The winter is never a time for great weather, but this particular one has really taken the biscuit. While a bit of January snow should be expected, the sheer number and severity of storms have made this a rough time. Storm Jocelyn is the tenth named storm to hit the UK since the autumn equinox, battering people and property alike.
For many people, the thing they will notice the most when a storm hits is the deluge of rain, not just because it can make you wet whenever you step out, but, for those unfortunate enough to live in flood-prone places, the risk that their home will soon be partly under water. Down here on the south coast, sea surges and high waves are a big concern.
All that may lead to people associating winter storms with wet weather alone and overlooking the fact that very windy weather can dry your skin out. You might get soaked if you go out at some stormy times, but at others, when the rain stops, the wind will blow the moisture from your face.
This effect can be seen throughout the autumn and winter months. Summer may bring drier weather, but it makes your skin release sweat and oils to keep it moist. It is the cold months that can leave skin dry, raw and a bit flaky.
For that reason, now may be the perfect time for a hydrafacial. This is no minor treatment that tinkers at the edges, but a thorough, three-part facial will have a wonderful rejuvenating effect on your skin after the battering it has taken over the last few months. It is all done through a mechanised wand that carries out its trio of functions at once.
Firstly, there is a process called microdermabrasion. This exfoliates the skin, smoothing out rough and bumpy bits and clearing away any dry, dead stuff – of which there may be plenty at this time of year. At the same time, it cleans the grime from your skin. Thirdly, it imparts serums into your skin to moisturise it.
Combining the three and using a wand instead of hands means that the serums penetrate your skin surface more effectively, and by bringing these three processes together you can leave with skin that has been greatly improved in all the ways you hoped for.
The result is glowing, healthy, vibrant skin that will look and feel a whole lot better than when it came in – especially if you have arrived for your appointment after walking through another wet and windy storm.
With over a month of winter to go before the daffodils appear and it is light at six o’clock in the evening, there may still be a lot more cold, wet and windy weather to endure. But not only will the hydrafacial go further than so many other facials in getting you looking your best; but it will set you up to get through February and both feel and look great come spring.