As the seasons change, so does our skin, from post-summer pigmentation and congestion to the dryness and dehydration that often arrives with colder weather. But does our skincare really need a complete seasonal overhaul? We spoke to Anna Betkowska, Head Aesthetician at Dr David Jack’s Belgravia clinic, who brings more than 25 years of experience working with some of London’s most exclusive clientele. Taking a holistic, results-driven approach, Anna combines advanced in-clinic treatments with streamlined at-home skincare, tailoring both to each client’s needs.

Here, she shares her expert guide to caring for your skin year-round, from the treatments worth considering each season to the skincare essentials she believes should never change.

We change so much with the seasons, our wardrobes, routines and even what we eat, but should we be doing the same with our skin? How much does our skin really change throughout the year?

Environmental factors definitely affect our skin, so its needs can shift slightly throughout the year. However, the fundamentals shouldn’t change dramatically. SPF 50 is non-negotiable year-round, on bright, sunny days just as much as on wet, overcast ones.

Autumn is a particularly good time to focus on correcting visible sun damage and pigmentation that may have accumulated over the summer months.

Coming out of summer and into autumn, what do you tend to notice most in your clients’ skin at Dr David Jack? Are there certain concerns that suddenly start appearing after a summer of sunshine and holidays?

After summer, skin tends to be more congested. We’re generally out and about more, often reapplying SPF throughout the day, and we can also start to see more visible signs of accumulated sun damage and pigmentation.

We notice that patients can become less vigilant with their weekly exfoliation during the summer. Regular, appropriate exfoliation is an essential part of a good skincare routine because it supports healthy cell turnover, helps lift the natural build-up of dead skin cells and allows your skincare to absorb more effectively.

One of the biggest misconceptions in our industry is that your entire skincare routine needs to change with every season. In reality, the essential actives your skin needs remain remarkably consistent throughout the year. Alongside daily SPF, that means sufficient levels of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory ingredients, and yes, that can include retinoids. You simply need to be particularly vigilant with sun protection. If your goal is long-term skin health, consistency is far more important than constantly changing your routine.

For anyone looking in the mirror after summer and noticing a little more pigmentation, unevenness or sun damage than they’d like, where would you start? Are there particular treatments at Dr David Jack you really love for this?

The first step is definitely to keep using your SPF every single day. There’s little point trying to correct pigmentation while continuing to expose the skin to further UV damage without adequate protection.

We always see an increase in demand for our Pigmentation Facial after summer. It’s a brilliant treatment for brightening the complexion and targeting uneven tone. For patients who also need more extraction, hydration or a more individually tailored approach, I would move towards our Bespoke Facial, where we can adapt the treatment specifically to what their skin needs at that moment.

We always hear that autumn is a brilliant time to get a little more serious with our skin. Is that true? And are there treatments such as IPL, microneedling or resurfacing that you particularly like introducing at this point in the year?

Absolutely. Autumn is when we tend to introduce more IPL treatments, as well as more advanced resurfacing and lifting treatments such as UltraClear.

Microneedling is slightly different because it remains incredibly popular throughout the year. It can be performed at different depths and intensities, which allows us to customise the treatment according to the season, the patient’s skin and what we’re trying to achieve.

Then winter arrives: cold mornings, central heating and suddenly skin can feel dry, tight and a little lacklustre. What do you find makes the biggest difference, both in the clinic and at home?

This is where I might slightly adjust weekly exfoliation and introduce an additional light layer of hydration if the skin needs it.

However, I would only start adding products once the essential actives are correctly in place. Rather than immediately reaching for multiple new products because the weather has changed, make sure the foundations of your routine are working effectively first, and then make small, considered adjustments according to what your skin actually needs.

If we handed you our diary and said, “Anna, book us one Dr David Jack treatment for every season,” what would you choose for autumn, winter, spring and summer?

Perhaps to many people’s disappointment, I don’t believe good skin comes from constantly changing everything with the seasons. I’m a big believer in simplicity and consistency.

Your skincare should contain effective levels of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory ingredients, alongside SPF 50, which is completely non-negotiable throughout the year. I would always prioritise advance, synergistically formulated skincare, where active ingredients have been designed to work together, rather than layering numerous single-ingredient products.

In clinic, treatments can then be adapted seasonally and, most importantly, to the individual skin in front of us.

January skin can sometimes look exactly how we feel after Christmas – tired, dehydrated and desperately in need of a refresh! What would be your go-to Dr David Jack treatment for bringing it back to life?

Our signature Egyptian Facial with mesotherapy as an add-on is always a winner. It’s a brilliant combination when the skin is looking tired, dehydrated and in need of that fresh, healthy-looking January reset. For those who need a bit of lift, Mesotite is the best choice as we use Forma RF for part of a treatment.

By the time spring arrives, what should we be doing differently? Is this the moment to focus more on brightness and glow, and which treatments do you find give clients that lovely fresh-skin feeling?

This always has to be adjusted to the individual needs of the skin in front of me; the bespoke element is essential. Sometimes the tweaks between seasons are actually very minimal, but those small adjustments can make a huge difference.

In spring, I’m looking at what the skin needs after winter and adapting the treatment accordingly, whether that’s more hydration, brightness, refinement, or simply restoring that fresh, healthy-looking glow.

And what about summer? Are there treatments you prefer to put on hold when we’re spending more time in the sunshine, and what would you swap them for at Dr David Jack?

Summer is definitely not the ideal time to start aggressively treating sun damage with IPL, so for pigmentation I would generally wait until there is less UV exposure. However, I may still use IPL selectively for certain patients where we are managing concerns such as rosacea.

I would also put deeper peels on hold during periods of higher sun exposure to minimise the risk of unwanted side effects. Instead, summer is about maintaining skin health, protecting the skin and choosing treatments that can be safely customised to the season.

We all love the idea of booking a facial the week before a wedding, holiday or big event and emerging with perfect skin, but is that actually the right way to do it? How far ahead should we really be planning our treatments?

A treatment a week before an event can absolutely give you a lovely glow, but it won’t be a game changer if you’re dealing with a specific skin condition such as acne, rosacea or pigmentation. Those concerns need a longer-term strategy, not a last-minute treatment.

I also always recommend trying any treatment you’re planning to have close to an important event well in advance. Everyone’s skin responds differently, so you want to understand how your skin reacts and how much downtime you experience before booking it right before a wedding, holiday, or major occasion.

One thing we love about the Dr David Jack approach is that it doesn’t have to involve a bathroom cabinet overflowing with products. How important is getting the balance right between brilliant treatments in clinic and a really good, consistent routine at home?

Combining effective in-clinic treatmentswith astrong, consistent home routine is essential if you want to optimise long-term skin health.

I often compare it to exercise. Your daily skincare routine is like consistently going to the gym, getting your steps in or attending your regular classes, while your clinic treatments are like sessions with a personal trainer. One doesn’t replace the other; it’s the consistency at home combined with targeted professional intervention that delivers the best results.

Finally, if you could create the dream year of skin for a Luxuria reader – taking us from January right through to December – what would you have us doing along the way?

Consistency would be my number one rule. I would build a streamlined skincare routine around well-formulatedproducts with effective levels of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory ingredients, plus SPF 50 every day and suitable weekly exfoliation.

Then I would adapt professional treatments and make small adjustments to the home routine according to the skin’s needs throughout the year. Healthy skin isn’t created by constantly changing products or chasing trends; it comes from consistency, intelligent formulations and treating the skin you actually have.

Anna’s Autumn/Winter Beauty Shelf

As we head towards cosy jumpers, darker evenings and central heating being switched back on, which Dr David Jack products would you make sure we all have on our bathroom shelves for autumn and winter?

And if you’re only letting us buy one, which Dr David Jack product is the autumn/winter hero you genuinely wouldn’t want to be without?

If I could choose only one, it would be Good Night. It’s an incredibly well-formulatedovernight treatment that combines Granactive Retinoid with antioxidants and peptides to support skin renewal, texture, and overall skin quality. Of course, it has to be paired with SPF 50 every day.

I also adapt my weekly exfoliation seasonally. From March to August, I tend to use Yellow Peel, but during autumn and winter I swap to Blue Peel for a more hydrating approach. This is also the time of year when I’m more likely to address accumulated pigmentation and sun damage with treatments such as IPL, microneedling and deeper peels, so my home routine is designed to complement and support that more intensive in-clinic work.

Learn more about Anna here

W: Dr David Jack