I'm amazed by the risks people take with their skin. I try out more creams, facials and beauty products than most, yet there are some things I'd never take a chance with. My general rule of thumb is that if a facial or treatment was once carried out only by doctors, but is now available at your local beauty salon, be very suspicious. No disrespect to either profession, but I wouldn't let a beautician inject my forehead with botulism any more than I'd let my GP have a go at my bikini line. The same goes for cosmetic laser treatments, chemical peels and anything else that feels even vaguely surgical.

Microdermabrasion is the little sister of dermabrasion, a skin "scouring" technique used to get rid of wrinkles, scars and uneven skin texture, carried out by dermatologists under local anaesthetic. In the US, dermabrasion ranks second only to Botox in the nonsurgical facial treatment stakes, while microdermabrasion is currently everywhere. A typical treatment consists of firing tiny aluminium crystals at your face (think sandblasting, and you're close) in a bid to leave you looking polished.

As a result, a treatment that was once the domain of skin doctors is now available in beauty salons, and even in DIY kits, albeit in a slightly less powerful form. This is not necessarily a good thing. Like its elder sister, microdermabrasion prides itself on blasting away the top layer of skin, leaving the peachy new cells to shine through. All well and good, but the new skin hasn't shone through yet for a reason - it's not ready. That's why many of the at-home kits come with a special post-treatment moisturiser (to protect the newly outed skin), and why practitioners often advise staying out of natural light for 24 hours after a salon treatment.

If the lure is still too great, I'd suggest you go for the lesser of both evils - a salon treatment that comes with a glowing recommendation from someone you know, or a simple, aluminium-free do-it yourself kit such as Ole Henriksen's Micro/Mini system. Don't say I didn't warn you.