“At-home 50% Chemical Peel Did Not Turn Back my Skin Tone”

Hi Queesamor14,

I am so sorry you're seeing such adverse side effects from you TCA peel!

From what I've read about chemical peels on RealSelf, I would guess that it is likely your skin could be permanently damaged from doing such a strong peel on yourself. I think you should see a dermatologist right away.

Recommended Q&A: Was the 50% TCA Chemical Peel too strong? Good luck! April

I HOPE U HEAL BUT U SHOULDNT HAVE DONE IT TO YOU SELF. U SHOULD OF WENT TO A SKIN DOCTOR IT LOOK LIKE YOU BURN YOU SKIN U SHOULD ASK UR DOCTOR FOR SOME BURN CREAM OK I HOPE THE BEST FOR U TO GET BETTER.OR GO TO DERMTOLGIST

Go to a doctor immediately. If you have burnt your skin then it might become infected. You need this checked out by a professional asap. Keep us updated. Good luck!

I hope this poster comes back and lets us know how she is doing. I think with the proper care she will be fine. It may take a while for the skin to not be pink - perhaps months but it will get less pink as time goes by. I am hoping she used an antibiotic moisturizer on her face to protect from infection. I am really hoping that she is doing better now. The moisturizing solution should have come with the peel . In the future she might want to use only the glycolic peel and just swab a test area first on the side of her jaw to gauge her skin's reaction before using all over her face. Like do that and wait until the next day to see how your skin will react before doing an allover peel. The glycolic peel is a light peel unlike the TCA peel she used which is a medium peel.

I am a licensed esthetician and for what I know 50% TCA peel is way too strong to do a at home peel and if at all possible at doctors office depending on you skin tone. For us hispanics of olive tone skin it can cause Hyperpigmentation, which is really hard to get rid off. I have use 50% TCA to help fade tattoos... but never for a full facial. My advice to see a doctor ASAP. Glycolics and Lactic acids are perfect... and always startig at a low concentration. Good Luck...

Don't ruin your healthy skin and your life by chemically burning yourself! Don't waste your money doing this either by yourself or the foolish advice of others to have someone else do it for you. Your skin is beautiful! You are handsome just the way your are!

I am a Medical Esthetician and I work for a Plastic Surgeon, I do many chemical peels and specialize in treating dark skin. Unfortunately, you have just done severe damage to your skin that you may not be able to correct. You need to see a dermatologist immediately. The sooner you get professional care the better, this isn't optional at this point. You will probably have some hyperpigmentation (dark areas), that can be corrected. I am concerned that you may have peeled deep enough to cause hypopigmentation (loss of pigment), that can't be corrected. For Now: Do not pick at skin, treat it as if you are trying to keep skin on. If you remove skin prematurely you will do more damage. It should take at least 14 days to peel off, NOT SOONER!!!!! Use a topical hydrocortisone and a gently moisturizer 4 times a day. Cleanse with Cetaphil AM/PM , you can use Aquaphore to spot treat areas of cracking. Get Domboro at the drug store, it is powder in a packet, mix each pack with 1 cup cool water, use gauze pads to dip in solution and gently press on skin for few minutes, do this 2x a day and then apply hydrocortizone. You will not be able to use sunblock for a while, so stay out of sun. You can get everything I mentioned above at the drug store. Do not let water run directly in your face when you shower, the skin should not get soggy or to dry, keep it moist. You may need an occlusive like Aquaphore on areas that have peeled, but can't say without seeing you, so go to a derm ASAP. The Problem: You should have never done a peel on yourself, where did you get a 50% TCA? The strongest that should ever be used is about 35%, and that is what a plastic surgeon would use. A 50% TCA is NEVER recommended. You don't dilute TCA with water, infact you don't dilute it at all. An Obagi Blue Peel is done with a 30% TCA mixed with a blue base that acts as a "buffer", meaning it slows it down so that the person performing the peel can look for signs of "end points" and stop before it peels to deeply. Dark skin is at more risk for complications from TCA peels, I recommend that patients precondition skin for at least 2 months with Hydroquinone 4% and Tretinoin 1% (Retin-A) before having a TCA peel. After Peel. When skin has finished peeling 14 days or more, you should use a 4% Hydroquinone, Tretinoin, and a very protective Sunblock. All available from a physician. You need to be very compliant and do everything your doctor recommends, even if you hate it. If you don't your skin will be damaged. Look for a doctor that does TCA peels, if they do Obagi blue peels they should be able to help you, just be sure it's someone reputable, you are not in a position to bargain shop at this point. Bring the TCA product used with you to the doctor, it will help them treat you. Hope this helps. TCA shouldn't be available to any one other than medical professionals. I am sorry this happened to you, I wish I had better news. Good luck.

Seeing this happen to someone makes me physically ill. Whoever sold this should be sued in court and if possible, imprisoned. It is AMAZING how far people will go to make money.

TCA at any concentration should NOT be available to the general public (not even 10% TCA). It can damage your skin and ruin your life and skin forever.

DO NOT
DO NOT
DO NOT
Do not do chemical peels at home. At any concentration. Things can and do go wrong. You need the expertise of a trained physician. Doing so and you are playing with fire.

queesamor14,

You should never have done this to begin with. Even doctors have to be extra careful doing chemical peals on pigmented skin.
Please let me know if you are interested to try a cream to try to get rid of the scars and the redness.

I will send a sample for you to see if it helps.

TCA peels are readily available online in concentrations up to 50%. There are warnings however that you must build up to higher concentrations. I was thinking of trying the 15% TCA. I have never tried a peel before so is this safe? I noticed there are also other options such as glycolic peels. I am 34 and suffer from adult acne which I suspect is hormonal considering i get it mainly on my chin. I also suffer from melasma which I believe was caused by birth control pills. It was getting worse all the time. I have not taken any form of birth control for nearly a year and although it has faded it is still quite prominent. Thats why I'm looking into chemical peels. I realise the pigmentation could be exasperated if treated incorrectly so any advice would be greatly appreciated as I cannot afford to have it professionally treated.