Everyone has heard of skin peels and there are many – lactic, glycolic, salicylic, TCA (trichloroacetic acid), and phenol. Of these there are basically 3 levels: Minor, superficial peels – lactic, glycolic, salicylic.Medium depth peels – TCA, Jessner’sDeep peels – phenol. We will only deal with medium strength TCA peels here as they are the easiest to apply (Jessner’s can require multiple concurrent applications and taping to aide in skin penetration), safest, and, by far, the most effective against numerous skin ailments/conditions. They are also one of the most effective treatments for acne currently known to the medical community. The most common treated area is the face. TCA is applied usually in a cream. Doctors will mix Obagi, Apeel, or other previously prepared cream with TCA and then apply this mixture to the face or body area to be treated. The creams tend to have a skin dye of green or blue so the doctor can easily see what areas have and or have not been treated. It is usually applied with a cotton or foam applicator. This is then left on for 10-20 minutes. Some doctors prefer to use a straight (non-cream) solution of TCA. This works much faster […] read more