If you’re looking for a way to reveal a more youthful, radiant complexion, the TCA peel might be the perfect skin treatment for you. For the best results and safest experience, our Rancho Cucamonga medical spa providers tailor each TCA peel to achieve transformative results while protecting your skin barrier!
What is a TCA peel?
A TCA peel is a professional-grade chemical exfoliation treatment that uses trichloroacetic acid to penetrate the skin’s surface to remove the outer layers of damaged skin. This process stimulates new cell growth and collagen production to reveal fresher, younger-looking skin.
TCA peels come in varying strengths, ranging from light to deep, allowing our expert skin care specialists to customize your TCA peel based on your skin type and concerns. Whether you have minor blemishes or more significant skin concerns, a TCA peel can be tailored to meet your needs.
Benefits of a TCA peel
The TCA peel is versatile and offers numerous benefits for those seeking to improve their skin’s appearance and texture:
- Improves rough skin texture
- Corrects uneven skin tone
- Minimizes signs of aging
- Lightens dark spots and reverses sun damage
- Treats acne and helps prevent new breakouts
- Reduces the visibility of acne scars and other blemishes
What to expect at your appointment
Before we begin your TCA peel, we’ll ask you a few questions and examine your skin to confirm this is the best chemical peel for you.
1. Skin prep: We thoroughly clean your skin and apply petroleum jelly to the lips and around your nostrils and eyes to ensure the solution doesn’t irritate these sensitive areas.
2. Application: The customized TCA solution is carefully applied to your skin and allowed to sit on the skin for several minutes. You may feel a mild tingling, stinging, or burning sensation, which typically subsides quickly. Our team will ensure you are as comfortable as possible throughout the process.
3. Neutralization: Once the TCA peel sits on the skin for the perfect amount of time for your unique skin condition, we apply a neutralizing solution to stop the chemical reaction.
4. Aftercare: We apply a soothing ointment to help calm the skin and support the healing process.
- Key Benefits
- Glossary
- Improves skin texture and tone
- Reduces signs of aging
- Corrects pigmentation irregularities
- Heals active acne breakouts and helps prevent new flare-ups
Hyperpigmentation: Darker patches of skin that can be treated with TCA peels to even out skin tone.
Depth: Refers to how deeply the TCA peel penetrates the skin, affecting how dramatic the results will be.
Skin Texture: The feel and appearance of the skin’s surface, which can be smoothed out by TCA peels.
Concentration: The strength of the TCA peel solution, impacting how intense the peel will be.
TCA Peel: A type of chemical peel using trichloroacetic acid to exfoliate and rejuvenate the skin.
Chemical Peels: Treatments using acid solutions to remove the top layers of skin, revealing fresher skin underneath.
Trichloroacetic Acid: The active ingredient in TCA peels, used to exfoliate and renew the skin.
Acne Scars: Marks left by healed acne that TCA peels can help reduce by promoting new skin growth.
Glycolic Acid: Another type of acid used in chemical peels for exfoliating the skin and improving its texture.
Sun Damage: Skin issues like dark spots and rough texture caused by sun exposure, which TCA peels can help treat.
Salicylic Acid: An acid often used in chemical peels to treat acne by exfoliating the skin and unclogging pores.
Skin Type: Refers to whether your skin is oily, dry, combination, or sensitive, which affects how you might react to a TCA peel.
Dark Spots: Patches of darker skin, often due to sun damage or aging, that can be lightened with TCA peels.
Lactic Acid: An acid used in gentler peels to exfoliate the skin and improve its hydration and texture.
Deep Chemical Peels: More intense peels that penetrate deeper into the skin for more dramatic results, but with longer recovery times.
At-Home Chemical Peels: Milder versions of chemical peels that you can safely use at home to improve skin appearance.
Age Spots: Flat, dark areas on the skin that come with age and sun exposure, which can be treated with TCA peels.
Medium-Depth Peel: A type of peel that goes deeper than a light peel but not as deep as a deep peel, offering noticeable results with moderate downtime.
Skin Discoloration: Uneven skin tone that can be improved with TCA peels by promoting more uniform skin color.
Glycolic Acid Peels: Peels that use glycolic acid (an alpha hydroxy acid, or AHA) to remove dead skin cells and smooth the skin’s surface.
Comedones: Clogged hair follicles, often called blackheads or whiteheads, that can be reduced with TCA peels.
Exfoliants: Products or treatments that remove dead skin cells from the skin’s surface, like TCA peels.
Cold sores: Blisters around the mouth caused by the herpes virus, which can potentially be triggered by skin treatments like chemical peels.
Acneiform eruptions: Breakouts that look like acne.
Dermatologic surgery: Surgeries performed by skin specialists like Dermatologists.
Microdermabrasion: A less intense treatment compared to TCA peels, using tiny crystals to exfoliate the skin and improve its texture.
TCA peel recovery & results
After a TCA peel, you can expect some redness and peeling for up to a week, depending on the peel’s strength. Based on your treatments, we’ll provide instructions on how to help your skin heal quickly and see the best results possible.
Initial results can be seen within a week, with continued improvement over the following weeks as the skin heals and regenerates. These results can last for several months, especially with proper skincare maintenance.
Our cosmetic surgeons use the most advanced techniques to deliver natural-looking results. See our real patients’ results in our patient gallery.
TCA peel maintenance treatments
To maintain results, we’ll recommend the right time frame for repeat treatments, typically 1-2 times a year, depending on your skin’s needs and your goals.
TCA Peel FAQs
References »
S Sitohang IB, Legiawati L, Suseno LS, Safira FD. Trichloroacetic Acid Peeling for Treating Photoaging: A Systematic Review. Dermatology Research and Practice. 2021 Aug 30;2021:3085670. doi: 10.1155/2021/3085670.
Soleymani T, Lanoue J, Rahman Z. A Practical Approach to Chemical Peels: A Review of Fundamentals and Step-by-step Algorithmic Protocol for Treatment. The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology. 2018 Aug;11(8):21-28. Epub 2018 Aug 1.
Dayal S, Singh S, Sahu P. Efficacy and Safety of 25% Trichloroacetic Acid Peel Versus 30% Salicylic Acid Peel in Mild-to-Moderate Acne Vulgaris: A Comparative Study. Dermatology Practical & Conceptual. 2021 May 20;11(3):e2021063. doi: 10.5826/dpc.1103a63.
We would love to help you achieve a healthy, radiant complexion. We have two medspa locations for your convenience:
- Ahava Medspa within Inland Cosmetic Surgery, (909) 987-0899
- Made You Look, (909-204-7374)
Give us a call or fill out our online contact form and we will reach out to you!
Medically reviewed by Dr. Jacob Haiavy — Updated on Jan 30, 2025