Will a 35% TCA peel harm or help hypopigmentation? (Photo)

In this day and age, when practically everything can be obtained on the internet, in the interest of trying to save money, many people are experimenting at home with treatments and chemicals that were once only performed by experienced medical professionals. As a result we are seeing a sharp increase in problems, many permanent, from these unsupervised practices. And this should serve as a strong word of caution to other readers of this column who might be considering self-treatments.  TCA 35% is one of those potenti, caustic chemicals that should be left to hands of professionals only. It has been associated with giving rise to long-standing post treatment hyperpigmenation and worse post treatment hypopigmentation (i.e. loss of pigmenation ) and even scarring, the latter two being permanent. It is not clear whether the upcoming peel you refer to is another self-treatment. If so, I would strongly suggest you reconsider and seek consultation by a board certified aesthetic physician who is best able to individualize a treatment plan for you. Personally, I have had a fair measure of success in promoting repigmentation in hypopiigmented areas within scars, and from post peel or post laser hypopigmentation problems via the use of medical microneedling combined with topical tyrosine and bimatoprost.  Good luck to you. 

The reason you likely had hypopigmentation is because your skin was not adequately conditioned before your last chemical peel. When skin is conditioned before and after a peel- it responds well to heal after the peel is performed. You may or may not see an improvement with the peel; thus, I would start with a comprehensive skincare program to restore skin health and see how you react before jumping to another peel right away. 

It can do either, namely make it worse or help, depending on the expertise of your Specialist. TCA should not be applied to the hypo pigmented area- this will make things worse. A good specialist can use TCA or preferably a blending laser to treat the normal skin to make the hypo pigmented scar less obvious. See a plastics or dermatologist for advice. Dr Davin Lim. Brisbane. Australia.