The change of season gives you a chance to repair any summer sun damage and prepare your skin for cooler temperatures

Many of us suffer bouts of skin sensitivity, redness, and irritation when the seasons change. Over-exposure of the skin during the summer may mean that it's suffering from dehydration.

Nourish

With the cooler temperatures of autumn, it's a good time to nourish skin from head to toe. Treating the whole body requires some effort and attention, but there are some excellent products around that make this easy and, more importantly, a pleasure!

Know-how

Take time and care to apply products. There should be no 'dragging' of the skin. Use your hands to massage in, applying finger tips to acupressure points on the face, and reflexology points on your feet.

Face

There are a number of facial products available with varying textures. It does depend on individuals as to which ones suit. All of the following products are suitable for sensitive skins and some are for specific skin conditions.

An excellent all-round facial cream is the Dr. Hauschka Rose Day Cream (£19.00/30ml). Rose oil and wild Rose Hip extract makes this a rich cream with a beautiful scent. Soothing redness, it calms the skin; an ideal choice for sensitive, dry and mature skin types.
www.drhauschka.co.uk

Also natural is Avene Skin Recovery Cream (£11.95/40ml). Designed for over-stressed and hypersensitive skins and rich in Avene thermal spring water, it absorbs quickly into skin, giving instant soothing to any irritations and redness. Excellent for exposure to the elements that has caused a reaction.
www.boots.com

For skin discolouration, and brown spots

Prescriptives Skin Tone Correcting Serum (£37.00/30ml) contains mulberry root, grape root, and vitamin C. It helps correct and prevent the appearance of dark spots and skin discolouration with Melannite, a yeast extract that breaks apart concentrated areas of pigmentation.
Stockist: 0870 034 2566.

Estee Lauder Re-Nutriv Sun Supreme Rescue Serum (£70.00/30ml) reduces visible signs of ageing, and evens out skin tone and texture. Broken capillaries and blotchy skin tone are noticeably improved.
www.esteelauder.co.uk

Face masks

L'Occitane Honey Harvest Comfort Face Mask (£20.00/75 ml) is non-sticky in texture and immediately refreshes and comforts skin.
www.loccitane.co.uk / stockist: 0207 907 0301

'Flushing occurs when your skin needs cooling down after you go from cold to hot environments,' says Janine Bird, training and education manager for Prescriptives. 'In order to let through a calming flood of fresh blood, your capillaries dilate. If this occurs regularly, they weaken and may rupture, leading to permanent redness.'

For on-the-spot comfort, Biosensitive Calming Facial Mist (£19.50/150ml) containing Thermal Plankton, calms any burning sensations and visibly reduces blotches on the skin.
Stockist: 0800 037 1020

Lips

Try not to lick lips as this dries them out. Crabtree and Evelyn Overnight Lip Repair (£12.00/15ml) is a must-have item.

Exfoliate body and face regularly

Two excellent products are Naked Sea Minerals Renewing Body Scrub (£8.99/500ml), and Elizabeth Arden Renewing Body Scrub (£15.00/200ml).

Soak

Luxuriate with Elemis Skin Nourishing Milk Bath (£38.00/400ml), which can also be used neat onto skin. It contains Camellia oil, Lavender, Chamomile and milk protein, providing immediate relief for sensitive, irritated skins.
Stockists 01278 727 830

Moisturise

After showering or bathing, apply moisturiser to your skin. Remember to take time to apply, and really nourish your skin.

Continuing the luxurious theme, Chanel's Firming Moisture Milk (£31/150ml) improves skin tone with a silky, iridescent, texture.
Stockist 0207 493 3836 and counters nationwide.

If you prefer thicker body creams, try ESPA Deeply Nourishing Body Cream (£40.00/180ml) with wild Yam and Soya Bean extract; excellent for hormonally imbalanced skin lacking moisture and elasticity.
www.espaonline.com / stockists 01252 352230

Treat your tresses

'The roots of your hair can cope with more exposure to the sun than the ends, as they're younger and full of protein,' says Richard Ward of Richard Ward Hair and Metrospa, London.

To repair sun damage, apply a luxurious hair treatment. Try Aromatherapy Associates Renew Rose Nourishing Body Oil (£28.00/125ml). Apply a small amount, working through hair. Leave on, then rinse off and shampoo as normal. Mail Order 0208 569 7030.

Help for hands

Complete with a hand treatment such as L'Occitane Immortelle Young Hands (£15.00/75ml), which helps fade existing discolouration and brown spots.