TCA Cross Treatment

It is important to understand what type of acne scar an individual has to know what the best possible treatment is applicable.

Macular scarring – These are described as flat areas with increased and decreased pigmentation but are not indentations in the skin.

Boxcar scars – These are shallow scars that have sharp vertical edges on the cross-section. From a bird’s eye view, it can be round or oval-shaped.

Rolling scars – These are the type of acne scars that appear like waves in the skin.

Deep divots – These are very deep scars and have subcutaneous tissue volume loss.

Ice-pick scars – These scars are deep but small holes in the skin. It is similar to the impression left by an ice-pick.

Hypertrophic scarring – The scars are raised and often pigmented.

Keloid scars – These are significantly raised scars, usually red or purple in color. These scars are commonly developed due to trauma in the skin.

Unfortunately, acne can lead to scarring if the breakouts become uncontrollable. Nowadays, there are several options available to treat acne scarring: laser treatments, dermal fillers, fat transfers, and skin needling. These techniques depend on the condition of the acne scar and the skin’s condition.

TCA CROSS stands for Trichloroacetic Acid Chemical Reconstruction Of Skin Scars. It is an outpatient procedure typically used to remove acne scarring to make your skin smooth again. The treatment involves depositing small amounts of TCA at high concentration onto the exterior of the atrophic scar. Dermal structure is re-organised and restore the making of new collagen through the placement of trichloroacetic acid or TCA.

Unlike chemical peels or laser resurfacing, it is a very confined skin needling treatment and does not unnecessarily treat normal parts of the skin. This helps to notably lessen the risks and side effects.

Frosting of the scar surface will last up to 12 hours. Redness and soreness are expected 24 to 48 hours from treatments. After 2 to 3 days, a small scab will develop and falls off after 3 to 7 days.

TCA Cross in Melbourne starts at $595 onwards. This pricing will all depend on the condition of the acne scarring and the complexity of the procedure.

Multiple treatments are usually necessary to achieve significant improvement in the appearance and depth of lines and scars. Most patients require 3 to 6 treatments which may be repeated at 2 to 8-week intervals over 6 months. Treatment effects are cumulative and will usually be seen within 6-8 weeks of each treatment.

Most patients are can return to their daily routine within 48 hours from treatment. It is important to follow the instructions given to you by your doctor for a quicker healing process and get the best results.

• Apply moisturizer and skin-soothing products that your doctor advised you to use. Your skin may feel dry and irritated to touch.
• Wear sunscreen when every time you will be exposed to the sun.
• Be gentle with the skin especially when wet.
• Refrain from strenuous exercise, saunas, or other heat inducing environments.
• Use a soft baby cloth to wipe the face and wash with a mild or gentle cleanser. Do not use a harsh cloth to clean the face.
• Avoid pulling or picking flakey skin.
• Don’t use exfoliating products including acids or enzymes.

CROSS only treats the area of scarring while chemical peel treats the whole face using a lower concentration of TCA. Peels are used to exfoliate and for skin resurfacing. TCA Chemical Peels do wonder for skin texture and skin pigmentation but not so much for acne scarring.

TCA Cross is a safe and cost-effective, and minimally invasive technique for the management of ice pick acne scars that are otherwise generally difficult to treat. For some patients, the outcome may not be endured because there is not enough collagen and there is a delay in the production of new ones.

TCA Cross treatment works on the scars of the patients so there is only a mild and temporary stinging sensation. Most patients report that they feel minimal discomfort but are manageable. There is also no need for a local anesthetic or sedation during the procedure.

After the procedure, the treated area will appear “frosted”. This is normal and will quickly go away. Redness and small scabs are expected to develop which will naturally fall off for about 7 days. A detailed aftercare form will be provided to help with the healing process for about a week. The full effect of the treatments is seen after a few months with multiple sessions spaced 1 month apart. Over time, collagen production improves skin indention.

Boxcar (round or oval depressions), rolling acne (scars with sloping edges), and ice-pick scars (deep and narrow impressions) respond best to the treatment. All skin types work well with TCA Cross.

Depending on the severity of the treatments, one session can take 2-15 minutes. The skin completely heals in 5-7 days. A patient can go back to work and resume normal day-to-day activities with proper care.

Acne scars that is shallow and less noticeable ideally improve from 20% to 30% with each treatment. After 3 treatments, the acne scar improvement is about 50% to 80%, especially for deep ice pick scar. It will continue to become better for several months.