If you want to see a real, lasting change in your skin, then the products you use need more than three days to do their job. Also, constantly swapping and switching up your arsenal means you won’t know what is making your skin suddenly glow, or what’s actually causing that itchy reaction. “It’s especially important to be consistent with your night-time routine,” says aesthetician Joanna Czech. “When you focus on consistency, that’s when you see big changes. As we age, we really need to be more consistent and more patient, but changes can and do happen.”

A great active product can be key to achieving a fundamentally better complexion (actives include vitamins A and C, AHAs), but are you on top of what you are using? One aesthetician recently told me about a client who suffered from red, reactive skin: “When we went through her regimen, it turned out that, between her cleanser, toner, mask and creams, she was unknowingly using up to four different peeling products every day. It was a wonder she had any skin left.” This overuse is a common cause of many skin sensitivities, dryness and reactions, so check your regular products to ensure you know exactly what you are using – and when – especially when it comes to peels, acids and retinols. A twice-weekly peel is enough for most, but if you’re using a gentle polishing cleanser or toner every day, that should be all you need. If you’re regularly using a retinol, then go lightly on any extra peeling products – and never peel on the same day that you apply your retinol.

It’s such a mundane and basic daily step, and if your skin currently feels comfortable and settled, then you can skip this section entirely. If, however, your skin feels tight, flaky or irritated, then read on, because using the wrong cleanser can over-clean and strip the natural oils that make up the skin’s protective barrier. The result is dehydration and, if ongoing, it can even cause long-term-favorite products to pose a problem – after all, with no barrier in place, the products may be getting into the skin when they should be sitting on top of it. Look to gels, oils or balm cleansers (depending on your skin type) to clean skin without over-cleansing, and check products are AHA-free. Meanwhile, double cleansing is not essential and can also strip oils; one proper cleanse (massaging the cleanser into your skin) is good enough – and if you like to use a cloth, use it gently.

An increasingly popular change that more women I speak to are making (and more experts are endorsing) is not washing your face in the morning – the idea being that if we clean and care for our skin properly at night, it should be in a perfect state when we wake up. Some may like to splash their face with water first thing, or oilier skin types may like to use a toner to refresh, but using a face wash or cleanser just isn’t a necessity for many. Having already made this change, I now realize that most of my morning skincare was trying to rectify the drying effects of the face wash on my naturally dry skin. Not washing my face every morning has been the best beauty change I’ve made in the past year. It may not be right for you, but try it for a week – it can make all the difference to dry or chronically dehydrated skin.

This approach was shared by a Paris-born beauty formulator, who explained that many French women apparently like to use clay masks to deep-clean and soften their skin mid-week, then follow with a hydrating or nourishing mask at the weekend. If you live or work in a city, then applying a clay mask is a necessity to help remove pollution. The newer clay masks work brilliantly on all skin types, even dry, as they clean without stripping or drying, and create the most beautiful velvety-soft finish. They’re also great to use post-flight (follow with a hydrating mask to reset skin) and are an excellent addition to every bathroom cabinet.

A-list aesthetician Joanna Czech’s 8 golden rules for great skin

Why I stopped washing my face – and it transformed my skin