Menopause Skin
Unfortunately, we are all slaves to our hormones – especially skin. From puberty to menopause, oestrogen calls the shots, affecting every layer of our skin. If you’re post-menopausal, your oestrogen levels will have fallen off a cliff, and you’ll start ageing twice as fast. If you’re perimenopausal (early to mid-40s), testosterone and progesterone start to decline, leading to a confusing double whammy for your skin of dryness and breakouts.
Signs of menopausal changes in your skin
- Loss of collagen: lines, wrinkles, loss of firmness:
Blame plummeting oestrogen levels for the drop in collagen, the scaffolding propping up your skin. (We lose 1% of mature Type 1 collagen yearly during menopause, accelerated by lifestyle factors such as stress and poor diet). As gravity kicks in, our face shape changes.
- Dryness:
Less oestrogen means drier hair, skin and nails. As oil glands become less active, the decrease in lipids weakens the barrier and moisture escapes, dehydrating the skin.
- Pigmentation:
Fluctuating hormones leave skin vulnerable to melasma, which can be suppressed but never disappears entirely. Make friends with SPF.
- Dullness:
If you notice lumps and bumps, blame lazy cell turnover: dead skin builds up, stretching pores and making skin look dull. As circulation slows down, the skin is starved of oxygen and nutrients.
- Underlying redness:
Drier skin is more prone to sensitivity due to a weakened skin barrier – hello, rashes, itching and irritation. Hot flushes and changes in body temperature can also trigger rosacea-like symptoms.
- Spots:
Hormonal fluctuations lead to painful spots along the jawline and neck but don’t use teenage acne treatments, which dry and irritate thin, menopausal skin.
With the recent influx of menopause-focused skincare, how do you decide what suits your skin?
Which skincare ingredients help menopause skin?
At Tej & Co, we want to make your menopause journey as smooth as possible. Peri and post-menopausal skin doesn’t age as long as you look after it, but it does change. We recommend concentrating on texture rather than fine lines and wrinkles to bring your skin back to life.
If your skin feels dry, your products might not hydrate enough anymore. Corneotherapists start by repairing the skin barrier and restoring your lipid levels – this alone might alleviate some of your symptoms. Then, we choose actives that stimulate oestrogen and collagen receptors to help slow down oestrogen loss.
Whereas menopause-focused OTC skincare tries and fails to address all symptoms (read blog on: Does your skincare care for your skin) Dermaviduals offers bespoke skincare blended to suit your hormones and skin concerns. It is free from barrier-damaging surfactants, harsh preservatives, acids, mineral oils and synthetic dyes or fragrances, so it is perfect for sensitive, menopausal skin.
Our favourite Dermaviduals blends for menopause skin
We love treating peri and post-menopausal skins, and we have a little black book of tried and tested blends.
Menopausal
Tired menopausal skin loves a creamy blend of protective Coenzyme Q10 and collagen-boosting Isoflavone to balance oestrogen deficiency, especially if prone to hormonally induced acne, premature ageing and redness. If your skin is dry, we can restore the oil balance with rare and expensive Kiwi, rich in omega six and packed with vitamin C to support collagen function. And every skin deserves vitamin A for the ultimate collagen stimulation. Your skin is worth it.
Underlying redness – Hot flushes
Our favourite active ingredient for calming down rosacea-like symptoms following menopausal hot flushes is the herb Buthcer’s Broom. (True rosacea appears earlier in life). We also recommend keeping Dermaviduals Moisturising Toner in your bag to calm and hydrate your skin during a hot flush. (Skin can dry out after a heat response).
Spots
Spots from age 45 and onwards result from epidermal damage (blame overuse of retinol, peels, and acids) and rogue hormones. Blemished skin often shows low zinc levels, so we love adding this active ingredient to prevent future blemishes and heal current ones, especially along the jawline.
Dryness
We recommend Isoflavone as a neat pre-serum to supercharge your menopausal blend with nourishment. It tricks the skin into thinking oestrogen is present – a menopausal must-have.
Winter dryness
Regular moisturisers can struggle to keep oestrogen-deficient skin hydrated all day. If your sensitive skin is lipid-dry, we will add the super-hydrator Hyaluronan NAG to your serum and recommend OM Ointment as the perfect overcoat to keep out winter chills.
Our Favourite Menopause Treatments
Skincare is only part of the jigsaw. Whilst vital for rebuilding the barrier and topping up hydration levels, it can’t address loss of firmness and elasticity. In the five years following menopause, collagen falls 30-35%, and the skin loses around 50% of its thickness. We need to get stimulating collagen – fast.
At Tej & Co, we offer treatments to repair your estrogen-deficient skin from the inside out without damaging the barrier.
- Microneedling: controlled trauma to the skin stimulates new skin-plumping collagen and resurfaces sun-damaged skin.
- Endymed RF: Radiofrequency skin tightening heats collagen until it contracts and tightens, shrink-wrapping the skin.
- Bespoke Facial: a combination of skin health technologies (high frequency, iontophoresis, sonophoresis & LED), depending on your skin on the day.
- Microcurrent: Re-educates lazy muscles under the skin, reminding them to hold up sagging facial contours!
Menopausal Lifestyle Tips
Instead of spending a fortune on collagen supplements and stocking up on omegas, vitamin C, and antioxidants for optimal skin health, we recommend building collagen with skin treatments instead. It’s also important to cut down on sugar that makes collagen brittle and instead focus on exercise, which can counter many aspects of low estrogen. But don’t lose too much weight because subcutaneous fat holds everything up against the natural pull of gravity!
We remind clients that menopause is a powerful time of transition – the perfect time to reinvent yourself and your life.
Tej’s Menopause Journey
“My menopause journey started back in 2013, aged 45 when I had a hysterectomy and then went straight on HRT. But once I hit my 50s, I struggled with sleep, brain fog and tiredness. After finally being referred to a consultant at the Women’s Hospital, I was prescribed the male version of testosterone, which I didn’t take due to all the irreversible side effects. Research led me to Louise Newson’s GP clinic, which specialises in menopause. Since 2022, I have been prescribed female testosterone, and my symptoms have gone, and I can continue with my weight and strength training.
In my 50s, I noticed drier hair, skin, and nails. I’d never considered injectables because I preferred to age naturally by maintaining a regular professional skin routine. I eat a healthy diet and maintain a regular fitness routine doing pilates and strength training.
But as my cheeks hollowed from collagen loss, people asked if I had lost weight. Only then did I consider fillers, which I had last year. I still want to move my face and look natural, and I don’t mind my expression lines because that shows me.
Since changing my skincare to Dermaviduals, I have significantly improved my skin texture, hydration and softness. The bespoke products are blended for my skin needs and are skin-identical, so my skin recognises and likes the ingredients. When I get complimented on my skin, people often think I have regular facials, but I don’t, even though I have all the equipment in the clinic. It’s all down to the products and a consistent routine. But if I had time for regular facial treatments, it would be even better!”
If you would like to talk to us about your skin concern, email us we’d be happy to help.
