Today I am going to talk about and demonstrate how to use the TCA CROSS Method to improve enlarged pores, ice pick and box car scars
First off, let me explain a few of the different types of acne scars.
1. Rolling scars – are exactly how they sound. There is a wavy texture to the skin where scars have built up. The general underlying shape is a U.
2. Ice pick scars are the shape of a deep V. The skin looks almost as if someone stabbed it with a sharp pick – hence the name.
3. Box car scars have a square shape. A box car is an area where more than one scar has joined together to create a larger hole. This is very common with ice pick scars.
4. Many people will exhibit all three types of the scars on their faces at one time.
And now what causes these scars?
These are all scars caused by acne. What happens is that our collagen is destroyed – generally by the more problematic cystic acne but sometimes from pustules as well. Black heads and white heads will not cause scarring of this nature.
Now, the collagen gets destroyed because of the inflammation in the skin and also sometimes from an infection at the same time. After the collagen is destroyed and the pimple is healed, the top layer of skin ends up adhering to the deeper skin tissues and this then becomes a depression in the skin’s texture. Or an Atrophic scar.
So the most important thing here is – what can we do about these scars?
If you have many of them it can be very problematic and even embarrassing. So I am happy to be here to teach you about the #1 preferred treatment for improving ice pick scarring.
That is the TCA CROSS method. CROSS stands for Chemical Reconstruction of Skin Scars.
The quick rundown of how this is performed is:
We will apply a strong percentage of TCA acid directly inside the scar to stimulate skin remodeling. AS the skin remodels itself the scar will fill in the depth and width with new collagen tissues. Now depending on the depth of your scars, you can expect a 10% - 40% improvement each treatment you apply. Younger people will regenerate collagen more quickly and may require less treatments. 3-5 treatments are average before you see a truly noticeable improvement. Then you just continue forward until you are happy with the results.
Now, let me demonstrate to you how the process is performed.
Prep: The only prep you have to do is – if you have a darker skin type, you will want to prepare your skin with a melanin inhibitor such as alpha arbutin in our Fade Bright Serum 2x per day for 2 weeks minimum. This will help you to avoid any Post Inflammatory Hyper pigmentation after your treatments. Always be sure to use a milder % if you are prone to PIH.
See this extremely informative interview with Dr. Davin Lim speaking about performing CROSS and other modalities on ethnic skin coloring and how to be safe. It isn't about how STRONG the treatment is. ...Safety is the most important thing to consider. The Darker the skin the Longer the treatment will end up being using milder percentages.
Onto our demonstration:
Now I have gathered my supplies.
Peel Manual open to pages 16 and -17 for CROSS method application
I have a medicine cup that I am going to add some TCA 30% and the pick into.
I am using a Sharp wooden pick *If you have larger holes you can leave on the cotton end to saturate more area at a time. If you just have standard ice pick scars – take the cotton off like I did.
Wash cloth
After care products
Now I am ready to demonstrate.
I have 2 areas I have cleansed and am going to perform this on. You most likely will not be able to see – but I will attempt to get a closer focus if I can.
First make sure your pick is not dripping by wiping it on the cup.
Now, with pretty firm pressure, press the soaked pick into your skin. Re-dip as necessary as you go over all the scars on your face. Take your time there is no rush.
What we are looking for after a minute or so is a white ring on the edge of the scar. If you don’t see the white you can go over the area one more time with solution. *you don’t need to PRESS this time, just make sure you see a frost.
Now you can wait about 5 minutes and rinse your face off. I am going to apply our pure emu oil mixed with our Healing oil to soothe, but you can use a Neosporin or another healing ointment if you wish.
Now, after care and treatments are critical to getting the fastest results. I am going to recommend 2 products that you can use if you wish.
1. Copper peptides are skin remodeling products on their own right. After about 3-5 days you can start applying the SuperCop 2x inside of the scars. The copper will help to stimulate even more tissue regeneration. Do this 1x per day and apply your emu oil on top if you have it for added penetration and soothing as the copper can be itchy or even tingle after application.
2. Growth Factors are definitely recommended when trying to get new tissue growth. You can apply this every day starting on day 3. Follow with copper and/or emu oil.
Now some Key Points.
You can ONLY perform this treatment one time every 5 weeks. Never try to do it any earlier. Your tissues are still regenerating and the “down time” is just as important as when you are using the tca. Keep track in your phone or your peel manual (last 2 pages are blank) so you know when you can do your next CROSS.
Usually, the areas will look worse before they look better. Do not panic. The goal of performing this IS to damage the scar tissue. It may be red and a bit inflamed for a couple of days. This will go away quickly and the tissue regeneration will be working away even while you are panicking. You need to TRUST the process. This has been used for almost 30 years now to treat scarring with excellent results.
Don’t panic if you can SEE a scab INSIDE your scar. We WANT there to be a scab. A scab means it is working. Don’t ever pick or pull or use a scrub brush in an attempt to get it out. The scab needs to stay attached for as long as possible *usually 7-10 days. As long as that scar is there, you will have intense tissue regeneration happening in your skin. Embrace the scab. And don’t worry about it either. It is skin colored and no one can see it but you.
CLICK HERE when you are ready to purchase your TCA 30% to do a CROSS peel.
Those with Ethnic skin have a few more challenges. First they NEED to pretreat with a melanin inhibitor to help prevent PIH after a high percentage of acid touches their skin. Watch Instagrammer @detox_body_skin_n_mind perform a TCA CROSS, Face peel and an Eye peel - perfectly! Such an amazing job that we had to share it with you. Enjoy.
