TCA CROSS: the next med spa @ skin mpls specialty

We love to hate acne and what it leaves in its wake. One by one, we will bring on every product, tool, and treatment necessary to eradicate acne and its scarring! Cross30 is the newest treatment in our tool belt to treat acne scarring and help you forget that you have ever even had acne.

What is it? 

TCA CROSS stands for trichloroacetic acid (TCA) chemical reconstruction of skin scarring (CROSS). Trichloroacetic acid is a potent chemical peeling agent. When targeted on certain spots, it is proven to improve depressed or atrophic scars. The strength of this TCA used in this treatment is far too high to be used all over the face, but when applied to smaller areas, it can scab over and generate collagen for skin regrowth, leading to a 10 to 30% improvement after each treatment. Specifically, it treats icepick and boxcar acne scars but can also treat distended or enlarged pores and facial piercing scars. 

 Who is it for? 

Anyone with scarring concerns may benefit from TCA CROSS. The best results will come after using a professional regimen and potentially doing some microchanneling or microneedling to refine scars. Rolling acne scars are not treated with TCA Cross and are better treated with microneedling. Clients with more melanin-rich skin must be preconditioned with a Skin MPLS-approved active serum like mandelic acid or vitamin A for two to three months before the treatment. This is because melanin-rich skin tones are more prone to hyperpigmentation. 

What else do I need to know? 

Before and aftercare are very important with this treatment. Upon booking, you will be given all the specific details in your confirmation email, but we’ll give you the summary here. The most important thing to note is that you cannot wear any product on your face the day of your appointment – this means no serums, makeup, moisturizer, or SPF. In the days after the treatment, you’ll use a gentle cleanser, moisturizer, petroleum jelly, and SPF while avoiding sun exposure.

Each treated area will likely scab over after a couple of days, so we recommend refining scars with products and treatments beforehand. Do not pick the scabs; picking can make the scarring worse. You will be off your active products for about a week and apply petroleum jelly to the scabs several times a day until they fall off.