What Does Menopausal Skin Need?

A transformative time in our lives, perimenopause and beyond impacts us in many ways, one of which is how our skin feels and looks.

Thankfully, a light is being shone a little more on menopause these days and hopefully, more solutions, awareness of symptoms, and knowledge of what’s available to help us will become widespread.

I’ve got quite a lot to tell you about menopausal skin, so without any further ado, let’s get going.

Can Menopause Cause Skin Problems?

Definitely. Itchy skin can be the result of a drop in your oestrogen levels, for example. The drop in this hormone can play havoc with your skin’s oil production, which is your natural moisturiser.  Other than this menopause symptom, changes in your hormones are likely to cause other changes in your skin.

Some common changes in your skin around perimenopause and menopause resulting from a decline in your oestrogen can include reduced elasticity which means you might notice that your skin’s lost its bounce; you may notice more obvious signs of skin ageing such as wrinkles and crepiness dues to a loss of collagen-in fact by the age of 45 you’re likely to have lost up to 25% of your collagen *gulp*; your skin may seem duller than it used to be; you may notice that you’re experiencing acne breakouts; your skin may be thinner; and more sensitive.

So, What DOES Menopausal Skin Need?

As with any time in your life, there’s no ‘one size fits all’ solution to treating your menopausal skin. Your unique symptoms should be addressed with the appropriate treatment for them so it’s important to seek advice specifically for you. That being said, I’m going to discuss some of the most frequently used therapies that help menopausal skin at our Hertfordshire skin clinic but know that you’ll need to seek advice specifically for you*.

Nutrition & It’s Effect On Menopausal Skin

I’m going to talk about nutrition from the viewpoint of LONGEVITY and ageing well. You may be aware, there could be an increased risk of some health conditions post-menopause, for example, heart disease and a negative effect on brain health. 

It’s not just post menopause that we should start thinking about our future health, ideally, we’ll do this before. It’s been suggested that midlife can impact how well we age from a health point of view:

I’ve gone on a bit on a tangent here, but in essence what I’m trying to say is that the earlier we start considering how we treat our bodies so that we stay well for longer, the better. This philosophy is what leads us to bring the Hinnao range into our skin and wellness clinic.

The Hinnao bioavailable supplement range has been in development since 2013 with one goal in mind- increase lifespan and health span. From the Hinnao supplements, you get the power of an IV therapy treatment in a bottle; Hinnao offers the first stable molecules to be taken orally that compete with IV therapy but can easily and quickly be taken from the comfort of your own home.

With supplements, how much of the ingredient that makes it to your bloodstream is important, as it is what you’re ingesting. Hinnao offers super ingredients that help your longevity and support your cells to act biologically younger; these ingredients include NAD+, Glutathione, and Resveratrol.

This type of supplementation is a long game; an investment in your future and you’re doing the groundwork now.

At-Home Skincare For Menopausal Skin

Although menopausal skin has, well, menopause or perimenopause in common, there’s not a ‘one size fits all’ solution for menopausal skin. Each person is unique and is likely to be experiencing different symptoms of menopausal skin from their friend who’s also going through the menopause transition.

What are your specific skincare concerns? Make a list of them and talk to a skincare professional who can help to address them with you. Nevertheless, there are some non-specific tips I can give you…

1. How to target wrinkles:

A fantastic essential product is a retinol. As we age, our skin cell turnover starts to slow; retinol is amazing at regulating this. The result is smoother, brighter skin with softer lines and wrinkles. Less is more with this product, particularly when you first start using it.

My top tip would be to look for a product with time-release technology so that it drip-feeds your skin with this powerful ingredient. Retinol is to be used at night and it’s important to use a daily SPF throughout the day.

2. How to target dryness:

Try adding a hyaluronic acid serum into your regime; this product draws water to it and helps to hydrate the skin. You can usually apply a HA serum directly to clean, damp skin. Following this, apply a moisturiser to your face, neck, and chest (you may be noticing that all these areas are dryer too).

The moisturiser consistency you chose will be down to personal preference; you may like to look for ingredients such as ‘ceramides’ which help to repair your skin’s surface (and therefore reduce hydration from escaping) and boost your moisture levels.

Heavier moisturisers may contain ingredients such as shea butter, olive oil, and omega oils which will be lovely and rich, but do keep an eye on how you respond to these types of ingredients as they may clog your pores.

It’s advisable to avoid products that are highly fragranced as this could irritate your skin whilst it’s dry and possibly already itchy; try to steer away from denatured alcohols as it’s a drying agent.

3. How to target irritation/sensitivity:

Often with sensitive skin, you don’t have much tolerance for skin care products and may find your skin is easily irritated. If so, make sure any products you chose are fragrance and alcohol-free as that may irritate you. There’s a good high-street brand called Avène which has many products specifically for sensitive, intolerant, and reactive skin. They might be worth a Google.

The key to skincare is consistency and giving them a fair chance to work, a couple of weeks probably is not enough. If you want more dramatic and often quicker results, skin treatments may be something you should explore alongside products.

The 7 Best Treatments For Menopausal Skin

1. Byonik

Dryness and dehydration; inflammation; redness and sensitivity; breakouts; wrinkles; poor texture; dullness… Byonik addresses them all. It almost sounds too good to be true, but Byonik was developed with NASA technology so if those guys can put a man on the moon, improving menopausal skin doesn’t seem such a far cry.

Byonik is a pulse-triggered cold laser which works synergistically with your body, triggering the laser at the optimum moment when *your* skin cells are most ready to receive the laser and absorb the powerful ingredients that are used in conjunction with the laser.

Byonik laser repairs, hydrates, reduces inflammation-allowing it to become more tolerant and less sensitive, energises your skin cells to function better and act younger, and it stimulates rejuvenation.

Results can even be seen after one treatment, but a course of treatment is most beneficial for longer-lasting more advanced results.

Learn more about the Byonik skin treatment here.

2. HydraFacial

Offering six treatments in one, HydraFacial reveals healthier, glowing, revitalised, and radiant skin. This globally beloved treatment is a treat for menopausal skin because it can be customised to your needs; in particular, ‘boosters’ specifically chosen for your requirements, so if you want to improve your ‘glow’ there’s a booster that can help with that; if you have hyperpigmentation and sun damage you can target that; if you feel that around your eyes needs a little extra TLC, you guessed it, there’s a booster for that too. In fact, there’s an entire range of boosters.

HydraFacial deeply cleanses, exfoliates, extracts debris from your pores, addresses puffiness, targets your specific skincare needs, floods your skin with hydration, and much more.

Much like the Byonik laser, results such as softer, smoother skin can be seen after a single treatment however most clients will require a course of treatments for the accumulative, progressive results.

Learn more about the HydraFacial skin treatment here. 

3. Sculptra

As I mentioned earlier, by the time we reach 45 we’ll have lost up to 25% of our collagen. This isn’t great news because collagen is what keeps our skin beautifully smooth as it gives it structure and strength. All is not lost though, there are treatments that can stimulate your skin to produce new collagen.

Sculptra is one of them.

Sculptra is a powerful skin treatment if your skin has lost its bounce, you’re seeing wrinkles, possibly your skin is becoming crepe and thinner, and you’d like to boost your radiance… But you don’t want everyone to know that you’ve had a treatment.

Sculptra helps to rebuild the inner structure of your skin so that it becomes firmer, smoother, and tighter. With Sculptra, this happens gradually so you won’t look drastically different overnight; the results build. We also love is that you can appreciate Sculptra results for up to 2 years.

Learn more about the Sculptra treatment here. 

4. Profhilo

If you’re looking for powerful hydration from within your skin, Profhilo is a great option. In fact, it’s been dubbed ‘the injectable moisturiser’ by beauty editors.

Profhilo is much more than a moisturiser, however.

Profhilo does indeed drench your skin with hydrating hyaluronic acid. This hyaluronic acid isn’t just any HA though, it’s been put through a special process so that as it drenches your skin and its underlying tissues, it triggers a ‘bio-remodelling’ process. This process stimulates new elastin and collagen production so that your skin becomes firmer, plumper, tighter, and smoother, and gets its bounce back.

Learn more about Profhilo here.

5. HIFU

The HIFU (High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound) treatment harnesses the power of concentrated ultrasound energy to target specific depths within your skin, stimulating collagen production and promoting repair. The outcome is visibly tighter, firmer skin with reduced wrinkles.

HIFU skin tightening is a swift and non-invasive solution for addressing skin aging and treating skin laxity. By applying heat to the targeted areas, it induces micro-trauma to the existing collagen, which may seem counterintuitive. However, HIFU offers a safe and clinically proven method to initiate a natural cascade of collagen production. This jumpstarts your skin’s innate tightening and firming process. The results obtained from HIFU treatments are natural-looking, helping you achieve and maintain smoother, more contoured skin on your face or body. The number of treatments required will depend on your skin’s condition and desired outcomes, with some individuals benefiting from a single session while others may require a course of treatments.

Learn more about HIFU here.

6. Thermage

Thermage CPT is a highly effective non-invasive treatment that harnesses the power of unique radio frequency technology to improve the appearance of ageing, lax skin. Whether it’s the face, neck, eyes, or body, this cutting-edge procedure is designed to give you a smoother, tighter, and more youthful look.

Unlike multiple sessions, Thermage is a single treatment that provides natural-looking results. Our delighted patients often receive compliments on their well-rested and rejuvenated appearance, leaving friends and family wondering about their secrets.

At The Skin to Love Clinic, we pride ourselves on our exceptional expertise and experience. In fact, one of our practitioners serves as a trainer for other medical professionals using Thermage in both the UK and Europe. With our wealth of knowledge, you can trust that you are in capable hands for your Thermage CPT journey.

Learn more about Thermage here. 

7. A Personalised Skin Consultation

If you’d like more specific advice for your skin we’d be pleased to assess your requirements and discuss them with you during a consultation.

You can contact us to arrange an appointment here.

At The Skin to Love Clinic, we prioritize your journey by offering a comprehensive skin consultation with experienced and knowledgeable medical practitioners. This consultation serves as an educational session for you and, in certain cases, is legally required. To ensure your safety and provide the most suitable treatment options, our practitioners will conduct a thorough assessment of your skin concerns and background, facilitated by a detailed medical questionnaire.

During your consultation, we believe in transparently discussing all available treatment options with you. Our goal is for you to fully comprehend the range of treatment possibilities before making any decisions regarding your skin concerns and overall well-being. Additionally, your practitioner may utilize a Visia skin-analysis scan in certain cases to assess deeper layers of your skin, providing further guidance on appropriate treatment approaches.

At The Skin to Love Clinic, we exclusively invest in clinically proven treatments that meet our rigorous standards. Rest assured that throughout your time with us, you will not experience any sales pressure or be coerced into unnecessary procedures. We take pride in offering impartial, honest advice from practitioners who share their extensive medical expertise and experience in aesthetics and dermatology.

Our consultations begin at £25 for a session with a nurse. Our friendly reception team will promptly reach out to arrange your consultation. Kindly note that a deposit is required at the time of booking, which can be completed in person or over the phone.

Disclaimer: This blog is not to be used for diagnostic purposes. We are all unique which means that our results, recovery and suitability for any type of treatment will vary. Always seek the advice of a professional should you have any health or cosmetic concerns or to discuss treatments specifically for you.