Watch Out For New Vichy Skin Diagnostic Tools

"26!", announced the gal holding one of Vichy's newest skin diagnostic gadgets, the hand-held Skinconsult tool, which she'd been using on me to measure my hydration, sebum and ageing concerns.

It's all a bit Star Trek, but this little skin-diagnosing doofer is currently arriving in 45 pharmacies nationwide, and gives your pharmacist an extra weapon in their arsenal to help accurately judge your skin concerns.  That's good news for us as consumers, because the brand estimate that over two thirds of Irish women don't know what their skin-type is, and a further 69% of the ones who think they've got it down pat are actually wrong.

It's a baffling business, skin.

So the new Skinconsult can, in three minutes, give you an overview of your issues. I'm apparently quite well hydrated - my levels were about 60-something percent and the sebum level on my forehead was Very High (but I suspect that as it was Very Warm in the room that this may have had something to do with that little fact).

Skinconsult is merely the infantry in Vichy's diagnostic army. It's joined by the bells-and-whistles cavalry of Dermo-Analyzer, an all-singing-all-dancing piece of sleek white gadgetry that's borne of 12 years of research and development. Capable of putting your skin through six paces, it'll check out your hydration levels, perform a skin type analysis, work out your skin age, tone, level of pigmentation and UV damage and test your skin sensitivity. It checks against 7,000 skin profiles, so you're guaranteed accurate results.

Oh - and the 26 thing? That, dear readers, is my skin age. And yes, I am bloody smug about it!

Both services will be available nationwide; check your local pharmacy for details, or if you're near a McCabes, then you're in luck!