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Menopause Skin Care - what does it do?
Menopause skin care can have an important role in improving your skin. However, skin care is not where it begins and ends. In this blog we will look at what to look for, when you’re choosing your menopause skin care products, and how products can help. But we will also look at other ways to support your skin during the menopause and perimenopause, as relying on skin care products alone simply won’t give you the results you want, or deserve. So, lets begin!
Whether I am working with you to improve your skin concerns, or scars, I always adopt an ‘inside out and outside in’ approach. The Nutritional Therapist in me wouldn’t have it any other way! You can learn about the different factors that affect your skin, by downloading my Ultimate Skin Guide and Ultimate Scar Guide, via the button below.
What happens to our skin during menopause?
Before we look at menopause skin care, it’s important to look at what happens to our skin during the perimenopause and menopause. By understand what happens to your skin, my advice will make more sense, so you can make informed decisions that are right for your skin.
During both peri and full menopause, our levels of oestrogen and progesterone decline in our body. As a result, collagen and elastin levels decline rapidly – and these are essential for the plumpness and elasticity of our skin. The result of these falling hormone levels & skin proteins, show up as lines & wrinkles, and sagging skin, and rapid ageing.
Our skin also becomes thinner, and our natural lipid levels in our skin drops, causing skin to feel dry, tight and sensitive. Our hyaluronic acid levels also decline, as does our ability to keep in our natural moisturising factors. Throw in UV exposure, and we’ve got the increased damage from UV rays, on top of skin that is already weaker and unable to repair and recover in the same way. At the same time, our androgen levels, such as testosterone, stay stable – which can increase sebum production and cause acne breakouts.
Not only can we start to see rapid ageing, many of us will experience skin sensitivities, such as rosacea, eczema, rashes, itching, and exacerbation of other inflammatory skin conditions. There’s a lot going on, isn’t there!
Signs of menopausal skin changes
- Dry, tight skin
- Increased lines & wrinkles
- Saggy skin
- Loss of volume
- Loss of elasticity
- Itching skin
- Skin rashes
- Sensitive skin
- Dull skin
- Saggy skin around the neck
- Thinning skin
- Increased hair on your face
- Rosacea, or increased flusing
- Worsening of conditions such as psoriasis or eczema
- Acne/break outs
Can skin care really fix all of this?
Honestly, NO. Menopause skin care alone cannot and does not reverse the signs of ageing alone, at least not to the degree most products promise. I want to be really honest about this, because this is one of the reasons that SO many women spend a fortune on skin care products that simply don’t deliver the results that are promised, or you expect. And there’s a good reason for this.
Firstly, menopause skin care products come under the same banner as ‘anti ageing skincare’. So any products designed to address ageing skin are designed with you in mind. These products are designed to boost your collagen and elastin levels in your skin, and increase hydration levels. Most products are a smoke screen, they will most likely make your skin fill softer and smoother, and if you’re using certain products, you might notice that your sun damage is reducing, and over all, your skin is looking/feeling brighter and more dewy. This is GREAT, of course – but it’s not really addressing the issue of deeper lines & wrinkles and skin elasticity.
Lets take retinol as an example. Retinol is an absolute SUPER HERO in the fight against ageing skin concerns. A good retinol speeds up your cell turnover and boosts collagen and elastin levels in your skin. It also improves the quality of collagen in your skin. This all sounds brilliant, doesn’t it? But here’s the thing that skin care brands don’t tell you. Your natural collagen and elastin levels have declined substantially, and your body is just not producing nearly enough, or a good quality of collagen. Most skin care products do not reach, or therefore work, on the layers of skin that boost your collagen and elastin levels. So, your fancy menopause skin care products aren’t really that effective, as your body just isn’t producing high enough levels of collagen for products to stimulate, plus most product ingredients never reach the epidermal / dermal junction, where they need to be, to stimulate collagen production. I know this sounds terrible, but there is hope – so please read on!
How you can boost your collagen levels
I know it feels a little doom and gloom, and that it sounds like I’m telling you menopause skin care products don’t work. But they do, when you combine them with some other changes.
Your skin is the largest organ of your body, and responds to everything that happens inside and outside. The good news is, the power is in YOUR HANDS, to make changes that will help your skin. Most of our ageing skin concerns are extrinsic – which means they are within our control.
I’m going to share some of my tips below, for managing your skin during peri menopause and menopause. You can also download my Ultimate Guide, for the button at the top of this blog.
Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten that this is a blog on menopause skin care! We will move on to skincare shortly, but this stuff is important, so you can get the best possible results.
Top Tips for boosting your collagen levels
- HRT is a personal choice for everyone, there are so many options available. If you haven’t read it already, then I highly recommend Davina McCall & Dr Naomi’s book – Menopausing. I was in perimenopause for 4 years, without really realising or accepting it. And, even after I was prescribed HRT, it took me 5 months to start using it!! This booked helped me wrap my head about it, and gave me the confidence to start treatment. Balancing your hormones, in whichever way is right for you, WILL help improve your skin.
- Look after your skin from the inside out, by eating a well balanced diet that is rich in food that can nourish your skin. ‘Eat the rainbow’ and eat as many different coloured fruit and vegetables as possible, and include oily fish, and/or nuts and seeds in your diet, to boost your natural lipid levels. Increase your intake of foods that are rich in beta-carotene, such as butternut squash and pumpkin, as these support collagen production AND protect your skin from UV damage. You’ll find more nutrition advice in my Ultimate Skin Guide (click on the button at the top of the post). Cut down on sugar, as this contributes to lines & wrinkles, it causes a hardening of the collagen fibers, which causes something called ‘glycation’. If you have criss cross lines & wrinkles, then this is likely to be the cause of them.
- Take steps to reduce your stress levels, as high levels of cortisol, our natural stress hormone, wreaks havoc with our skin, and aside from UV exposure, is THE most common cause of premature ageing.
- Try and get 7-9 hours sleep a night. Your skin goes through important repair and regeneration at night. If you’re not getting sufficient sleep, your skin doesn’t have the chance to repair, and you’ll see signs of premature ageing progressing rapidly.
- Invest in a targeted and high grade skincare range, with powerful anti ageing ingredients, such as retinol, vitamin C, AHA’s, BHA’s, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid and of course, sunscreen! We will look at this next.
- Consider treatments such as radiofrequency microneedling and HIFU. Both of these treatments are considered ‘non-surgical face-lift’ treatments, as they target the skin at the deeper level and naturally boost your collagen, elastin and hydration levels in your skin. Your body really is very clever, when it’s stimulated in the right way – it will automatically boost your own collagen production – helping to address those pesky signs of ageing, cause by menopause skin changes. It’s important, when you have a loss of collagen and elastin in your skin, to consider treatments that really boost these. This will help your menopause skin care to be even more effective, as your collagen levels have been stimulated naturally, and products such as retinol, maximise this, by stimulating even more collagen, AND improving the quality of the collagen produced.
Boosting your collagen with treatments
I went backwards and forwards about whether to put information about a treatment, ahead of menopause skin care advice. But there’s method in my madness!
Remember that we talked about how our natural collagen & elastin levels take a nose dive? Well, this treatment super charges your levels in your skin, which gives the active ingredients in your skin care, more to work with. It essentially maximises your results.
When it comes to treating menopause skin changes, radiofrequency microneedling really is the superhero. RF microneedling naturally stimulates your collagen and elastin levels, and not only reduces lines & wrinkles, but also has a tightening & lifting effect. It’s one of my non surgical face lift treatments, and is perfect for menopause skin. I often combine this with HIFU for my clients, to boost your skin at all layers, maximising your long term results.
This is my most popular aesthetics treatment in my clinic, in Alton, Hampshire. And it’s because it offers so many amazing benefits. When it’s combine with the lifestyle factors, nutrition, and AlumierMD skincare, the results truly are WOW. This is EXACTLY what I do to look after my own menopausal skin! You can find out more by clicking on the button below.
Menopause Skin Care
This is where your menopause skin care comes into it’s own! If you are naturally boosting your collagen levels through lifestyle and targeted treatments, then your skin care products will be able to super charge your collagen & elastin levels, strengthen your skin AND protect it.
Your menopause skin care needs to include ingredients such as retinol, to speed up cell turnover and stimulate more collagen, of a better quality. Vitamin C to protect your skin, and support healthy collagen production. AHA’s, to exfoliate, and improve skin tone & texture, hyaluronic acid for moisture, as it can hold 1000 x it’s own weight in water, and SUNSCREEN! There’s no point using any other products if you’re not using sunscreen – UVA rays are responsible for up to 90% of premature ageing.
If you are experiencing inflammatory skin conditions, such as rosacea or acne, as an example, then niacinamide is an important ingredient for you, as it helps to soothe and calm your skin.
The skincare products that are right for you, will depend on your specific skin type and concerns, but if you click on the button below, you’ll be able to read about my top 5 anti ageing skincare ingredients. But, a word on retinol below – as it deserves a special mention.
A word on retinol
Retinol is one of the best known anti ageing skin care products, and in my opinion, a MUST for menopause skin care. Firstly, please don’t be afraid of retinol. If you’ve had a bad reaction, or know someone that has, then it’s likely because it was too strong, or was not the right type of retinol for your skin. Not all retinols are created equal.
I have worked with many skin care brands over the years. I by far favour AlumierMD. Their products are in bio-available form, which means in a form that your skin naturally knows what to do with. This means you achieve better results, without the irritation of some other brands.
Their retinol is very special. It actually works in the epidermal/dermal junction, which is where new collagen can be stimulated. It’s rare for a product to reach this level, which is why skin care alone is NEVER the answer to long term skin improvements.
Alumier’s retinol is microencapsulated retinol allows for gradual timed release overnight. By encapsulating the retinol and adding soothing and hydrating ingredients like niacinamide, honey, and sodium hyaluronate, maximal results can be achieved in comfort. And the polymer that encapsulates the retinol is drawn to the deeper layers of the skin, where it can work it’s magic. The effects of Alumier’s retinol last 72 hours, so you can use it 3-4 times a week, and still see great results. So you see, not all skin care is created equal.
Maximise your menopause skin care results
If you’ve been using menopause skin care for a while, but haven’t seen the results you’d hoped for, then I hope that you can see why. More importantly, I hope that you can see that you CAN improve your skin and get fabulous results. If you can boost your collagen levels naturally, alongside your menopause skin care products, the active ingredients in your products will have more to work with – and will super charge your results. By;
- Balancing your hormones.
- Making lifestyle changes to support healthy skin.
- Eating skin boosting foods.
- Considering collagen boosting treatments.
- Using targeted menopause skin care, with active anti ageing ingredients.
The result will not only be visible on your skin, but you will feel AMAZING too!
I always work with my clients to find some quick and easy changes that they can make, that make a huge difference to their skin. It’s never just about skin care, or treatments. The best results come when we work together, from the outside in and inside out.
I'd love to help you
If you’ve been struggling with menopause skin changes, and would like to learn how to improve your skin, AND achieve long term results, then please get in touch.
I hope that you’ve enjoyed my blog about menopause skin care. I know that it might not have been what you were expecting – as it wasn’t all about skin care. But I wanted to be honest with you about the results you can achieve. Menopause skin care can make a huge difference to skin, if used alongside the advice in my blog.
I’d love to welcome you to my aesthetics clinic is based in Alton, Hampshire. I am right on the Hampshire / Surrey border, and just 15 minutes from both Basingstoke and Farnham.
If you would like to book a no obligation Skin Consultation You can book your appointment via the button below. If there are no slots available, then please add yourself to the waiting list, or use the contact form, and we will be in touch when an appointment becomes available.
I offer online services for skin care prescription and advice, so if you’d like some help, but you’re not local to me – that’s absolutely fine, I can still help you.
I look forward to hearing from you. Best, Nikki
