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Is TCA A Good Solution for Tattoo Removal?

August 12, 2009

TCA (trichloroacetic acid) is a non-prescription skin peeling agent used to remove acne scars, fine lines and wrinkles on the face. But does it work for tattoo removal?

As with all tattoo removal options available today there seems to be no shortage on the varying results. There are many varied options for the removal of tattoos today including: pulsed light, laser, fade creams, cryosurgery, salabrasion and skin peel with acids. All of these methods for tattoo removal claim to say they are the most effective.

It should not come as a shock, that results with these methods will vary with each person and their tattoos, because a mulltitude of factors are involved. How well a tattoo vanishesare affected by factors like: types of skin, how rapidly a person’s body heals, the age of the tattoo, colors in the tattoo, type of ink, how deep the ink was put into the skin, where on the body the tattoo is located and more.

TCA however, does have two medical studies that have been published in the British Journal of Plastic Surgery and the South African Medical Journal. In both of these studies positive results were observed. Each study reported similar results that TCA as a treatment for tattoo removal was found to be safe, simple and an effective tattoo removal agent with an 85% success rate for either removing or fading the tattoos on subjects that were tested.

When using TCA it creates a controlled inflammation on the surface of the skin. It is applied with a q-tip directly on the tattoo. The pigments breaks apart as the TCA works its way into the skin and rise to the top. Eventually, the top layer of skin peels away. Your body naturally re-grows the skin. The process is repeated as often as it takes to get the desired results. It is usually repeated every six weeks, depending on how fast the person heals.

It is recommended to keep the area protected from the sun during the entire process. It will be very vulnerable to damage by the sun, because new skin is so photo-sensitive.

Surprisingly, TCA is said to work very well on most every type of ink color. Even the colors that do not work well with laser treatments seem to fade with TCA.

Some people seeking the ultimate solution for tattoo removal will use the cream products or undergo the TCA skin peel process first to fade the tattoo, and then have the laser treatment done. That way the laser procedure, which is really the best overall solution, is not as expensive and time consuming.

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