It is never too soon and it is never too late to start taking care of your skin, but how can you ever know exactly what it needs?

Throughout most of my life my regime consisted of whatever body wash I had in the shower followed by a budget face cream, which was absolutely fine up to the age of 25.

In recent years I have endeavoured to up my game, purchasing all sorts of things from serums to moisture masks.

With little idea as to what any of them did, I never stuck to it for very long and would slip back into my old routine within weeks.

Unsurprisingly, my fine lines deepened as the elasticity across my face weakened.

I decided to visit the Harpenden Skin Clinic at The Coach House, in Pipers Lane, for a facial and, even though it was not my first, it has revolutionised my approach and understanding of skincare.

For 24 hours after my appointment fine lines were barely visible. My skin looked bright and fresh for the days that followed with the lines still vastly improved.

Leaving Harpenden Skin Clinic with completely rejuvenated skin left me determined to maintain it.

Consultation

Driving from Harpenden Station, which takes less than 10 minutes, you find yourself passing fields of animals - including alpacas. This country setting enhances the tranquillity of your entire visit and inside the luxuriously renovated, contemporary barn is a state-of-the-art offering for skin, body and face.

Despite the high end setting and upmarket offering, I felt wonderfully at home. This was partly due to the delightfully affable Ciara who chatted away, telling me all about the clinic and its innovative treatments, such as Vitamin B drips – something I thought only Hollywood A-listers had.

Ciara began by cleaning my face and then examining my skin. We had a look at it under a UV light and it wasn’t pretty I have to say, partly because I am already very freckly so the light revealed a huge amount of pigmentation underneath.

She assured me that this is normal for somebody with as many freckles as me, but if somebody had the same level of pigmentation with nothing visible on the surface of their skin this might be a concern. Without proper attention it will eventually come through and the individual may not be too pleased about the sudden change in their face.

The facial

We discussed my skin and the concerns I had and much to my surprise I discovered I have combination skin.

I always thought it was oily skin and was tentative with creams, but what the UV light revealed was that outside of my T-Zone the skin is actually quite dehydrated.

This is also common around the eyes – because the skin is thin it dries out much easier and that is why you need to use separate eye cream, a product which had always baffled me.

Ciara then advised on a tailored treatment with a light peel to clear oil and blocked pores, followed by a moisturising cloth face mask, intermingled with lots of lovely products sumptuously slathered and massaged into my face and neck.

Afterwards my face was a little blotchy from the peel, so I sat under the Dermalux for 20-minutes.

This machine is non-invasive and uses wavelengths of light with LED technology to deliver safe and effective results for a wide range of skin conditions. My redness would have subsided in time without it, but I am told it works wonders for those with acne or rosacea.

After care

Ciara sat with me and discussed different products, explaining the different ingredients that would benefit my skin. She talked me through an ideal morning and evening routine, outlining what each step was doing and why – such as the need for sun protection factor 50 every day of the year.

The leading brand at Harpenden Skin Clinic is SkinCeuticals and this is what was used during my facial.

At no point did I feel pressure to buy anything. The needs of my skin and how each product or ingredient met them was explained, and I was sent on my way with a little goodie bag of samples and a thorough understanding of how to care for my face long-term.

Find out more at harpendenskinclinic.com