Posts Tagged ‘TCA tattoo removal’
TCA (trichloroacetic acid) is a non-prescription skin peeling product used for dermatology conditions to remove wrinkles, acne scars and fine lines on the face. But does it work for tattoo removal?
Like all tattoo removal solutions that are available there seems to be no shortage on the varying results. There are many different methods for the removal of tattoos today including: pulsed light, laser, fade creams, cryosurgery, salabrasion and skin peel with acids. Every single one of these claim to be the best.
It should not come as a shock, that results will vary with each person and their tattoos, because so many factors are involved. How well a tattoo fadesare affected by factors like: color and types of skin, how quickly a person’s body heals, age of the tattoo, what colors are in the tattoo, the type of ink used, depth of the ink, location of the tattoo on the body and more.
TCA however, does have two medical studies that have been published in the British Journal of Plastic Surgery and the South African Medical Journal. In both of these studies positive results were observed. Each study reported similar results that TCA as a treatment for tattoo removal was found to be safe, simple and an effective tattoo removal agent with an 85% success rate for either removing or fading the tested tattoos.
When using TCA it creates a controlled inflammation on the surface of the skin. It is applied directly on the tattoo with a q-tip. The pigments breaks apart as the TCA works its way into the skin and rise to the top. Eventually, the top layer of skin peels away. The body will naturally re-grow the skin. This process is repeated as often as it takes to get the desired removal or fade of the tattoo. Depending on how fast a person heals—it usually is repeated at .
It is advised to keep the area awayfrom the sun during the complete process. Because new skin is photo-sensitive, it is vulnerable to damage by the sun.
Surprisingly, TCA is reported to work very well on every type of ink color. Even the colors that do not work well with laser treatments seem to fade with TCA.
One final thought, some people seeking the ultimate solution for tattoo removal will use the cream products or undergo the TCA skin peel process as a first choice to fade the tattoo, and then have the laser treatment done. That way the laser procedure, which seems to be the best overall solution, is not as expensive and time consuming.