With all the symptoms that menopause brings, women experiencing this need all the help they can get to save their sanity. One less thing they have to worry about is how to take care of their skin during and after this nightmarish period of womanhood.
So, what happens during menopause? For starters, estrogen levels drop.
Estrogen plays a role in the regulation of the menstrual cycle and the maturation of the reproductive system. (1) Aside from that, it helps give you a luscious head of hair, curvaceous body form, and it improves the collagen content of the skin.
Now, because your body is having a hormonal imbalance during menopause, everything goes crazy.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, women’s skin loses about 30% of its collagen during the first 5 years of menopause, then 2% yearly after that for the next 20 years. (2)
So yes, from perimenopause to menopause, everything goes downhill. We know that collagen has youthful effects on the skin. When your collagen stores are depleted, you see more aging skin concerns creep up such as hollowing of the skin, cellulite, fine lines and wrinkles, and the loss of tone of the skin.
Usually, there is also fat loss or muscle loss during this stage that accentuates the aging effect of collagen depletion. And aside from all the biologic changes that are happening in the body, there’s the psychological stress of having to endure menopause! No wonder this period drives women nuts!
Another issue most menopausal women have is dry skin. Dull and aging skin appears lackluster. It gives off a parched look that accentuates every fine line and wrinkle. It makes the skin look haggard. And sometimes, you don’t just experience facial skin dryness but also dryness in your private parts.
Others will experience teenage-like acne because of the hormonal imbalance. Because there is less estrogen, some women may get overly active oil glands. Because of the uncontrolled oiliness, it may lead to acne breakouts.
If you’ve loved spending time tanning or basking under the sun, you may likely see age spots on your face, hands, and other sun-exposed skin too. You might also notice that your skin easily gets sunburned.
We hope we can promise you that you will not have to go through all those crazy things we mentioned. But unfortunately, you probably won’t come through completely unscathed.
And we’d like to promise you that we can fix all your skin issues. But that would be a lie.
So, what can we do?
To help the skin adjust to the brutal hormonal change, we can help by addressing the symptoms we are experiencing. Not everyone will be having acne or dry skin so personalize your skin care regimen according to your own experience.
First, dry skin. You need to stop causing further skin dryness. Skip harsh soaps that strip away moisture from your skin. If a soap leaves your skin feeling tight and dry, toss it! Skip the deodorizing, heavily perfumed bar soaps. Bank on mild cleansers that don’t leave your skin feeling tight after washing it!
Soaps made of goat milk are helpful for deep cleansing while not harming the skin's natural barrier. Another great option will always be baby soaps, that are made from all-natural ingredients and are hypoallergenic.
Avoid long, hot baths. Hot water contributes to dry skin because it strips the healthy oils on the skin.
Apply moisturizer and lotion after bathing. Glycerin, olive oil, or coconut oil are great products to use to keep your skin hydrated. Apply these generously on the driest parts of your body like the hands, elbows, knees, and the heels.
As for your facial skin, it is wasteful to apply your expensive creams, serums, and moisturizers to skin that will eventually shed off. So before dabbing those skin-hydrating goodies, exfoliate first. And we mean, exfoliate effectively!
Microdermabrasion is a popular spa service that polishes your skin to perfection. What it does is remove the top layers (dead layers, so you are just helping your skin renew faster) with an abrasive tool like a diamond tip and reveal younger skin from within.
It also works with suction to vacuum all the skin debris and nasties that clog your pores out. The suction also stimulates blood circulation so your body’s natural healing properties (collagen and elastin) can kick in and heal your skin ASAP.
You can invest in your own at-home microdermabrasion system if you can’t afford to get frequent professional service. Having your own device is actually better so you can keep getting great results especially because our skin regenerates every 27 days! (3)
Now that you’ve removed the dead layer of your skin, it will be ready to receive all the nutrients from your skincare products.
Hyaluronic acid is a great ingredient that is best known to hydrate the skin. It can hold a thousand times its own weight in water that is why this is a favorite ingredient for relieving dry skin.
Vitamins A, C, and E are also great ingredients to incorporate in your skincare. These vitamins help fight free radicals that destroys the skin and accelerate the appearance of skin aging. You may get your daily dose of vitamins by snacking on colorful fruits and vegetables. Try to eat as much greens, yellows, and reds to boost your antioxidants.
No matter what age you are in, SPF is still a need! Shield your skin from the harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun. Your skin is thinning because of menopause so help protect it from getting further damaged.
Consider hormone therapy. Of course, you need to talk to your health care provider to help you address the hormonal imbalance. It is also important that you and your doctor can determine if this is the best treatment for you. Hormone therapy should help deal with hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause. It should also help improve the condition of the skin.
And lastly, get your daily dose of beauty sleep. We need at least 8 hours of sleep daily. The optimal time for sleep is between 10pm to 6am. The first 4 hours are crucial because that is when our body repairs itself. So, no more late night TV’s or parties. You are not Cinderella, your curfew should be 10pm sharp!
