Care for your skin.

If you fancy brightening up your complexion and smoothening it, a skin peel could be the answer.

Unlike old-style peels, which used strong concentrations of acids to dissolve the top layers of skin, a new generation of face peels promise to brighten skin, shrink pores, smooth out rough texture and soften pigmentation too.

We caught up with aesthetic medicine guru Dr Vicky Dondos to get the lowdown on the much-hyped procedure that promises to turn back the clock.

“Peels are an ideal solution for dull, lifeless skin, hyper-pigmentation, mild scarring and certain types of acne,” says Dr Dondos.

“They essentially work by exfoliating the skin, removing dead skin cells and stimulating the growth of the healthy, young skin cells below.” For the uninitiated, skin peels use chemical exfoliants such as glycolic, salicylic and trichloroacetic acid. Doctors often use them to remove sun-damaged skin and stimulate its healthy re-growth in a controlled fashion.

And the resulting exfoliation removes dead cell layers and promotes

underlying collagen regeneration to reduce fine lines, refine pores, correct uneven skin texture and improve acne, acne scarring, facial blemishes and pigmentation.

“Skin peels don't leave you with a red peeling face for days,” reassures Dr Dondos. “Ninety per cent of the skin peels that are performed do not have any more downtime than a standard facial.

“Other than looking a little flushed for an hour after a treatment your skin recovers quickly and although may feel a little tight or dry for 48 hours does not affect your daily life,” she adds.

But lets not forget that a brighter looking skins also depends on what we eat. Avoid eating too much sugar for that healthy looking skin.

Eating too much sugar-based food items: A bad day for most of us means consuming ice cream or something sweet. But this choice might just make your bad day even worse, if you take note of what’s happening to your skin. Foods with added sugars increase your blood sugar and cause chronic inflammation in the body, which damages your collagen.

Eating excess of starchy foods: Starches like white bread, pasta and white rice cause rapid spikes in blood sugar, which leads to inflammation in the body. This process produces enzymes that break down collagen and elastin, giving you sagging skin and wrinkles. 

Forgetting to count beverages: Just like in food, sugar found in liquids can contribute to premature ageing, acne and other inflammatory skin conditions, especially since sugar in beverages like juice and soda are absorbed into the bloodstream very quickly.

So healthy eating and healthy skin to all of you.