When it comes to a skincare routine, I can be erratic. I’m fickle and easily lured in by a new product (particularly if it comes in aesthetically pleasing packaging), which means I chop and change what I use regularly. In short, I don’t always give my skin what it needs.

It’s hard to know exactly what skin needs (except post-margaritas when it literally screams, “Hydrate me!”) and we have typically only viewed our skin in basic categories: dry, oily, combination. Naturally, there are target areas we all have, but not often do we have the science to back up why our skin is behaving in a certain way and how best to treat it. 

Well, we do now. Or rather No7, the UK’s number one skincare brand, does with its introduction of Pro Derm Scan – a new skin service using a dermatologist-grade device that reads your skin in a matter of minutes. The Pro Derm Scan give you a comprehensive assessment of your skin, breaking it down in four categories alongside personalised recommendations for how best to optimise it.

The launch follows research conducted by No7 on 2,000 UK women which found that 75% only use a third of their skincare and make-up, with a further 86% confirming they have bought a skincare product only to try it and find it doesn’t suit their skin.

Suitable for all skintones and incorporating six years of research and development, I tested out No7’s Pro Derm Scan, a free 1-to-1 service and the first on the high street, to find out what is really going on underneath the surface. 

The Pro Derm Scan is a hi-tech device that takes a scientific snap of your forehead, cheek, eye corner and jawline to reveal skin hydration levels, wrinkles and fine lines, pores and oil balance.

Working in the beauty industry, I thought I knew my skin pretty well: I have oily skin, big pores but not very noticeable fine lines and wrinkles considering I have just turned 32. What the scan revealed was that there is a lot more going on under the surface than I had anticipated. After my consultation with the specialist – where they create a personalised profile for your based on your skin goals, lifestyle and routines – I was rewarded with the results. 

That data is condensed into understandable, coordinated chunks of information and ratings. Using a traffic light system and scores out of 5 (5 being optimum, save for oil balance where the ideal marker is a 3), I scored the following: 4/5 for hydration, 3/5 for fine lines and wrinkles, 4/5 for pores and 1/5 for oil balance.

I was pleasantly surprised by the hydration score – I thought my skin was in a worse state than that – and unsurprised by the low rating for oily skin, but what really shocked me was the fine lines and wrinkles. The device is so fine-tuned that it can detect subtle changes to the skin and features smaller than 0.02mm (which is five times thinner than a human hair) before they become apparent to the naked eye, which in my case is an essential preventive for fine lines and wrinkles becoming any more visible.

After going through my results, my consultant not only gave me a personalised skincare routine, she was also able to colour match me perfectly for No7 Restore & Renew foundation.

Having only ever seen this kind of technology and expert feedback in high-end skin clinics, this is a truly ground-breaking and genius piece of technology that No7 is offering at no extra cost.

Book your No7 Pro Derm Scan now.

Images: courtesy of Boots