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  A facial peel is a chemical peel whereby an acid solution is applied to the face to ultimately achieve smoother skin or correct a flaw. Superficial, medium-depth and deep skin peels are the three basic peels available today, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Your dermatologist or skin-care expert can choose from among several chemicals to use on your face based on the type of skin-care issue you wish to address.
  
  

Superficial Peels

• If you opt for a peel to get rid of the fine laugh lines at the corners of your eyes or mouth, or if you have a little bit of blotchiness to your skin you want evened out, a superficial face peel can help. These peels only remove the outer layer of your skin, or the epidermis, resulting in less healing time. They are generally done with a mild chemical solution such as salicylic or glycolic acid, according to the Mayo Clinic. They can be performed on your lunch break, allowing you to return to work immediately. Superficial peels can produce redness following the procedure, with some flaking of the skin for up to five days. It isn't unusual to notice an improvement in your skin's appearance mere hours or days later.
  
  

Medium-Depth Peels

• When the skin problem is deeper, or past the epidermis skin level, a stronger chemical peel is necessary. Trichloroacetic (TCA) is a common chemical acid used for medium-level peels by the Mayo Clinic and other facilities. Those who elect this type of peel might have sun or age spots they'd like diminished.
  
  TCA removes the top skin layer, the epidermis, as well as the middle layer, the dermis. Care must be taken to avoid infection. If the area is large or deep, the facial area is sometimes wrapped after the peel to help protect against infection. This type of peel can result in a blistering effect and some swelling, but other times it just gives an appearance of pale pink or reddened skin. Medium skin level peels can require between one to two weeks, or longer, to heal completely, with results generally taking several weeks to show.
  
  

Deep Skin Peels

• For peels used to remove deep facial skin layers because of scarring or other problems, anesthesia is often administered. Pain can be more severe for this depth of peel, but it is generally handled with over-the-counter medication. Peels that go deeper into the skin layer also take longer to heal--as much as three months to see the finished results. TCA is one of the chemicals often used in deep skin peels, and it is the Mayo Clinic's chemical of choice. Phenol is no longer used because of scarring and toxicity issues.