Article medically reviewed by Dr. Gavin Chan (MBBS, cosmetic physician, liposuctionist)

Templestowe Lower and Berwick Clinics
Dr. Gavin Chan has a background in intensive care, anaesthesia, and emergency medicine. Since 2004, Dr. Chan has provided cosmetic procedures, including anti-wrinkle injections, dermal fillers, liposuction, fat transfer, skin needling, and laser treatments. He is a doctor trainer for various dermal fillers and anti-wrinkle injections.
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Question:
I had a TCA peel done years ago and it was done very badly – the dr. was rough and applied the solution unevenly and it was very harsh. Years later I had microdermabrasion and was told the area where I had the chemical peel was “dead skin” and the procedure wouldn’t work. Could a person in my circumstances have another chemical peel (obviously with a better dr.!) or use Retin A? Thanks!
Answer:
A hard question to answer without seeing you. It depends on what problems you have had from the TCA. Did it cause scarring? Or pigmentation changes in the skin? Remember that skin is an organ that keeps turning over. You don’t just get dead skin which stays there.
Whether you should have another chemical peel or not will depend on what you are trying to achieve with your skin.
Topical retinoids, or vitamin A can help to reduce the effects of ageing by improving skin turnover, reducing DNA mutations, and therefore improving the general quality of the skin.