Thank you for your question and your pictures. From what I can see, you have some enlarged pores, ice pick scars, as well as some box and rolling scars. These blemishes are distinctly different in morphology and will benefit better from different treatments For example, rolling scars benefit more from subcision, and would really have minimal improvement with the TCA CROSS treatment.
The TCA CROSS (Chemical Reconstruction Of Skin Scars) technique is an effective way to treat ice pick scars focally by using a strong peeling agent TCA. By applying TCA within the base of the selected scar, it stimulates collagen synthesis and improves the scar appearance. You may experience temporary skin redness and brownish discolouration which will resolve. It is important to apply sunscreen and avoid the sun after treatment to prevent hyperpigmentation from developing over the treated areas. The number of sessions recommended will depend on the severity of your scarring and healing response. While multiple sessions may be required, you should see a visible improvement with every single session (can be 5-30% with each session depending on various factors such as expertise).
You may be interested to know that apart from the TCA CROSS, there are other effective treatment solutions for ice pick scars. Other than the TCA CROSS, we also use in our treatment centre the following options:
- Punch excision improves deep ice pick scars by removing the entire scar using a minimally invasive punch tool.
- Pinpoint irradiation technique using ablative lasers was also found to compare favourably to the TCA cross in a clinical study for ice-pick scars.
Even for a single scar type, we see that there are several treatment options available. Therefore, different scar types will require different treatments, depending on the individual’s skin and other conditions. It is important to consult a doctor who has experience with a wide range of solutions, in order to better advise what treatment is most suitable for you. All the best!
