Winter to Spring Skincare: How Dr Olivia McCormack Switches Her Routine

Winter to Spring Skincare: How I Switch My Routine

If you have been using the same products in January that you were reaching for in July, you are not alone, and you are also not doing your skin any favours. Skincare is not meant to be static. The air changes, the temperature climbs, the sun sits higher in the sky, and the skin responds to all of it. What kept your face comfortable through a cold, dry winter can start to feel heavy, congested or simply unnecessary once spring arrives.

In a recent reel from Wellface, I talked through exactly how I adjust my own regime as the seasons turn. My approach is refreshingly practical. Lighter layers, hydration that genuinely absorbs, diligent sun protection, and a gradual return to the stronger active ingredients that many of us quietly retire over the colder months. The logic behind each change matters just as much as the swap itself, so here is the full breakdown, expanded with the reasoning a good consultation would give you.

Think of this as a seasonal reset rather than a total overhaul. You are not throwing everything out. You are fine-tuning a routine so it suits the skin you have right now, in the weather you are actually living in.

Why your skin needs a seasonal reset

Skin is a living organ, and it behaves differently depending on what is happening around it. Through winter, cold outdoor air holds less moisture, and indoor heating strips even more of it away. The skin barrier, the outermost layer that keeps water in and irritants out, works harder to stay intact. That is why so many people find themselves piling on rich creams and balms from November onwards. Those heavier textures act as an occlusive shield, trapping moisture and calming the tightness and flaking that cold weather brings.

Spring flips the equation. Humidity rises, temperatures lift, and the skin naturally produces a little more oil. Suddenly those thick winter creams have nowhere to go. They can sit on the surface, feel greasy by mid-afternoon, and in some cases contribute to congestion or breakouts. The skin does not need as much help holding onto water when the surrounding air is doing some of that work for it.

There is also the small matter of the sun. Daylight hours stretch out, UV levels climb, and the amount of ultraviolet radiation reaching your skin increases sharply even on days that do not feel especially warm. That single fact underpins several of the changes I recommend. So a spring routine is really about two things happening at once: lightening the load your products place on the skin, and stepping up the protection and renewal your skin can now tolerate.

Lighten your cleanser

The first change I make is at the very start of the routine, with the cleanser. Through winter I lean towards a creamy, more nourishing formula that removes the day without disturbing an already fragile barrier. For spring, I switch to something lighter and more gel-based.

A gel cleanser tends to be better at lifting away excess oil, sweat, sunscreen and the general grime that builds up on warmer days. As sebum production naturally increases in spring, a formula that clears the pores more thoroughly helps keep the skin clear without over-drying it. The aim is a face that feels clean and comfortable, never tight or squeaky, because that tight sensation is usually a sign the cleanser has stripped too much away.

If your skin runs oily or combination, you will probably notice the difference quickly. Those who stay on the drier side can still make the swap, but might keep a gentler cleanser for the morning and use the lighter, more clarifying option in the evening. Cleansing is the step people rush, yet it sets up everything that follows. Give it a moment, work the product in properly, and rinse thoroughly.

Swap heavy moisture for lightweight hydration

The next change is the moisturiser, and this is where a lot of people get stuck. There is an understandable worry that going lighter means going without, that a thinner product cannot possibly hydrate as well as a rich cream. In spring, the opposite is often true.

My point is that the skin no longer needs deep, heavy occlusion once the weather warms. What it still needs is hydration, and that is a slightly different thing. Hydration is about water content in the skin. A lightweight, hyaluronic acid based moisturiser delivers exactly that, drawing water into the upper layers and holding it there without the heavy oils and butters that make winter creams feel so rich. The result is skin that feels nourished and plump but never slick or suffocated.

Hydration versus moisturisation

It helps to separate two words that get used interchangeably. Moisturising, in the strictest sense, means sealing the skin with emollients and occlusives so water cannot escape. Hydrating means adding water, usually through humectants like hyaluronic acid, glycerin and panthenol, which pull moisture in and bind it. Winter skin often needs both, because the environment is actively pulling water out. Spring skin, sitting in more humid air, usually does well with lighter hydration and far less heavy sealing. Matching your product to that balance is the whole trick.

Signs your moisturiser is too heavy for the season

You do not need a laboratory to work out whether your current cream has outstayed its welcome. Skin that looks shiny within an hour of application, makeup that slides or breaks up through the day, a fresh crop of small bumps or congestion around the cheeks and jaw, and a general feeling that products are sitting on top rather than sinking in are all clues. If any of that sounds familiar as the weather warms, a lighter formula is worth trying.

Reapply SPF, not just once a day

If there is one message I return to, it is sun protection, and specifically the habit of reapplying. Wearing SPF in the morning and forgetting about it until tomorrow is one of the most common mistakes people make. Sunscreen wears down through the day. It is rubbed off by hands and clothing, sweated away, and broken down by the very UV it is defending against. By early afternoon, the protection you applied at eight in the morning has largely gone.

Reapplication is what keeps you genuinely protected. As a rule of thumb, a fresh layer every two hours during daylight, and more often if you are outdoors for long stretches, sweating or near water. It sounds like a lot, and it does take getting used to. Building the habit now, while the sun is still relatively gentle, means it is second nature by the time summer arrives.

There is a specific reason this matters so much at a clinic like Wellface. Pigmentation and sun damage respond beautifully to treatment, whether that is targeted skincare, laser or resurfacing, but every one of those results is undone by unprotected sun exposure. UV is the single biggest driver of new pigmentation and the reason existing patches darken again. All the work put in over the year to even out tone and fade sun spots can be quietly reversed in a few careless afternoons. SPF is not the glamorous part of a routine, but it is the part that protects everything else.

Choosing and using SPF well

Look for a broad-spectrum formula, meaning it protects against both UVA and UVB, at SPF 30 or ideally 50. The texture matters more than people admit, because a sunscreen you enjoy wearing is one you will actually reapply. Lightweight fluids, tinted formulas and those designed to sit well under makeup all make the two-hourly habit far easier to keep. Do not forget the areas that catch the light and give age away: the tops of the ears, the hairline, the neck, the chest and the backs of the hands.

Bring back your active ingredients

The final change is one many people find liberating. Winter often calls for pulling back on stronger actives. Cold, dry conditions leave the barrier more easily irritated, so it makes sense to ease off potent exfoliants and high-strength vitamin A when the skin is already struggling to stay comfortable. As spring arrives and the barrier settles, it is time to build those back up.

I specifically mention reintroducing stronger exfoliants and active vitamin A, better known as retinoids. Retinoids are among the most evidence-backed ingredients in skincare, encouraging cell turnover, supporting collagen and helping to fade pigmentation over time. Exfoliating acids, whether alpha or beta hydroxy acids, lift away dull surface cells and help the rest of your routine work harder. Together they are the engine of skin renewal, and getting them back into rotation now sets the skin up nicely for the months ahead.

How to reintroduce actives without irritation

The mistake to avoid is going from nothing to everything overnight. If you have paused your retinoid or exfoliant over winter, ease back in. Start with two or three nights a week and build up as the skin tolerates it. Keep hydration steady around it, because a well-hydrated barrier copes with actives far better than a compromised one. And do not layer every strong product on the same evening. Alternate your acids and your retinoid on different nights rather than stacking them, at least until your skin has reacclimatised. If you notice persistent redness, stinging or flaking, scale back and let things calm before pushing on.

Because retinoids and exfoliants make the skin more sensitive to sunlight, this step and the SPF step go hand in hand. You cannot really do one properly without the other. Ramp up your actives, and you must ramp up your protection to match.

Common questions about switching your routine for spring

Do I really need different products for each season?

You do not necessarily need an entirely separate wardrobe of products, but adjusting a few key steps makes a real difference. Cleanser, moisturiser weight and the intensity of your actives are the main levers. Some products, like a good vitamin C serum or a well-chosen SPF, earn their place all year round. The point is to respond to what your skin is telling you rather than following the calendar blindly.

When should I make the switch?

Let the weather guide you rather than a fixed date. As the air feels warmer and less drying, and as your winter moisturiser starts to feel heavier than it did, that is your cue. The transition can be gradual. You might lighten your moisturiser first, then reintroduce actives over a few weeks, giving the skin time to adjust at each stage.

Can lightweight products really hydrate dry skin?

Yes, provided they contain effective humectants like hyaluronic acid. Dryness in spring is often better addressed by adding water to the skin than by sealing it with heavy oils. If your skin stays genuinely dry even in warmer months, you can layer a hydrating serum under a lighter moisturiser to get the benefit without the heaviness.

Will changing my routine affect treatments I have had?

If anything, a good seasonal routine protects your results. Keeping pigmentation in check with diligent SPF, supporting the skin barrier and using well-chosen actives all help maintain the outcomes of in-clinic treatments. If you are unsure how your homecare fits around a specific treatment, that is exactly the kind of thing worth raising with your practitioner.

Book a skin consultation at Wellface

Every face is different, and the best routine is the one built around your skin, your concerns and your goals. If you are not sure which cleanser suits you, how light your moisturiser should go, or how to reintroduce actives safely alongside the right SPF, a consultation is the place to start. I, along with the wider team at Wellface, can look at your skin properly, talk through your history and put together a plan that carries you comfortably from spring into summer and beyond.

You will find our clinics in Cobham, Esher and Wimbledon. Come and see me to get your skincare working with the season rather than against it, and to make sure the results you have worked for all year are properly protected.