Care for Your Skin During Menopause
As if all the symptoms that come with menopause, such as hot flashes and weight gain, are not bad enough, the “change” can also affect the condition of your skin. From hormonal acne to worsening conditions, this period of your life can wreak havoc on your skin and destroy your self-confidence. But you’re not alone. Poko is with you every step of the way. Here, we outline all the changes that could happen to your skin and guide you on how to care for your skin during menopause.
With the proper care and a little help from us here at Poko, you can lessen the impact of any changes to your skin and ensure your skin remains healthy during this transition.
What happens to your skin during menopause?
Menopause can cause some significant changes to your skin. Thanks to hormonal fluctuation, your skin can already start to change during perimenopause, which is the first stage of menopause. So right off the bat, you may begin noticing differences in your skin. For example, you might experience dry skin as a result of hormone decline, despite having oily skin for years, which causes the skin to produce less sebum. Other problems can include breakouts, loosening skin, irritation, redness, wrinkles, and changes in the appearance of your skin. Increased sensitivity is also a common problem. When your skin becomes more sensitive during this time, any existing skin conditions, such as acne, eczema or psoriasis, may get worse. Moreover, increased sensitivity might result in allergies, and low oestrogen levels can cause dry skin.
While all of this may seem bleak, we’re here to assist with ways you can help your skin thrive – even during menopause.
How to care for your skin during menopause
Looking after your skin is more important than ever once you reach menopause. Here are all the skin issues that can arise once your time has come and how you can combat them.
Dry skin
Skin loses moisture as we age, especially after menopause, as our oil glands are less active. It is absolutely essential that you ensure your skin stays hydrated at all times. To soothe dry skin, steer clear of long, hot baths or showers and frequently apply moisturiser, especially when your skin is still damp after a shower, to give it the extra hydration it needs. We also suggest avoiding harsh soaps and detergents that may irritate or dry out your skin even further. Use a gentle cleanser such as the Purifying Gel Cleanser instead to ensure skin stays hydrated after washing.
If you want to go the extra mile and pamper your skin, get your hands on a high-quality facial oil such as the Luxury Facial Oil to repair dry, damaged skin. Packed with nourishing ingredients such as Baobab and Moringa oil, the Luxury Facial Oil works wonders on dry skin and can even be used by the most sensitive skin.
Loose skin and wrinkles
Sagging skin is a common part of ageing and will eventually affect everyone. Collagen is what gives your skin its suppleness and keeps it tight, but once menopause starts and your oestrogen levels drop, so do your collagen levels. Skin loses collagen quickly during menopause, especially during the first few years, and skin starts to sag. Deeper wrinkles emerge, along with jowls and under-eye bags.
During this time, wrinkles become more obvious, especially if your skin is dry or has been exposed to too much sun over the years. Fortunately, a hydrating moisturiser such as the Regenerating Collagen Moisturiser could be just the thing to reduce these signs of ageing, firm skin and help prevent any further damage. This premium product is formulated with Matrixyl 3000 and hydrolysed collagen to help stimulate your skin's natural collagen production to plump up and tighten the skin to reduce fine lines and sagging.
However, you need to give special attention to your eyes. A premium eye cream such as Poko’s award-winning Correcting Eye Cream is a cream that targets the skin around the eyes, keeping it moisturised while diminishing the signs of ageing, dark circles and puffiness. Nourishing ingredients brighten the under-eye area, making the skin look younger and more refreshed.
It is also important to wear sun cream every day, no matter the weather. Sun exposure can lead to wrinkles and sun spots, so it is vital to protect against it by remembering to use your SPF.
Hormonal acne
Some women may experience hormonal acne similar to the acne experienced by teens. However, because your skin is much thinner and drier than when you were a teen, the treatments that help teenage acne are way too harsh for menopausal skin and can strip moisture away or even damage the skin.
Worse, even if you have dry skin, you are not safe from hormonal acne. So how can you cater to all your skin needs, banish hormonal acne AND protect your skin from irritation? Luckily, there is a secret weapon: our Soothing Serum.
Poko’s Soothing Serum does exactly what it says; it soothes. No matter your skin type or sensitivity, this gentle serum can calm your hormonal acne. The Soothing Serum helps restore balance and soothe irritation while keeping skin moisturised.
However, this doesn’t mean it isn’t powerful enough to fight breakouts. Antiseptic ingredients such as tea tree oil fight unhealthy bacteria, stopping breakouts in their tracks and keeping skin clean, calm and collected.
Any redness you may be experiencing after a hot flash can also be reduced thanks to a combination of calming ingredients such as aloe vera and lemon essential oil.
Increased skin sensitivity
During menopause, falling oestrogen levels cause our skin's pH levels to change, making the skin more sensitive and prone to irritation. Any skin condition, such as eczema, rosacea and psoriasis, can get worse during menopause. As if times weren’t difficult enough.
Oestrogen levels fall during menopause, which causes the skin to thin. The skin dries up, loses elasticity, and is less resilient. This makes it more prone to eczema, psoriasis or rosacea flare-ups.
Emollients are your best option to ease and even potentially prevent these flare-ups. However, you need to ensure your emollient is sensitive enough not to exacerbate your condition. We suggest a gentle balm specifically formulated to target eczema and psoriasis, such as Hempsoriasis Balm.
The Hempsoriasis Balm works wonders for dry, itchy, red, or scaly skin. It's super lightweight and melts into the skin. Calendula oil and shea nut butter, are among the hand-selected ingredients that accelerate healing while keeping skin moisturised. Those of us at Poko with eczema or psoriasis swear by this product and use it whenever a flare-up occurs.
However, if you suffer from rosacea, a product formulated with azelaic acid works best, such as the Azelaic Acid Spot Gel. This gel helps treat rosacea by reducing symptoms such as inflammation, redness and the frequency of flare-ups. If you have both acne and rosacea, the Azelaic Acid Spot Gel can do even more for you, helping treat and prevent hormonal acne while also dealing with the symptoms of rosacea.
However, if you find your symptoms are not improving or are getting worse, speak with your doctor. Sometimes another treatment is needed in conjunction for best results.
Look after your skin from the inside
Beauty shines from within, and if you have a healthy body, chances are you have healthy skin. Along with the above advice, try a menopause supplement to fight symptoms from the inside. A top-quality supplement such as our Just Pause Supplement will be a game-changer, helping to reduce menopausal symptoms, which will ultimately benefit your skin.
Maintain healthy skin during menopause
As your body changes during menopause, you may need to make a few lifestyle changes and adjust your skincare routine. However, it doesn't have to be a huge overhaul of your current lifestyle or regimen. In fact, it could actually be much more straightforward. Using products with fewer yet more potent ingredients will benefit your skin much more, not to mention go much further, than the arsenal of cleansers, serums, treatments and creams you may already be using. Best of all, taking supplements that target the symptoms of menopause will give you a boost and even the playing field when dealing with menopause.