TCA Peel Q&A
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What Causes Frosting in the Skin with a TCA? What Happens to the Skin?
asked 1 year ago by Gulf Breeze in Gulf Breeze, FL
Latest answer by Richard H. Tholen, MD, FACS
Question viewed 1,939 times
Tags: frosting, science
What happens to the skin that is frosting? I want to know why it turns white.
5 answers to What Causes Frosting in the Skin with a TCA? What Happens to the Skin?
+2
TCA peel is a very controlled "burn"
The skin turns white because of the burning effect of the TCA, a completely normal reaction after treatment.
Carmen Kavali, MD
Atlanta Plastic Surgeon
Atlanta Plastic Surgeon
+1
TCA turns skin white as proteins denature.
As others have explained, the change in skin color when trichloroacetic acid (TCA) is used on the skin is the chemical equivalent of heating the albumin in egg whites--these proteins turn from clear to white. In this (chemical peel) usage, frost refers to color, not temperature. In a chemical (TCA) peel, the change in the surface proteins is chemical, not thermal, though it certainly "feels" hot as the nerve endings are stimulated by the acid "burn."
One important...
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+1
What Causes the FROSTING effect of TCA and other Chemical Peels?
The frosting is the result of the acid acting on and breaking up the protein in the skin. Clear protein in the upper skin layers becomes white almost instantly similar to the effect of egg white hitting a hot cooking surface.
The ONSET of frosting and its DURATION depend on the concentration of TCA applied to the skin.
The inherent problem with chemical peels is that while TCA concentrations can be standardized, skin thicknesses and injury vary from area to area (lower lid VS cheek) and...
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+1
Why frosting (skin turns white) occurs with a TCA peel
Frosting occurs when the acid causes the protein (keratin) in the top layers of the skin to denature. This is similar to what happens to egg albumin when it is heated and turns from clear to white.
Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon
Chicago Plastic Surgeon
+1
TCA and Skin Frosting
TCA (trichloroacetic acid) peels are a form of chemical peel used for skin resurfacing. The penetration and subsequently, the overall degree of change effected are related to the strength of the TCA. TCA and other forms of acid penetrate the skin via a process known as coagulative necrosis: the frosting is a result of this event. The degree of coagulative necrosis that occurs (depth of penetration) is related to the TCA concentration applied. Therefore, each strength of TCA...
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