TCA CROSS Method for Acne Scars, at Home

I am writing to review the TCA CROSS method for acne scars, which I performed on myself at home using 50% TCA initially then switching to 80% TCA that I purchased online. I should note that at this point my scars are very minor having previously had laser and also dermarolling at home but they did not start out small. It's only been through hard work and determination that they have become much smaller than they were. I became interested in TCA cross after reading some studies. The science is there behind these studies so I felt confident going in. I also watched some videos of dermatologists and plastic surgeons performing the cross method as well as scouring forums about TCA cross for people's opinions and experiences. I started out by using TCA 50% just to test my skin's reaction to it and make sure there were no adverse reactions. I used a toothpick dipped carefully in the TCA solution. Initially it stung a little but this was very minor pain. I was careful to stay within the center of each scar and not go outside of the edges. I had three small scars that were very close in proximity to each other, and I had read through some other user's experience that there was concern about scars bridging and become one bigger scar instead of 2 or 3 smaller scars. To avoid this, I crossed the middle scar only and left the other two alone. I then came back about three weeks later and crossed the other 2 scars only leaving the rest of my face alone. By doing this I was also able to note progress, comparing the depth of the scars that I had not crossed which was deeper than the other scar, which had filled in about 40 percent. Originally they were about the same depth as each other. I had 2 types of scars on my face- icepick scars, I only had these on my nose and one scar only on one cheek, and boxcar scars(small saucer like scars), which were the majority of my remaining scars. These have previously decreased very much in size due to laser and dermarolling. After applying the TCA my skin frosted just in the small area I had crossed. It didn't turn red or look irritated after the frosting subsided. Different skin types react differently though and if you intend to try this method I really advise doing a test area. I was concerned that my skin wasn't forming scabs, but about 4 days later I had tiny scabs throughout my face. (I only did one side of my face to see how it would react at this point.) Again the time frame will vary from person to person. After about 5 days or so my scabs had either shrunken or fallen off. I was very careful not to upset the scabs, I wanted them to stay on as long as possible. Whatever you do don't pick the scabs, it will make it much worse. Only one scab fell off prematurely. It did fill in evenly and the same as the others though despite falling off early. I should also note that my scars looked slightly worse when the scabs fell off; this is normal. It's now been 30 days or so since my initial cross, I went ahead and did my whole face using 80% TCA (other than the 2 tiny scars that are near each other, I only did the middle one again.) From the studies I read which I linked above, they did the crosses six times spaced 30 days apart. This was very easy to do, very inexpensive. No one in my area performs TCA cross or I would have considered letting a doctor do it for me, at least the first time. Since the studies reflect such sound results I really wanted to try it for myself. The results I am seeing so far are very good. The boxcar scars are filling in but they will take some time. The small scars that looked like dilated pores are completely gone after a single cross. The icepick scar on my nose is gone (I only did one scar on my nose to test.) I still have more of the same type of scar on my nose, which I crossed for the first time today. I didn't notice much change in the icepick scar on my cheek but its very small to begin with before crossing. I am optimistic about this. I plan to cross six times a month apart unless the scars get worse (which I hope they won't but if they do I will share the results.) I advise everyone who plans to try this to read the studies, watch a few youtube videos on how to perform cross, and do a test scar before doing your whole face.And be very careful handling the TCA, wear gloves. As always it's so important to do your research before doing anything to your face or body. There is no such thing as being too informed. I am offering up my own personal experience in the hopes that it can help others who have similar issues. Best of luck to everyone. :)

Here is what the frosting on my crossed scars look like. Also I forgot to mention that you can neutralize the frosting with a paste made from baking soda and water. It's policy not to link third parties on realself so if you'd like to do your own research you can just type Tca cross study or Tca cross journal into a search engine and the results come up. :)

Here is a photo of what my scabbing looks like. I kinda feel like a teenager with this on my face. It's not that bad though, it's already starting to go away. I do not cover my scars with makeup because I find that can make my scabs come off prematurely.