“Chemical peel gone bad”
Chemical peel: NOT worth it
Pain: Worst possible
My primary doctor (at the time) was doing laser and derm practices. He had advertised medical grade chemical peels. I called the office and went in for a patch test. He did a 30% TCA peel near my ear area. There wasn't much action when i had gone it to get it checked 4 days later.
When I had gone in for the procedure, he had used a Jessner peel, a 30% TCA, and a 50 % TCA. Which I didn't find out til I ended up seeing a dermatologist 2 weeks later. (they needed my medical records) A friend of my had gotten me in to see her derm right away)
The third day into the peel I noticed the right lip/cheek area had a deep purple/reddish look to it. I questioned the doctor about it and he said everything looks "perfect"
Well anyway, you can see for yourself it didn't turn out perfect. I have scars on the lip area and about a 4 in scar across my forehead. The photos I have posted are 7 days after peel. The left side of my face doesn't look too bad, but the right side and forehead are a mess. Will Dermabrasion help with the scarring?
Updated on Sep 20, 2009:
Updated on Sep 28, 2009:
Updated on Jan 4, 2010:
Updated on Jan 9, 2010:
Jan 9, 2010Comments and replies (15)
262 posts
20 Sep 2009
At least from the photos you posted from day 7, that looks like a typical day 7 appearance from a medium-deep peel. But you say that you saw a dermatologist "2 weeks later" or another week after these photos. What did the dermatologist say?
9 posts
20 Sep 2009
When i had gone to see the derm, she was very concerned about the lip/cheek/forehead area. The areas were open and not healing. She cultured the areas to check for staff and or bacteria infection. Gave me Biafine and an antibiotic ointment for the open wounds. The wounds on the lip/ear/forehead are that of 3rd degree burns. I had to see her every week for a month to see how healing was going. She said microdermabrasion will help with the scarring, wont get rid of all of it, but will soften the scars. I had also gone to see a neurologist and I have nerve damage to the lip area that runs up to the cheek and the forehead. He put me on LYRICA. Its been almost 8 months now and I am left with 2 deep scars on the lip (they are about 2mm deep, one is 4mm round and the other is about 1cm x 1 1/2 cm square. They have a whitish/grey/blue look to them, The one on my forehead is a 4in white scar with a deep hole where my primary dug out the scab. The one in my hairline that he also dug out the scab has a bald spot). What a mistake i made!!! I will add a photo from 2 weeks, 2 days
9 posts
20 Sep 2009
Staph
262 posts
23 Sep 2009
Yikes! Those appear to be pretty deep in these new photos. It would be good to see what they look like now, 8 months later. Many times a mature scar (6-12 months after the peel) can be improved with scar revision techniques, sometimes dramatically. Just to clarify, though, microdermabrasion (in contrast to true dermabrasion) will do nothing for scars. I suspect your dermatologist meant dermabrasion. It's good you posted this, though. It certainly highlights the potential dangers in these cosmetic procedures. Best of luck, --DCP
21 posts
24 Sep 2009
OMG....that guy did overkill BIGTIME! It really looks like he didn't know what the heck he was doing! Why did he give you so many solutions, peels? I would think the Jessner Peel would have been enough, especially if it was your first time. Then you could have done a little more the next time after healing from that. I hope you continue to heal and your face gets better. It's unfortunate that you may have some permanent damage. I wish you all the best!
9 posts
26 Sep 2009
The scars are still very noticeable. They have a whitish/blue/gray look to them. (if that makes any sense) And they are still deep. I had questioned the Dermatologist about them, she said because it burned so deep in those areas, it is the blood vessels under the skin, and something else about fibers of the skin(?) I will post a newer picture of the scars soon. I just had my first dermabrasion treatment on 9/23/09. It was a Parisian peel at the dermatologist office. It wasnt bad at all. The areas where I ended up with nerve damage (lip/cheek/hairline) area scarred me a bit, but it wasn't bad, I thought it would hurt more than it did. The only thing was after the peel, those areas have been VERY itchy, pinchy and sensitive. I havent noticed a difference yet, but i'm hoping that after the 5th and final peel, i will. What frustrates me so much is with this nerve damage, no one can see what i feel. Its depressing!!!!
9 posts
29 Sep 2009
I have posted the newer pictures 8 mos after peel, and 3 days after my first dermabrasion. In natural lighting vs taking a picture with a flash at night, they do look worse than what you can see. Of course I see it every time I look in a mirror, or see a picture.
1 post
5 Oct 2009
Hi Just wanted to say sorry you had such a bad experience with your peel, But your skin seems loads better in your recent pictures I cant even see your scars. I am constantly researching review's on chemical peels as I have melasma on my face and I hate it (that I too notice every time I look in the mirror or see a picture of myself). Your comments would now make me think twice, I didn't even know you could end up with nerve damage because of it... I don't know the reason for you getting a peel but did it improve your skin in anyway ? . I just want my dark marks gone!!!!
3 posts
15 Oct 2009
I know what you have and are still experiencing. Like you, I had a glycolic peel that, by medical standards, should not have cause severe facial burns. It has been 11 weeks and I am still under the care of my dermatologist. He says it could take 6-8 months to heal and maybe longer. What I don't understand is why your primary care doc would 'dig out' a scab. That normally causes scarring which you were trying to prevent. Also, nerves that a long time to heal. I have had nerve damage several times and while slow, some or all of the may come back to normal. It is unfortunate that things like this happen. Let's continue to remain educated and conservative when considering cosmetic procedures. I have seen many good results but have also seen disasters. It is truly a gamble as there are so many factors involved. Good luck....may you return to normal. From your pictures, you have come a long way.
801 posts
28 Nov 2009
That is the results from wanabe plastic surgeons Eventually you may have superficial scars. I would recommend waiting 3-6 month then treat with skin care and fractional co2 laser