Hello!

I'm a long time lurker, and experienced chemical peeler.

I have a question for you all. I've been using 12.5% TCA for the last 5 months (treatments every 6 weeks) to clear up acne on my face, back, and chest.

Every time I've used it I've always experienced burning and redness - no frosting which I didn't really expect at this strength.

When I ran out of the 12.5% I figured it was safe to move up to 15%, since I had tolerated the 12.5% so well, and really wasn't seeing the improvement I needed.

So, I apply the peel and set my fan to the hurricane setting in anticipation, only to experience ...nothing. No burning, no redness, no tingling; nothing. I waited 5 minutes and applyed a second layer and experienced only the *slightest* tingling in a few places.

Have any of you experienced this? Before I was using TCA, I used a 30% Glycolic peel once a week and holy hotdogs, it was intense.

Thoughts? Advice?

Was the 15% from the same company you bought the 12.5 from?

You know, I myself find glycolics and salicylic acid peels way worse than TCA as far as burning and stinging goes! TCA, even 25%, does not hurt me like those others do. Many people say this.

When I do a Jessner/TCA combo, it is the Jessner that kills me, and has me hopping around and using the dryer (lol hurricane setting - love it!), and eyes watering.

I would not be concerned and just be glad! If the 12.5 was stinging and this did not, it could just be that you are now more accustomed to it.

If they are different companies, then the ph may be higher on the 15, making it not that much stronger than the 12.5 was. Skin Obsession has a lower ph than MUAC, for instance.

I'm just going with the fact that you are used to doing glycolics and frankly, they do sting a LOT. TCA is deceptive - we assume the worst and it really is not so bad. IMO anyway.

The peel is from the same company. My first thought was that maybe I had received some bad product. It smelled like TCA, and when I tested a drop on the back of my hand - it tingled a bit.

When I'm doing a peel that burns a lot (the supposedly gentle lactic acid makes my face feel like it's going to melt off) I always turn on my oversized fan (which is really loud and could possibly double as a jet engine), sit back, and imagine I'm in that old Maxell cassestte tape commercial. It helps.

Do you know the pH level of the peel? It may be too high if you had no apparent results (although you may have still benefited from it). Here's an article that may help explain how pH plays into chemical peels:
http://mychemicalpeel.blogspot.com/2012/06/understanding-ph-levels-in-chemical.html

Maybe you got a dud bottle? Or perhaps a "fake" brand, and it wasn't as strong as it claimed?