Chemical peels in London. Chosen for your skin and your concern, not one strength for everyone.

Melatone Skin Clinic offers chemical peels in London from our clinic on Lavender Hill in Battersea, 10 to 14 minutes' walk from Clapham Junction, which is a national rail hub with fast services from across the city. We offer five peels, lactic, mandelic, salicylic, glycolic and a Jessner blend, and every one is planned and delivered by Arman Zaki, GMC-registered Physician Associate, rather than rotated between staff. The peel and its strength are chosen for your concern and your skin at consultation and confirmed with a patch test. We treat every skin tone, with a special interest in Skin of Colour.

Single peels at Melatone are from £110: Skin Reset lactic £110, Even Tone mandelic £120, Acne Control salicylic £120, Skin Brightening glycolic £135, and Pigmentation and Brightening Jessner £160. A course of three is paid upfront: £297 for lactic, mandelic or salicylic (£99 a session), £360 for glycolic (£120 a session) and £420 for the Jessner blend (£140 a session). Prices checked against our booking menu on 22 September 2026.

It depends on what you want to change, confirmed at consultation and patch test. As a guide: for dark marks left by spots and uneven tone we usually start with the mandelic peel; for breakouts, blackheads and oily skin, the salicylic peel; for dull, dry or tired skin, the lactic peel; for rough texture, the glycolic peel; and for more stubborn pigmentation, the Jessner blend, used later and selectively. In Fitzpatrick IV to VI skin we tend to start on the gentler surface peels and climb slowly.

For dark marks left by spots or irritation, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, we usually start with a 20% mandelic acid peel, because it exfoliates slowly and evenly. For more stubborn uneven tone the Jessner blend may follow once we know how your skin responds. Whatever the peel, daily sun protection does more of the work than the peel itself, and in deeper skin tones we go slowly, because too strong a peel can create new marks. If the patches are melasma, a peel is not where we start.

For active breakouts, blackheads and oily skin, the salicylic peel is our usual choice, or mandelic in deeper skin tones and reactive skin. For the flat brown or red marks acne leaves behind, mandelic is our usual start. Surface peels do not treat scars that have depth, such as pitted or rolling scars; for those we would talk you through microneedling instead, and we will tell you so at consultation.

It can help in selected cases, but it is not where we start. Melasma is driven by sun, visible light, heat and hormones, so the first line is daily broad spectrum sun protection and a pigment-balancing routine. A gentle peel may be added later, once the skin is settled, because a peel pushed too hard can make melasma worse. See our melasma treatment page for how we approach it.

Yes. Melatone offers a 20% mandelic acid peel in Battersea, London, at £120 a session or £297 for a course of three (£99 a session). Mandelic acid is a larger alpha hydroxy acid molecule than glycolic, so it moves through the skin more slowly and evenly and has a gentler exfoliation profile. That is why it is often the first peel we choose for post-inflammatory marks, uneven tone and sensitive skin, including Fitzpatrick IV to VI. It is suitable for all skin types, including Fitzpatrick V to VI, after a consultation and patch test. The peel pairs mandelic acid with citric acid and soothing aloe vera. Mandelic acid is derived from bitter almonds, so it is not used if you have a nut allergy; we ask at consultation and it is on the consent form.

Mandelic acid loosens the bonds between dead surface cells so they shed more evenly over the following days. Because its molecule is larger than glycolic acid's, it moves into the skin more slowly and evenly, which gives it a gentler exfoliation profile. Most people feel warmth or tingling while it is on, and see little to no downtime afterwards.

Usually as a course of three, two to four weeks apart, so your skin responds and recovers between sessions. After the course we will tell you honestly whether a maintenance peel makes sense for you, and how far apart.

No. We do not carry out chemical peels during pregnancy or while breastfeeding, including the mandelic peel. It is on our health check, so tell us and we will plan your peels for afterwards. There is little research on professional peels in pregnancy, so we take the cautious route.

They can be, with the right peel, the right strength and a careful protocol, but darker skin needs more caution, not less. In Fitzpatrick IV to VI skin any resurfacing carries a risk of post-inflammatory pigmentation, and the evidence is clear that some peels, salicylic acid in particular, are associated with a notable rate of pigmentation in deeper skin tones. We patch test first, start conservatively, and tell you honestly when a peel is not the right first step. Our position is to even tone, never to lighten or bleach. A Fitzpatrick assessment is part of every consultation.

No, and that is not the aim. A peel sheds dull surface cells and can soften marks and patches so tone looks more even, but it does not change your natural skin colour, and we do not offer skin lightening or bleaching. If anyone promises that a peel will whiten your skin, treat that as a warning sign.

With our surface peels, any flaking usually starts around day two or three and settles within a few days; the Jessner blend peels more visibly for several days. Skin often looks fresher once the flaking settles, and change in tone and texture builds over a course of three. Individual results vary.

They do different jobs. A peel works on the surface, for tone, marks, congestion and dullness. Microneedling works deeper, for texture and scars that have depth. Many people with acne marks start with peels; people with pitted scars usually need microneedling. The two can be planned together, spaced apart. Read our microneedling vs chemical peel comparison.

A hydrofacial cleanses, exfoliates and hydrates with no downtime, which suits a regular refresh. A peel goes further on marks, uneven tone and congestion, with a day or two of light flaking. Some people alternate the two; we will suggest what fits your skin and your diary.

For the right concern, yes: surface peels are an established, good value way to improve the look of dullness, congestion, marks and uneven tone over a course. They are not the answer for deep scars, deep lines, or melasma on its own, and we will tell you so at consultation rather than sell you a course. Individual results vary.

No make-up for 24 hours. No scrubs, perfumed products or fake tan for 72 hours, and no acids or retinol for 7 days. Avoid exercise, saunas, sunbeds, heat and swimming for 72 hours, and waxing or injectables for 2 weeks. Moisturise gently, never pick, and wear SPF every day; we recommend SPF 50.

Most people feel tingling or warmth for a few minutes while the peel is on, which settles once it is neutralised. Superficial peels are well tolerated; the Jessner blend feels stronger. The patch test tells us how your skin and your tolerance respond before the first full treatment.

It depends on the peel. The lactic and mandelic peels leave little to no downtime, perhaps mild pinkness and light flaking for a day or two. The glycolic peel can bring some dryness and flaking over a few days, and the Jessner blend pinkness and visible flaking over several days. Daily SPF 50 and no picking are the rules for all of them.

A solution of one or more acids applied to the skin for a set time, which loosens dead surface cells so they shed more evenly over the following days. Depending on the acid and strength it can improve the look of dullness, uneven tone, post-inflammatory marks, congestion and texture. Superficial peels work on the surface; medium peels reach a little deeper and carry more downtime.

Yes. A high-street or chain peel is often a fixed protocol at one strength, applied without a Fitzpatrick assessment. In deeper skin tones that carries a real risk of post-inflammatory pigmentation. At Melatone every peel begins with a consultation, a Fitzpatrick assessment and a patch test, the peel and strength are chosen for your skin, and treatment is delivered by a GMC-registered Physician Associate. For pigmentation in Skin of Colour a peel sits inside a wider, sun-protection-led plan rather than acting as a quick fix. Individual results vary.

We are on Lavender Hill in Battersea, SW11 5QL, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, 10 to 14 minutes' walk from Clapham Junction. Clapham Junction is one of the busiest interchanges in the country, with direct trains and Overground links from central, north, south and west London, so the clinic is straightforward to reach whether you are travelling from the City, Victoria, Waterloo or further out. Bus routes 77, 87, 156 and 345 stop on Lavender Hill, and Battersea Park station is a short bus away.