How to Adjust Your Skincare for Britain's In-Between Weather

There's a particular kind of British weather that catches skin off guard. The calendar says spring, the shops are full of sun cream, and yet the rain keeps coming while the odd bright, breezy afternoon dries everything out again. Your skincare routine, meanwhile, is still set up for the depths of winter. That mismatch is exactly what leaves so many people feeling tight, flaky and generally uncomfortable in their own skin at this time of year.

As the founder of Wellface, I see it in the clinic every spring. Patients arrive expecting to have moved smoothly into their lighter summer routine, only to find their skin still behaving as though it's January. Acne can still be grumbling on. The surface can feel dry and depleted rather than fresh. The instinct is often to push harder with active ingredients, when the smarter move is usually to ease off a little and let the skin recover its comfort.

This post walks through the practical adjustments I recommend for this transition period. None of it is complicated. It's mostly about turning a few dials down rather than overhauling everything, and about adding a genuine layer of hydration where the skin is asking for it. Think of it as meeting your skin where it actually is, not where the season says it should be.

Why the transition season confuses your skin

Skin doesn't respond to the date. It responds to what's happening around it and to how you're treating it. In deep winter, cold air holds less moisture, central heating strips humidity from indoor spaces, and wind damages the skin barrier. Most people compensate with richer moisturisers and a slightly gentler hand on their active ingredients because everything feels more reactive.

The awkward part of spring in this country is that those winter conditions don't disappear cleanly. One day is damp and mild, the next is cool and blustery, and occasionally the sun makes a proper appearance. Humidity swings around, temperatures bounce, and your barrier never quite settles into a rhythm. That instability is what shows up as tightness, patchy flaking, stinging when you apply products, or a dullness that no amount of highlighter seems to fix.

There's also a psychological trap here. Because it's technically spring, people assume they should already be using stronger vitamin C, higher retinoids and lighter, more astringent formulas. They strip back their moisturiser too soon. In reality, if your skin still feels like it's in winter, it needs to be treated as though it is, at least for a few more weeks. My approach is to let the skin lead and to make changes gradually rather than flipping a switch overnight.

Easing back on your retinoid

Retinoids are the backbone of most serious anti-ageing and anti-blemish routines, and they're some of the most evidence-backed ingredients in skincare. Tretinoin is the prescription-strength form, a true vitamin A derivative that the skin can use directly. Retinol is the over-the-counter cousin, which the skin has to convert into its active form in a couple of steps, making it gentler and slower to act. Both encourage faster cell turnover, support collagen and help keep pores clear, which is why they're so useful for both fine lines and breakouts.

The flip side is that they can be drying and irritating, especially when the barrier is already under strain. During an unsettled, low-humidity stretch, a strength that felt perfectly comfortable in a stable month can suddenly tip into flaking, redness and sensitivity. That's your cue to step down rather than push through.

How to step down safely

My suggestion is straightforward. If you've been using tretinoin at 0.05 per cent and your skin is struggling, drop to 0.025 per cent. If even that feels too much, come down further to a retinol at around 1 per cent. You're not abandoning your retinoid, you're simply choosing a strength your skin can tolerate without becoming inflamed. A calm, intact barrier will always give you better long-term results than an aggressive routine that keeps triggering irritation.

A few practical points make this easier. Apply your retinoid to dry skin, since damp skin absorbs more and can amplify irritation. Buffer it by applying moisturiser first or mixing a little moisturiser in if you're particularly reactive. And reduce frequency before you panic about strength. Going from nightly to every other night, or even twice a week, is often enough to settle things down while you ride out the changeable weather.

Don't forget consistency matters more than intensity

One of the things I often remind my patients is that retinoids reward patience. The person using a modest strength consistently for a year will usually see better results than the one who blitzes their skin, gets irritated, stops for a fortnight, then starts again. Stepping down during a difficult season isn't a setback. It's what keeps you in the game.

Turning down your vitamin C

Vitamin C is the daytime workhorse of a good routine. As an antioxidant, it helps neutralise the free radicals generated by UV and pollution, supports collagen production and can gradually brighten uneven tone and post-blemish marks. The most studied form, L-ascorbic acid, is also quite acidic, which is part of why higher concentrations can sting or feel harsh on a compromised barrier.

Strength isn't automatically better. Above a certain point, the skin simply can't absorb more, and higher percentages tend to be more irritating without being proportionally more effective. So during the transition season, dropping from a 20 per cent serum to something around 15 per cent is a sensible move. You keep the antioxidant protection, which you genuinely need on those surprise sunny days, while giving the skin a gentler, more comfortable experience and allowing a little more oil and hydration to stay put.

If your skin is especially reactive, you might also look at a lower concentration or a derivative form of vitamin C, such as sodium ascorbyl phosphate or magnesium ascorbyl phosphate. These are less potent but far more forgiving, and they can be a good bridge while your barrier recovers. Whatever strength you land on, vitamin C belongs to your morning routine and should always be followed by a broad-spectrum SPF, because sun protection is non-negotiable even under grey British skies.

Building back your hydration layer

The common thread through all of this is hydration. When the skin feels dry and depleted, the answer isn't just to remove the things that dry it out. It's also to actively put moisture and comfort back in. This is where a well-chosen serum or moisturiser earns its place, and it's the part of the routine I'm most reluctant to see people strip back too early in the year.

The ELASTIderm Facial Serum by Obagi is one I reach for during this period. It's built around a patented complex that combines zinc, copper and malonate, ingredients chosen to support the skin's elastin, which is what gives skin its bounce and resilience. Beyond the firming and anti-ageing angle, it delivers a lovely extra layer of hydration, which is exactly what dry, uncomfortable skin needs when the weather won't settle. It suits all skin types and sits well under other products, so it slots neatly into an existing routine rather than replacing it.

How to layer it with your actives

Order matters less than people fear, but a simple principle helps: cleanse, apply thinner watery textures first, then richer creams, then SPF in the morning. A hydrating serum like ELASTIderm works well applied to clean skin before your moisturiser, giving that cushioning layer before you seal everything in. On evenings when you're using your retinoid, applying a hydrating serum around it, either before as a buffer or after to soothe, can make the whole routine far more comfortable. Nobody sticks with a regime that leaves their face stinging, so comfort is part of what makes it effective.

Reading your own skin week to week

The biggest shift I encourage is one of mindset. Instead of following a fixed seasonal template, pay attention to what your skin is telling you and adjust accordingly. On a run of mild, damp days when everything feels calmer, you might edge your retinoid back up. During a cold, dry, windy spell, you drop back down and lean harder on hydration. Your routine becomes a set of dials you turn, not a script you follow.

A short mental checklist helps here. Ask yourself whether your skin feels tight after cleansing, whether you're seeing flaking or new sensitivity, and whether products that normally feel fine have started to sting. Any of those is a sign to ease off the actives and add more hydration for a while. When your skin feels comfortable, supple and calm again, you can slowly rebuild the intensity.

This kind of responsive approach also protects the work you may have had done in clinic. Treatments like Profhilo, skin boosters or microneedling all rely on a healthy, well-hydrated barrier to look their best, and a home routine that keeps the skin calm makes those results last longer and read more naturally.

Common questions about transition-season skincare

Should I stop my retinoid completely when my skin is irritated?

Usually not. Stopping entirely means losing momentum and often triggering another adjustment period when you restart. It's generally better to reduce the strength, cut back the frequency, or buffer the product with moisturiser. Only pause completely if your skin is genuinely inflamed, and if that keeps happening, it's worth a professional review of your whole routine.

Can I use vitamin C and a retinoid together?

Yes, and many people do, but they tend to sit in different parts of the day. Vitamin C works well in the morning, where its antioxidant protection complements your SPF, while retinoids are best used at night. Keeping them separate reduces the risk of irritation and lets each one do its job without overloading the skin.

How long should I stay on the lower strengths?

As long as your skin needs. For some people that's a couple of weeks until the weather settles, for others it's most of the changeable spring. Let comfort be your guide. Once your skin feels calm and hydrated on the lower strengths, you can gradually build back up, watching for any return of tightness or flaking.

Is ELASTIderm suitable for oily or acne-prone skin?

The serum is formulated to suit all skin types and provides hydration without feeling heavy, which many oily and combination skins tolerate well. That said, everyone's skin is different, especially if breakouts are active, so a quick consultation is the best way to confirm it's right for you and to fit it around your other products.

Do I still need SPF when it's raining?

Yes. UV passes through cloud cover, so even on a grey, wet day your skin is exposed, particularly if you're using vitamin C and retinoids, which can make skin more sensitive to light. Daily broad-spectrum SPF is the single most effective anti-ageing habit you can keep, whatever the forecast.

Talk it through with me at Wellface

Skincare is rarely one-size-fits-all, and the right strengths and products for you depend on your skin type, your history and what you're trying to achieve. If you're not sure whether to step your actives up or down, or you'd like to know whether something like ELASTIderm belongs in your routine, I'm happy to take a proper look and tailor a plan to your skin.

You can book a consultation with me at any of our clinics in Cobham, Esher or Wimbledon, where I can assess your skin in person, review what you're currently using, and help you settle into a routine that stays comfortable through Britain's unpredictable seasons. Get in touch to arrange a time that suits you.