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trampstamp · Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 2:53 pm Post subject: TCA

Hi! I'm new to the site & am looking for anyone that has tried removing a tattoo using TCA. Any of you out there? Thanks.

K9 · Tattoo lover Joined: 17 Aug 2008 Posts: 9

I tried it. It didn't work. Total waste of time.

K9 · Tattoo lover Joined: 17 Aug 2008 Posts: 9

Actually, I take that back--you could use it to help with salabrasion. When I used salabrasion on myself, the biggest obstacle was breaking through the epidermis. TCA causes the skin to peel, so you could use it to peel away the epidermis before you go to work with the salt.

TCA did absolutely nothing to fade my ink, though.

Chris82 · Tattoo lover Joined: 21 Feb 2009 Posts: 3

I have tried TCA and can assure all of you that it does not work. TCA, is short for trichloroacetic acid, which is meant to be used as a chemical peel when formulated at very low concentrations (<20wt%).

It works fine as a chemical peel because it literally "burns" the top layers of your skin, the epidermis. As the top layers of skin peel off, young virgin skin is reformed beneath the scabs which gives the appearance of fresher, younger looking skin.

There is a problem when you apply this to tattoos. Tattoo pigments are actually placed in the dermis, a deeper layer of your skin which lies below the epidermis. If tattoo pigments lived in the top layer of your skin, the epidermis, they would not be permanent, since the top layer of your skin continuously generates itself every 28 days.

When you put TCA on a tattoo, you only burn the top layer of your skin and risk hypo-pigmentation. This is where your skin's natural pigment (melanin) is bleached out. TCA can and will permanently damage your skin, I do not recommend it for tattoo removal.

Even the best dermatologists have trouble removing tattoos because the pigment is embedded so deep within the dermis that it is difficult for even lasers to reach them.

The only thing I have seen proven evidence for tattoo removal is the new tattoo ink called, Infinitink, by Freedom2, Inc. ). When removed with a laser, it has a good chance of coming out completely without scarring.

Good luck!