Should you only allow a dermatologist to perform TCA cross or is it okay to have it done by a plastic surgeon?

Not to take anything away from my plastic surgery colleages, but derm surgeons are the ones with the most training in peels of all types.

The short answer to your question is that the TCA CROSS Technique was, to the best of my knowledge, both developed, perfected, and promulgated by dermatologists and largely published in the dermatologic literature, in fact. I personally have been performing it for about twenty years. But, perhaps far more important than who developed and perfected the technique are the issues of who should currently be performing this procedure and for what indications it is best suited. For one thing, since it involves a very potent acid in extremely high concentrations, it should be performed only by an experienced, board certified aesthetic PHYSICIAN and not an non-medical aesthetician, even if done within the context of a physician's office. Furthermore, it is best reserved for treating ice pick (pit) scars and enlarged pores and not for boxcar scars. Hope this information helps. Best of luck.

I recommend seeing a board-certified doctor for the application of TCA cross. Keep in mind, a combination approach will give the most improvement to these types of scars. These types of scars need a combination of lasers, microneedling/prp, Cosmelan, TCA cross, punch excision and fillers. It will take a series of treatments and may need life-long treatments to maintain. I recommend getting a formal evaluation with an acne scarring expert. Best, Dr. Emer