Menopause skin care

How does menopause affect skin?

Oestrogen is a perimenopausal woman’s best friend. It has profound effects on skin biology and function. Oestrogen protects skin from ageing by increasing thickness, reducing wrinkling and increasing hydration. With the onset of perimenopause everything changes, now is the time to consider your skincare for menopause and the ageing effects on skin!

These changes occur due to effects of reduced levels of oestrogen on the oestrogen receptors (components of cells which bind to and use oestrogen) and collagen. And a lifetime of ultraviolet light exposure doesn’t help.

Entering into perimenopause we need to think of skin damage limitation, those fine lines are gradually replaced by deeper wrinkles and sun damage becomes more obvious. Thanks to menopause, this is the decade when skin changes the most.

Your menopause skin!

Skin dryness is one of the first symptoms of ageing skin in menopausal women with loss of firmness and elasticity in the skin tending to follow on swiftly.

Prior to menopause the majority of oestrogen in a woman’s body is produced by the ovaries. Decreased oestrogen weakens the production of glycosaminoglycans in the dermal layer of skin and over time causes collagen production to decline.

Collagen is a key component of skin and women lose it at an increasing rate from the onset of menopause. In the first five years of menopause, women lose about 30% of their collagen. Post-menopause the rate of collagen loss declines to around 2% annually.

12 rules to protect your menopausal skin!

UV protection

You get wrinkles from too much sun damage over the years, as well as the hormonal changes of menopause.

Exposure to the sun can do much more damage to ageing skin than just causing painful sunburn. Even mild sunburn that causes a small amount of redness may destroy the top layer of skin.

Research has shown that the sun’s ultraviolet rays, contribute towards skin cancer and accelerate skin ageing. So, it’s never too late to start wearing protective moisturising face products with a minimum SPF of 30, ideally loaded with antioxidants. Ensure that you spread it down your neckline and use it every day throughout the year for maximum protection. You can mitigate the sun’s harmful rays by:

• Covering up outdoors when the sun’s rays are at their strongest, between 10 and 4.

• Wear sunscreen and don’t skimp, applying only a thin coating reduces effectiveness by 50%.

• Choose waterproof sunscreen. Even products claiming to give all-day protection, should be re-applied every 2 hours, especially if you’ve been swimming or suffer with hot flushes and sweating.

• Wear sunglasses and a hat, they’re the best facial protection there is!

• Fake it! If you really need a tan, get a fake one, there are great brands that are far cheaper than a trip to the sun.

Vitamin D, not damage!

Vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin, it helps keep the immune system in shape, it’s also essential for healthy bones, teeth and muscles, all the things women want to hang on to post-menopause.

The best way to get vitamin D is from exposure to sunlight but there are limits to what’s safe to lessen its damage on menopausal skin.

Spending an hour in the midday sun whilst wearing SPF 15 should be enough to top-up levels nicely. If you go sunscreen-free, it only takes around 10 minutes, give-or-take, depending on the colour of your skin, to get enough Vitamin D.

Preventing age spots

Age spots on the face, hands, and chest can look more obvious around menopause.

To prevent post-menopause age spots, apply sunscreen to your hands or use a hand cream with UV protection every day. Products containing glycolic acid or antioxidants may help to repair sun damage.

Already got spots? Fade them with exfoliating products that help to shed dead skin cells, which can be dull and flaky. Skin-lightening products may help fade spots. Skin-lightening toners can also help even out skin colour.

Increase skin hydration

Oil production in skin reduces around age forty. Moisturising regularly becomes more important in perimenopause to replace natural oils and protect the skin’s lipid barrier.

Moving into 50s, oestrogen and hyaluronic acid (a water-soluble compound which helps draw moisture into our skin) levels, drop.

Some moisturisers carry eye-watering high prices, so for ageing, drier skin, look for products containing any or several of the following agents:

• hyaluronic acid

• glycerine; a moisturising agent

• aloe barbadensis extract, an emollient and skin conditioner

• vitamins B, C and E that may help protect and repair your skin from free radicals

• SPF 15

If you’ve developed rosacea, choose a natural, fragrance-free moisturiser.

Serums are much thinner and lighter than moisturisers and serve a variety of purposes, from ‘anti-ageing’, skin brightening, and acne prevention serums.

Serums contain ingredients that claim to penetrate more deeply into your skin. They’re not meant to replace moisturiser but could boost their hydrating effects. Apply after cleansing and before moisturiser and sunscreen.

Oh, and drink plenty of water too!

Handle with care

The backs of your hands can lose moisture, collagen, and fat during menopause, making veins more obvious, skin looks more bony, see-through and wrinkled. To reduce the look of wrinkles, use moisturiser often on your hands.

Protect them from the sun, apply sunscreen to your hands or use a hand cream with UV protection every day. Products containing glycolic acid or antioxidants may help to repair sun damage. And wear gloves when doing housework or gardening.

Careful cleansing

Cleansing is still an important step in protecting ageing skin as it benefits from additional moisture.

The key is using a cleanser that's right for drier skin. Go for a creamy formula that hydrates instead of foam or gel cleansers, which strip the moisture away.

Avoid long, hot showers and put on moisturiser while your skin is still damp as this helps boost hydration.

Sooth sensitive skin

Increased skin sensitivity may happen with ageing as the natural lipids in women’s skin diminish.

Studies show that the pH level of skin gets higher after the age of 50. As the level rises, skin cells are less able to help defend itself and becomes more prone to rashes, sensitivity, and dermatitis. It’s therefore important to repair the skin’s moisture barrier with a good, effective moisturiser.

Cell renewal drops during menopause and the sebaceous glands slow down the production of oil, meaning that even the most robust complexions can become more vulnerable to irritation. Therefore, it’s not uncommon for women to experience sensitivity to products they’ve been using for years. 

Women suffering sensitive skin conditions such as rosacea, could try cooling gels or those products formulated with oats to help calm the irritation in treatment.

• Swap face wash for a non-foaming cleanser. Use a gentler milky, or creamy formulation, massage into your skin gently with your fingertips for a minute and rinse with tepid water. Ideally, you want your face to feel cleansed and clean, but not ‘squeaky clean’.

• Go for mild, unscented alcohol-free toners and products to stop skin feeling dry and irritated.

Less stress!

Stress impacts skin making it drier and more sensitive. It might also trigger conditions like psoriasis. And if you're stressed out, you might forget your skin care routine. Try yoga, meditation, and other stress-reduction techniques to help you relax. There’s plenty of free apps that claim to reduce stress.

Boost blood circulation

Exercise and movement do more than just tone muscles. It helps menopause skin in two ways:

• It boosts circulation, which begins to slow with age. Additional oxygen and blood flow help skin to look brighter and healthier

• Exercise relieves stress

Benefits of beauty sleep

Sleep gives your body a chance to recharge, helping your skin to look fresh and helps prevent dark circles under your eyes. Lack of sleep may impact your hormone levels and metabolism which may in turn effect skin health. Getting 7 to 9 hours of shut eye is important to keep menopause skin healthy and glowing.

Up the anti-oxidant!

Collagen helps keep skin youthful, plump and tight. When oestrogen levels drop during perimenopause the collagen supply goes with it.

Whilst there are many collagen products with ‘youth-preserving’ ingredients on the market, there’s no conclusive studies to prove that they really work.

Eating foods rich in antioxidants may help make up for it by making skin stronger from the inside out!

Known as the "brightening antioxidant", Vitamin C keeps skin healthy and glowing. It helps to shield against environmental and external aggressors to prevent free radical damage, whilst also encouraging natural collagen production.

Eat brightly coloured fruit and veg as they get their colour from these healthy compounds. A healthy balanced diet is the best way to produce collagen naturally. To ramp up antioxidant’s eat citrus fruits and red peppers for vitamin C. Increase vitamin E, from almonds, seeds and oily fish. Think Mediterranean diet, without the trip!

Roll-on rolling stones!

The gemstone jade is known as the stone of eternal youth and is a fantastic secret skin weapon, partly because it's a cooling, nonporous stone - meaning it won't retain bacteria.

Jade rollers are like a little rolling pin for your face and have been used as a skin-care tool for centuries in China.  

Facial rollers help with puffiness helping to decongest the fluid found in the lymphatic channels. They can be especially helpful under the eyes and although jade remains naturally cool, storing the roller in the fridge overnight may help eliminate puffiness in the morning. Try using a jade roller after applying other products to help enhance penetration of active ingredients into the skin.

When it comes to the wrinkle-erasing claims, jade rollers might help, in the short term. Using it to massage the skin stimulates circulation in the face, helping to plump up and lessen the appearance of fine lines, but don't expect Botox-like results!

May 2021