Every cisgender woman will undergo menopause, representing one-third of a woman's life. The average age entering this new phase is 51, which translates to about nine million Canadian women undergoing menopause at any given time – so there’s no need to go into it without preparation. Unfortunately, there’s still a stigma about openly discussing the hormonal shifts that send our periods haywire and cause changes to our skin.
Like puberty, menopause is a time of hormonal upheaval with the transition taking place gradually in two stages: peri-menopause followed by post-menopause. The former is characterized by irregular menstrual cycles and can have both physical (hot flashes, aging skin, changes in hair growth and weight gain) and psychological impacts (mood changes and insomnia).
Post-menopause, which is marked by 12 consecutive months after your last period, can bring some noticeable changes that are prompted by the slowdown of sex hormones—like estrogen, and progesterone and an increase in cortisol, also known as the “stress" hormon. Some symptoms decrease or gradually disappear (hot flashes and mood swings) while other ones intensify (osteoporosis, dryness, skin laxity, acne and uneven skin tone).
Menopause and post-menopause is not and end. It is just another life stage that you don't have to worry about when you have access to the right information and right skincare routine. Here’s the lowdown on how menopause can affect the skin and the products that can combat the symptoms so that you can maintain skin health during this life stage.
Symptoms on skin during menopause and post-menopause
During menopause, lower estrogen levels have a significant impact on your skin. The drop in estrogen makes you prone to thinning, sagging and wrinkling; a major factor in causing these skin changes after menopause is collagen depletion. In your early 20s, collagen production starts to dip, decreasing about 1 to 2% every year. After menopause, because of the hormonal drop, this collagen reduction picks up speed. Studies show that women’s skin loses about 30% of its collagen during the first five years of menopause. After that, the decline is more gradual.
Loose skin after menopause is a common complaint directly linked to collagen loss. This results in less volume in the face because the fat pads under the skin have depleted, causing elasticity to drop. Menopause and dry, itchy skin are also a direct result of declining estrogen and collagen levels. Since collagen strengthens the skin, when there’s a lack of this protein, it leads to thinner, drier and itchier skin.
Loose skin after menopause is a common complaint directly linked to collagen loss. This results in less volume in the face because the fat pads under the skin have depleted, causing elasticity to drop. Menopause and dry, itchy skin are also a direct result of declining estrogen and collagen levels. Since collagen strengthens the skin, when there’s a lack of this protein, it leads to thinner, drier and itchier skin.
Dryness is another side effect of menopause. Even if you’ve had oily skin your whole life, it can suddenly become partched because oil glands aren’t as active as they once were. Essentially, menopause and skin dryness go hand in hand; dry skin is caused by diminishing estrogen production, which slows down oil production, so you lose the ability to make your own lipids and maintain moisture due to a weakened lipid barrier.
How to treat your skin during menopause and post-menopause
If you’re trying to restore post-menopausal skin, hydrate, hydrate and then hydrate some more! Drinking more water is a great place to start, but that won’t have much of an effect on the skin. While hydration is essential for your body to function properly, oral hydration has no direct link to your skin’s hydration. Instead, try to give skin more moisture. Take shorter showers instead of long, hot ones and apply a heavier moisturizer while your skin—on your face and body—is still damp. Menopause affects body skin just as much as facial skin, which is why it’s so important to stay hydrated from the neck down. Also, consider adding products that contain hydrating ingredients to your skincare regimen, like cleansers and serums.
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a. Use a gentle cleanser
The best face wash for menopausal skin depends on your symptoms. For example, many women experience hormonal breakouts, which are most commonly found along the chin and jawline. If you’re experiencing menopausal acne, opt for a gentle cleanser with salicylic acid, but avoid anything too harsh or drying.
If dryness is your primary concern, look for a gentle, hydrating soap-free cleanser for peri-menopausal or post-menopausal skin. Consider trying Vichy Purete Thermale One Step Milk Cleanser 3-In-1. It’s light and creamy and removes dirt, makeup and oil without leaving your skin stripped—vital if you’re wrestling with dryness..
b. Minimize wrinkles with anti-aging skincare
When selecting anti-aging skincare for menopausal skin, choose a potent serum to replace and reactivate more collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid. More hyaluronic acid, whether through increased production or direct application, will hydrate and build stronger, more supple skin from within..
c. Stay hydrated and use a moisturizer for menopause skin
The best skincare products for peri- and post-menopausal skin work to reactivate skin mechanisms, helping to boost elasticity, firmness and hydration. Enter Vichy’s latest range: Neovadiol Post-Menopause Replenishing Redefining Day Cream and Neovadiol Post-Menopause Replenishing Firming Night Cream. Enriched with omega 3-6-9 fatty acids, niacinamide and cassia extract these nourishing moisturizers replenish lipid loss and reduce the look of sagginess.
There are also topical treatments for similar skin conditions associated with perimenopause. Vichy also recently launched lightweight day and night creams: Neovadiol Peri-Menopause Redensifying Plumping Day Cream and Neovadiol Peri-Menopause Redensifying Revitalizing Night Cream. Enriched with hyaluronic acid, these two lightweight moisturizers plump and re-densify so that the skin looks lifted. It also contains Aquakeep technology which delivers an immediate cooling sensation to help refresh and soothe skin..
d. Use a broad-spectrum SPF sunscreen
We know we’re supposed to wear sunscreen every day, but this is especially true for post-menopausal women. An increase in sun sensitivity is widespread because the skin is thinner, making it more reactive. Another factor is that our skin produces less melanin when estrogen levels drop, making menopausal women more vulnerable to sun damage such as sunburn, sun rash and sunspots. Applying a broad-spectrum SPF of 30 or higher on all exposed skin (not just your face) is more important than ever.
RELATED PRODUCTS
Neovadiol Meno 5 Bi-Serum
With Vitamin C + Niacinamide for Wrinkles & Firmness
Neovadiol post-menopause Replenishing Firming Night Cream
With Proxylane + Cassia Extract for Wrinkles & Dry Skin
Neovadiol Peri-Menopause Day Cream for Combination Skin
Elasticity, Firmness, Dryness - Normal to combination skin
