will moisten the scabs and they may fall off prematurely. In fact I tried to not wash my face at all but I know that isn't always an option for everyone.

Also, I would not suction if you've had tca cross since it might disturb the scabs.

i was wondering if your rolling scars are tethered, I have similar ones but wasn't sure they were severe enough to undergo subsicion.

good luck in any case, keep us up updated!

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(@scarface6556)

Posted : 04/08/2016 6:51 pm

23 minutes ago, UtmostGeese said:

Hi,

I have had tca cross performed once, 3 weeks ago so I can tell you what to expect. You will see some scabs forming a couple of days after the prodedure, do not pick these! They will stay on for up to 2 weeks. You want to avoid washing your face harshly as it will moisten the scabs and they may fall off prematurely. In fact I tried to not wash my face at all but I know that isn't always an option for everyone.

Also, I would not suction if you've had tca cross since it might disturb the scabs.

i was wondering if your rolling scars are tethered, I have similar ones but wasn't sure they were severe enough to undergo subsicion.

good luck in any case, keep us up updated!

not sure if they are tethered am not sure as to what tethered really is. I mean I know if you pull your skin, if it lifts its not tethered, but idont know what that exactly means. also, how did your tca cross go? how was your results?

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(@rdnhey)

Posted : 04/08/2016 7:40 pm

Are there anymore interesting posts on this forum or what?

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52
(@ommmmmm)

Posted : 04/08/2016 10:41 pm

Personally, I think it's best to keep the TCA Cross scabs moist and protected with vaseline/aquaphor while they're healing. Agree,skip the suctioning for now on rolling scars since the TCA Cross wounds will be healing and must not be disturbed. Look into dermastamping after however many rounds of subcision/TCA Cross you need to help blend once all the scars are raised up. The icepicks will look like sh*t for at least 2 weeks - 1 month. DO NOT PICK the dead skin/scabs off prematurely. If you become OCD and keep looking at them healing you will be screwed and end up making them worse. Do whatever you have to do not to disturb them. Cover all your mirrors, tape oven mitts to your hands, get someone else to reapply thevaseline carefully, whatever. Youmust take a mental break from obsessing over your skin while healing for at least a month because they will look 1000X worse. If you think about them the whole time you will be tortured. Once the scabs fall off naturallyapplyretinoids to help promote collagen and reduce redness. They will keep fillingin even at 1 month. Before that you might think sh*t I messed up and shouldn't have done this. It can also be a long process and take more than one treatment to see improvement.Lastly,gotta give your body the proper nutrientsideally throught dietto supporthealing or you might have a compromised ability to heal.

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(@scarface6556)

Posted : 04/08/2016 11:13 pm

30 minutes ago, Ommmmmm said:

Personally, I think it's best to keep the TCA Cross scabs moist and protected with vaseline/aquaphor while they're healing. Agree,skip the suctioning for now on rolling scars since the TCA Cross wounds will be healing and must not be disturbed. Look into dermastamping after however many rounds of subcision/TCA Cross you need to help blend once all the scars are raised up. The icepicks will look like sh*t for at least 2 weeks - 1 month. DO NOT PICK the dead skin/scabs off prematurely. If you become OCD and keep looking at them healing you will be screwed and end up making them worse. Do whatever you have to do not to disturb them. Cover all your mirrors, tape oven mitts to your hands, get someone else to reapply thevaseline carefully, whatever. Youmust take a mental break from obsessing over your skin while healing for at least a month because they will look 1000X worse. If you think about them the whole time you will be tortured. Once the scabs fall off naturallyapplyretinoids to help promote collagen and reduce redness. They will keep fillingin even at 1 month. Before that you might think sh*t I messed up and shouldn't have done this. It can also be a long process and take more than one treatment to see improvement.Lastly,gotta give your body the proper nutrientsideally throught dietto supporthealing or you might have a compromised ability to heal.

http://www.altmedrev.com/publications/8/4/359.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2903966/

This is a good review of the TCA Cross process:
https://www.realself.com/review/home-tca-peel-tca-cross-method-acne-scars-home

wow thanks so much..so do you recommend i do the procedure over the summer? like end of may? reason i ask is because of school..does tca cross/subcision require a lot of downtime? and you say look into dermastamping aftrwards...others tell me after tca cross/ subcision to look into laser resurfacing..which one is better laser or dermastamping for my scars?

and also ommm, could you tell the type of scars i have in the first picture? im specifically talking about the 3 deep pitted scars it looks like near my goatee on my chin. i can feel the skin drop when i touch it.

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(@ommmmmm)

Posted : 04/08/2016 11:25 pm

The first 1-2 weeks are the most crucial so it depends if you're comfortable going to school withwounds and vaseline on your face. Not sure of the answer to your second question. I guess either or both would work. Microneedling just has less risks and downtime.

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(@scarface6556)

Posted : 04/09/2016 4:30 pm

17 hours ago, Ommmmmm said:

The first 1-2 weeks are the most crucial so it depends if you're comfortable going to school withwounds and vaseline on your face. Not sure of the answer to your second question. I guess either or both would work. Microneedling just has less risks and downtime.

but you do recommend subcision for the 5 or so boxcar/rolling scars..rest are icepick...so tca cross? and after the procedure I wont look good for a whle at all huh. do you think I should do a session every month or wait longer

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(@scarface6556)

Posted : 04/10/2016 5:12 pm

Hey guys for anyone who wants to follow this thread I will be updating you guys with pics post subcision/tca cross. I will let you guys know more about what I feel and derm said etc. right after procedure. stay tuned!

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(@sts54)

Posted : 04/10/2016 6:37 pm

I can tell we're all on board with this one. I too am constantly an on boards reading up on how to fix scars. That's the only thing i do on here anymore for the last9 yrs since Igot scars from lasers, the Erbium and the IPL. I looked up the one Ommm had of thegirl on realself with tca cross. I trieddoing it too with80%tca butmine never scabbed. It did get a bit red but never scabbed up.I'd say it helped a bit but I need to do it more. I also needle.
I was wondering if anyone heard of theRecosma? it's only available in Europe right now so I wrote the company and theysaid it should be in the US by the end of the year. It's cheap too. Around 400 each time compared to other laser treatmentsLook it up it sound really promising for scars, stretch marks and tattoos. Let me know ifanyone ever tried it and please keep us posted if you try the tca cross, i'll do tcaagain inMay and needle in between.I also heard saline injections were good so I bought some30g needles and saline on line, tried it a couple times but again have to do more. I just hate always having to heal, it takes me a long time to heal so I wait till most of the red goes away before doing something else

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(@ommmmmm)

Posted : 04/10/2016 9:20 pm

On 4/9/2016 at 5:30 PM, ScarFace6556 said:
On 4/9/2016 at 0:25 AM, Ommmmmm said:

The first 1-2 weeks are the most crucial so it depends if you're comfortable going to school withwounds and vaseline on your face. Not sure of the answer to your second question. I guess either or both would work. Microneedling just has less risks and downtime.

but you do recommend subcision for the 5 or so boxcar/rolling scars..rest are icepick...so tca cross? and after the procedure I wont look good for a whle at all huh. do you think I should do a session every month or wait longer

Yes, I agree subcision for the rolling/box scarsand tca cross for the icepicks. I think 1-11/2 months is best between sessions and of course longer is fine too you'll have to see how the healing goes. Good luck.

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(@utmostgeese)

Posted : 04/11/2016 2:42 pm

On 8 April 2016 at 0:51 AM, ScarFace6556 said:
On 8 April 2016 at 0:24 AM, UtmostGeese said:

Hi,

I have had tca cross performed once, 3 weeks ago so I can tell you what to expect. You will see some scabs forming a couple of days after the prodedure, do not pick these! They will stay on for up to 2 weeks. You want to avoid washing your face harshly as it will moisten the scabs and they may fall off prematurely. In fact I tried to not wash my face at all but I know that isn't always an option for everyone.

Also, I would not suction if you've had tca cross since it might disturb the scabs.

i was wondering if your rolling scars are tethered, I have similar ones but wasn't sure they were severe enough to undergo subsicion.

good luck in any case, keep us up updated!

not sure if they are tethered am not sure as to what tethered really is. I mean I know if you pull your skin, if it lifts its not tethered, but idont know what that exactly means. also, how did your tca cross go? how was your results?

It has been just over 3 weeks since I had it done so can't judge the results yet. None have disappeared, but I know it will take a few treatments to see substantial results!

thanks for sharing your journey! I look forward to seeing your results

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(@bluedog88)

Posted : 04/12/2016 12:47 am

10 hours ago, UtmostGeese said:
It has been just over 3 weeks since I had it done so can't judge the results yet. None have disappeared, but I know it will take a few treatments to see substantial results!

thanks for sharing your journey! I look forward to seeing your results

how is your skin now after the cross? mostly healed or do you still have residual marks?

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(@utmostgeese)

Posted : 04/12/2016 1:03 am

14 minutes ago, BlueDog88 said:
how is your skin now after the cross? mostly healed or do you still have residual marks?

Surprisingly I have no marks, I have darker skin and pigment very easily.

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(@bluedog88)

Posted : 04/12/2016 1:09 am

6 minutes ago, UtmostGeese said:
Surprisingly I have no marks, I have darker skin and pigment very easily.

nice! good luck

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MemberMember
37
(@scarface6556)

Posted : 04/15/2016 2:51 pm

for anyone following this i just got back from my appt . my first procedure is this wednesday. he said hs gonna do subcision for my few boxcar and rolling scars . the thing that was weird is he said hes very experienced with subcosion but doesnt
do tca often. i also asked what is tca cross and he said its just a name they use for hogh percentage tca. he wants to start with low percentage because he says tca is very dangerous and i can permanently get pigmentation.. if he starts at a low perxent does that mean its tca peel? or does the cross come at a low percent

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52
(@ommmmmm)

Posted : 04/15/2016 11:12 pm

TCA 50% is still pretty effective for CROSS and less risks just takes more treatments potentially. It's still strong stuff so only want to get it in the scars not onthe healthy skin. UsuallyCROSS is70-100%. Less than 50% and it's pretty much a strong peel. Good luck!

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(@scarface6556)

Posted : 04/15/2016 11:23 pm

10 minutes ago, Ommmmmm said:

TCA 50% is still pretty effective for CROSS and less risks just takes more treatments potentially. It's still strong stuff so only want to get it in the scars not onthe healthy skin. UsuallyCROSS is70-100%. Less than 50% and it's pretty much a strong peel. Good luck!

i wanna know the exact difference between the peel and cross...is it just based off the percentage ?

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