How to care for menopausal skin, according to dermatologists and menopause educators

Our discourse about anti-aging, especially anti-aging skincare, needs to change, according to Amanda Thebe, a menopause advocate and educator.

“I am not a fan of anti-aging” rhetoric, Thebe tells Yahoo Canada. Rather, the conversation should be about “how to support aging skin,” especially for women experiencing perimenopause and menopause.

The symptoms of menopause are not a one-size-fits-all experience. Hot flashes, brain fog and insomnia are trademarks of the change, but for many women, menopause will also impact their skin’s texture, sensitivity and appearance.

The skin “goes through some pretty dramatic changes” during perimenopause and menopause, Thebe explains. During perimenopause, which is the eight to 10-year period leading up to menopause, hormonal changes can manifest as dry itchy skin, acne or rosacea, age spots, sagging skin and increased sensitivity.

When perimenopause transitions into menopause, which is diagnosed after 12 consecutive months without a period, decreasing levels of estrogen and progesterone further impact the skin. Many women experience excessive dryness, a reduction in collagen — roughly 30 per cent of skin collagen is lost in the first five years after menopause — sagging skin and dullness, sensitivity and dehydration.

“I went through perimenopause 10 years ago now,” Thebe recalls. “I started getting the most sensitive skin. I would get these terrible rashes and get really irritated. It was almost like anything I put on my skin, I reacted to.”

When I was younger, “I used to have very greasy skin,” she says. And now, all of a sudden, “I have extremely dry skin. I feel like a lizard sometimes. I want to soak in as much moisture as possible.”

Estrogen is an essential component of skin function. It is responsible for stimulating collagen and elastin production. During perimenopause and menopause, the production of estrogen plummets, which “manifests as more dehydrated-looking, crepey skin,” according to Dr. Nathan Rosen, a cosmetic dermatologist at Dermetics. On an ultracellular level, “there’s a loss of some of the signalling for water retention, collagen and elastin synthesis,” he explains.

While estrogen is a key player, other hormone fluxes occur during perimenopause and menopause.

Hormone changes “manifest in a lot of different ways,” says Dermetics Cosmetic Dermatologist Dr. Channy Muhn. “We see things like changes in redness and flushing.” While not perimenopausal-specific, there are “changes in pigmentation, particularly a condition called melasma.” People can experience newly sensitive or oily skin, acne and a shift in how the skin rebounds.

Eating well and exercising can help with symptoms during perimenopause and menopause, extending to skin health.

Exercise, particularly strength training, boosts circulation and improves skin elasticity by increasing collagen production. Studies have shown a link between regular exercise and hydrated skin in older adults.

“Exercise helps the overall appearance of the skin,” Thebe, a fitness expert and the author of Menopocalypse, explains. “It’s our body’s largest organ. Anything we do to support it from the inside out matters.”

Beyond working out and eating well, several topical skincare ingredients can help target skin dryness, lack of elasticity and hyperpigmentation.

Hyaluronic acid

During perimenopause and menopause, it’s helpful to incorporate hydrating skincare ingredients into your daytime and nighttime routines.

Hyaluronic acid, ceramides and glycerin are “good things to look for in terms of trying to improve hydration,” Rosen says. While a hyaluronic-rich formula helps lock in moisture, so does the frequency of application. “When you’re applying, is important.”

For example, applying a moisturizer right after you pat yourself dry from a shower is a great time to moisturize, “but then you also want to do it a couple of other times in the day,” Rosen tells Yahoo Canada.

Any moisturizer that’s formulated with hyaluronic acid has been a “game-changer for me,” Amanda Thebe says. “I use the [Marcelle Revival+ Vitality Redensifying Day Cream] — it gets really deep down in my skin.”

“It’s almost like when you have a dehydrated prune and put it in water,” she explains. “It gives me the feeling of being restored.”

Sunscreen

“Sun protection is crucial because ultraviolet light breaks down elastic tissue and collagen,” Rosen says.

As hormonal levels plummet, your skin can become thinner, drier and more sensitive to UV damage. Additionally, age spots, sun spots and melasma can become more prevalent.

“I find that if I wear a daily sunscreen, my skin feels much more receptive to the other products I put on,” Thebe tells Yahoo Canada. “I’m a child of the 80s and the 90s. I was using baby oil and vegetable oil to become as brown as I could be,” she jokes. “Revival+ Vitality and sunscreen are the two products that have really, really improved my skin health.”

Vitamin C

Another staple in your skincare routine should be a “really good” vitamin C serum, Dr. Renita Ahluwalia, the lead Dermatologist at the Canadian Dermatology & Plastic Surgery Centre, said in a previous interview with Yahoo Canada.

A well-formulated vitamin C serum “can really improve your skin’s ability to neutralize free radicals, so it boosts your sunscreen and protects your skin, kind of like an environmental shield,” Ahluwalia says.

If you’re in the market for a vitamin C serum, Ahluwalia suggests looking for those that have undergone the most studies and meet a threshold called the “Duke Parameters.”

The Duke Parameters dictate that a vitamin C serum should contain pure L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C), have an acidic pH between 2.0 and 3.5, and be at a concentration of 10 to 20 per cent. Why? These parameters mean the serum will be the “most effective” and penetrate the skin the best.

Prior to adopting a menopause-friendly skincare routine, Thebe says her skin had “no glow to it.”

“There was a deadness to it, like lifeless skin. That’s all I saw,” she recalls. “I had never had a skincare routine. I need the simplest [routine] because I don’t want to think about it. It needs to be very easy. I clean my skin, use a vitamin C serum and then hydrate — that’s made a difference. My skin’s not as irritated as it used to be.”

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