Does your skin need a proper pick-me-up? Find out if the latest facial peels are the answer

These days chemical peels are one of the most common cosmetic procedures. Here are the three main types:

Glycolic acid peel: This is the mildest or shallowest exfoliating peel available. Glycolic acid is a mild chemical solution that removes dead surface cells from the top layer of skin. For this kind of peel, doctors use a higher concentration of the acid, while milder preparations are used in skincare salons and given to patients to use at home. Often referred to as 'lunchtime peels', these treatments can be performed in about 10 to 15 minutes. Upon application, patients feel a slight stinging, which subsides after a few minutes. Any redness disappears by the end of the day, and glycolic peels can be repeated as needed

Good for: Smoothing rough, dry and sun-damaged skin, giving it a brighter appearance and fresher texture. Also works on fine lines and age spots on the face and hands.

Drawbacks: Results are temporary and treatments must be repeated as needed. This procedure is for superficial skin problems only.

TCA peel: This peel uses trichloroacetic acids or TCAs (which are stronger than glycolic acids and penetrate deeper) to gently remove the outer layers of the skin. Because it penetrates the dermis, or middle skin layer, this peel actually restores the lower collagen and elastin layers of the skin. During the 15-minute procedure, the patient feels a burning sensation. There will be moderate discomfort and swelling for about a week, and minimal scabbing, which will last for a few days. Healing and toughening of the 'renewed' layer of skin takes place for a few weeks following a TCA peel, but most patients look presentable enough to return to their normal activities after about a week.

Good for: Early wrinkling, mild scarring and age spots on the face and hands. It also helps counteract moderate sun damage, uneven pigmentation and weathered skin.

Drawbacks: While new skin is noticeably fresher and smoother following a TCA peel, anyone considering this procedure must be prepared for some discomfort and a week or more of hibernation. As with any strong acid or laser peel, there's a risk of scarring and the treated areas of the face may turn a whitish colour.

Phenol peel: The strongest kind of chemical peel, this method uses carbolic acid for deep exfoliation of the face. In fact, it's rarely used because it penetrates so deeply. In addition, mild sedation with a local anaesthetic is given and there are many risks. Recovery time is around one to three weeks and your skin will be very red after the procedure. Over the next six to eight weeks, it will turn from pink to a more normal colour. Also called Xeodern, this kind of peel takes at least two hours for a full-face treatment.

Good for: Deep wrinkles, scars and sun-damaged skin.

Drawbacks: While your skin will become smoother and tighter after this kind of peel, the procedure is very uncomfortable. The face becomes swollen and most patients won't feel comfortable in public for two weeks after the procedure. Other problems may include scarring, permanent skin lightening and differences in pigmentation between the peeled and unpeeled areas. This kind of peel is not recommended for people with dark skin.

Microdermabrasion: This skin polishing technique is also known as Particle Resurfacing, Power Peel, Derma Peel or Parisian Peel, and is performed by beauty consultants in spas and salons as well as by technicians in dermatologists' and plastic surgeons' offices. The operator uses a handheld device that blasts fine particles of sandlike crystals (aluminum oxide, or table salt) against the client's face, neck or chest and then hoovers away the crystals, dirt and dead surface skin cells. This type of treatment may also be called a 'lunchtime peel'. because it takes only 45 minutes for a full-face treatment. The patient can then return to work with only mild skin redness, which can be covered up with make-up. The redness will fade after an hour or two. This procedure is not painful, although patients will feel a slight tingling as it is being done, it requires no anaesthetic and will not adversely lighten or darken African American skin, as some exfoliating treatments do. The treatment leaves the skin with a healthy glow.

To achieve optimal benefits, five to 10 treatments, every seven to 10 days, are needed, and most patients see an improvement after the fourth or fifth session. After the initial series, periodic maintenance treatments (from once a month to once every three months) are often recommended.

Good for: Smoothing away roughness and fine lines, improving leathery, sun-damaged skin and irregular, blotchy pigmentation and minimising broken capillaries and age spots. Microdermabrasion is also effective for cleaning out blackheads and whiteheads. Many doctors have found that with repeated microdermabrasion treatments, collagen production below the skin's surface is increased.

Drawbacks: Microdermabrasion exfoliates skin faster and more efficiently than any salon facial or products used at home, and it penetrates the skin more deeply than a glycolic acid peel. It.s still a superficial approach to skin resurfacing, though, and will need to be repeated periodically. This procedure won't, however, help prominent acne scars, other deep facial indentations, crow.s feet, severe wrinkles around the mouth or furrows in the forehead; even fine wrinkles and scars may not disappear completely.

Dermabrasion: This deep mechanical peel penetrates far more than microdermabrasion and involves using a high-speed rotating sanding wheel or wire brush to peel away the skin. In addition to sedation, a freezing spray is used. After treatment, the patient feels tenderness and the sensation of having severe sunburn. Skin will ooze and scab for up to a week until a new upper skin layer forms. Redness may be pronounced and can last several weeks or months, but some of this can be covered up with cosmetics. Large areas are treated under a general anaesthetic while small areas can be treated under a local one. The procedure generally requires an overnight stay in hospital if large areas are treated.

Good for: Severe acne and other scars, wrinkles, sun damage and skin discolouration.

Drawbacks: There's discomfort and downtime, which may last a few weeks, and residual redness which may remain even longer.