SPRING has arrived so they tell us and it's time to shed those layers of clothing and start the beauty countdown to summer.

When it's cold and we're wrapped up in layer upon layer, it's easy to let the skin become rough, dry, chapped and dull-looking.

In the same way that we clean our houses for the longer days and hours of sunlight ahead, now is the perfect time to give the largest part of your body your skin a good going-over.

Remember, it will be on show more and more as the weather warms up and there is no excuse for tired-looking skin with the plethora of products on the market.

One of the most respected names in skincare is Vichy.

Since their origins in 1931, Vichy Laboratories' mission has been the health of skin, preventing and correcting physiological skin disorders such as dehydration, wrinkles and orange peel skin.

Vichy has created a complete range of skincare products containing Vichy Thermal spa Water, which comes from a thousand-year-old site in the centre of France.

Free from bacteria and rich in calcium and magnesium, Vichy Thermal Spa Water has been recognised for its therapeutic virtues since the 17th Century, notably for its stimulation of the skin's defences.

Try the Purete Thermale range of cleansing products with Vichy Thermal Spa Water, which preserve and reinforce each skin type's natural protection.

For moisturising, there is the Thermal S range, which associates Thermal Spa Water and Serine, a natural water capturer, which allows the water to be retained in the heart of the cells. The skin's protective role is strengthened, evaporation is slowed down and the skin regains suppleness and comfort.

There are three strengths available: dehydrated, very dehydrated and normal to combination skin.

As we know, our skin becomes drier and more prone to wrinkles as we get older. UV rays present in daylight are the primary cause of skin's ageing.

With age, the skin's supportive structure becomes distorted, the tissues lose their resilience, wrinkles appear and the skin loses its firmness.

Vichy's Lumiactiv cream is the first filtering skincare treatment able to block the first cause of skin ageing everyday UVA rays.

It is described as a hydrating day care treatment which enables the skin to regenerate and to immediately regain its radiance, smoothness and elasticity.

Another well respected name in skincare is Lancome, who have just launched a new cleansing range.

Cleansing is regarded as the basic element of skin care the hum-drum necessity and yet more is expected of these products than of any other.

They are used twice a day to cleanse and polish the skin but with entirely different psychological and physiological associations.

In the morning, the cleanse-and-tone ritual is required to awake and refresh and in the evening, the very same products must soothe and pamper in preparation for sleep.

The new range comes in three Families: Clarity, for normal to combination skins, Comfort, for dry skins, and Control, for oily skins.

In the clarity range, there is a foaming gel, refreshing toning lotion and a light, milky cleanser.

In the Comfort range, there is a cleansing mousse, a "textured" toning lotion and a soft, caressing" milk, which calms as it cleanses".

The Control range comprises only two products: a translucent foaming gel and an astringent, two-phase lotion which deep cleanses the skin and absorbs excessive oil.

And not forgetting those un-complaining workhorses that we take for granted our hands Lancome have brought out a hand treatment that has a soothing but rapidly absorbed texture and nourishing, rejuvenating formula".

Called Nutri-Source Crme Mains, it contains vegetable oils to soften and nourish, pure vitamin E to protect against exposure to the elements and vitamin H to strengthen and care for nails.

Other new products to hit the shelves this spring include a range of skincare products from Biore, whose products are an amalgamation of science and nature, utilising ingredients combined perfectly to achieve a truly clean, fresh and smooth complexion".

Biore Blemish Bomb is an "overnight miracle treatment for blemishes and pimples, available in hygienic, single-use packs. It is applied directly on to the blemish before going to bed and delivers the active ingredients and penetrates the blemish while the wearer is asleep.

Another new product is the Biore Blemish Prevention Wash a wash-off cleanser that keeps skin clear and spot-free.

Susan Molyneux is another range of respected skincare products with some great new products on offer.

Susan Molyneux's Rescue Serum is fortified with "effective moisture-binding substances and antioxidants to protect and nourish the skin.

As with all Susan Molyneux preparations, plant extracts and minerals provide the active components in the Extra Rich Night Cream and the Vitamin E Moisturiser.