How Can You Maintain Your Skin Health and Minimise Ageing Effects in Menopause?

Understanding Menopause And Skin Changes

Your primary requirement is understanding the underlying cause and mechanism to combat health conditions or changes. As you already know, hormonal changes are the primary reason for skin changes in menopause. Estrogen(female reproductive hormone) undergoes reduced production during this phase, which can affect your skin. Let's discuss some of the common menopausal skin changes:

Dryness and Itching

Your estrogen hormone plays a significant role in retaining moisture content in your skin cells. As the hormone decline happens, your skin cells lose their ability to retain moisture, leading to dryness. Excess dryness can lead to flakiness and rough texture. You may have experienced itching along with skin dryness. Decreased estrogen levels can also cause reduced oil production in the skin, leading to an itching sensation and dryness.

Thinning of Skin

Recall your school days; you might have studied collagen, a protein in your skin. Collagen is essential for maintaining the thickness of your skin. Estrogen levels are lower during menopause, and collagen production decreases, leading to skin thinning. Thin skin makes it more fragile and prone to damage such as tears, bruising, etc.

Reduced Elasticity

Elastin is another kind of protein that provides elasticity to your skin. The name itself is self-explanatory. When the estrogen levels decline, the elastin production decreases, and the skin loses its elasticity. The process can lead to skin sagging and the formation of wrinkles and lines. 

Increased Sensitivity

Have you noticed that, at times, the skin may react quickly and show changes to external factors for various reasons? Yes, you may observe this in people with increased skin sensitivity. When you enter menopause, due to hormonal fluctuations, there is a chance that your skin may show increased sensitivity to various external factors. Well, this can manifest as redness, irritation and discomfort. The common triggers include sunlight, temperature changes, and skincare products.

Understanding these skin changes is a crucial part of your menopausal journey. A thorough knowledge of skin changes will help you stay prepared rather than worry when your skin shows changes. 

Once you have gained sufficient knowledge about menopause skincare, the next step is to gather the necessary tools and apply them effectively to combat the issue. In the next session, you will find a general idea of how to set up and incorporate an effective menopause skincare routine into your daily life.

Crafting An Effective Menopause Skin Care Routine

As you may have noticed, skin care is booming, and skincare brands are becoming popular daily. People are becoming more concerned about how they look, and others perceive them. Let us discuss some primary skincare products you require to start your menopausal skincare journey.

Cleansing

When you go out on a busy day and return home after being exposed to dust, smoke, and dirt, have you noticed that you look dull in the mirror? This is because of the accumulation of dirt and other impurities on your skin. To stripe off these impurities and dirt, you need a quality cleanser. Quality cleansing means effectively removing the impurities without disturbing the natural oils present in the skin. It is ideal to use cleanse twice a day. 

Exfoliating

Do you know that your skin is constantly changing? Yes, the skin cells get periodically replaced by the newer ones. Exfoliating helps to eradicate dead skin cells and promotes skin turnover. This process helps improve the brightness and texture of your skin. Menopausal skin is sensitive, so gentle exfoliants like glycolic or lactic acid are ideal. Nirva's Cosmetology Expert, Dr Israa Ismail, recommends exfoliating 2-3 times a week. Moreover, you can adapt according to your skin's tolerance level.

Moisturising

As we have already discussed, dryness and itching concern menopausal skin. Moisturising and keeping your skin hydrated is essential to combat menopausal dry skin. Drinking a lot of water is a way to keep your skin hydrated. Apart from your diet, you can hydrate your skin by regular moisturising. Choose moisturisers rich in hydrating agents like hyaluronic acid, which retains moisture in the skin.  Apply moisturiser daily in the morning and evening for better skin results.

Applying Serums

You may have already seen the ads for skin care serums in your social networking feeds. These are the recent introductions from the skin care industries. The serums are chemicals from specific formulas targeting a specific skin concern. 

The most popular ones are retinol serum and vitamin C serum. Retinol serums help remove the fine lines and wrinkles from the skin. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that protects your skin from surroundings and promotes a more youthful complexion. It is ideal to apply serums in the morning and evening after cleansing and before moisturising.

Sun Protection

Prolonged sunlight exposure can damage your skin due to the impact of harmful UV radiation from the sun. Protecting your skin from UV radiation is crucial to keep it healthy and prevent premature ageing. Look for a broad-spectrum sunscreen that has SPF 30 or higher. It is ideal to opt for a sunscreen that offers UVA and UVB protection that doesn't cause any clogging (non-comedogenic). Apply sunscreen every morning and reapply it every two hours if you are outdoors. However, the ideal thing to do is to use a natural replacement for these concentrated sun protectors.

These basic ideas help you select the best skincare products for menopause-related skin issues. Gentle formulations with maximum effect should be your priority while selecting your brands. Also, perform a patch test to look for allergic reactions before applying it to your face. If you notice any adverse reactions or no results, it is always better to consult a healthcare expert for expert advice regarding your specific skin issue.

Skincare is more than just the external application of all these skin care products. Your skin health also depends on several other factors, such as your daily activities, diet, and emotional and mental conditions. You will learn how to modify these factors to have healthier skin during menopause in the following section.

Lifestyle Adjustments To Support Skin Health During Menopause

What you eat, what you do and what you think is reflected in your skin and appearance. You heard that right: your overall health and well-being are crucial for skin health.

Maintaining a healthy life routine and following a proper diet are crucial to managing menopausal skin changes. Let's discuss some of the practical steps that you can follow during menopause to improve your skin health:

Balanced Diet

Adapt a balanced and healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Foods containing antioxidants, vitamins (A, E and C) and minerals can keep your skin healthy and fight oxidative stress. 

Try to include more fruits and vegetables in your diet; you will notice your skin glowing within a few weeks of the diet. Include fatty fish with a high omega-3 fatty acid content, nuts like walnuts, and flax seeds. These help to maintain your skin's lipid content and minimise inflammation. 

As the health experts always say, limit or avoid processed foods. Even for your skin health, processed, high-sugar foods are not your preferred friends, especially during menopause.

Regular Exercise

Exercise improves blood circulation to your skin cells. Doing it aids in faster delivery of oxygen and nutrients to your skin, leading to a better complexion. You may have noticed your skin looks the best after a productive workout. 

Sweating during exercise helps to expel toxins from your skin pores, improving your complexion. So sweat those toxins out of your body to keep yourself and your skin happy and healthy.

Adequate Sleep

After a quality night's sleep, look into a mirror, and your skin looks fantastic. You may not see the acne and inflammation you saw last night. It happens because your skin undergoes repair and regeneration during sleep. 

Also, proper sleep is crucial for collagen production. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep every night. Follow a consistent sleep schedule to maintain your skin health and well-being during menopause.

Stress Management

Chronic stress is a potential trigger of acne, eczema and even psoriasis in extreme cases. You may have noticed that at times of stress and anxiety, you might have looked dull with increased skin issues.

Menopause can be a period of constant stress and anxiety for women. When minimising stress and promoting mental well-being, you must follow yoga, meditation and deep breathing exercises. Give yourself time to engage in activities that bring joy and fulfilment to you. 

Hydration

As discussed earlier, proper hydration is essential to safeguard your skin from dryness and itching during menopause. A well-hydrated skin will look plump and healthier. It helps reduce fine lines and wrinkles. You should also limit the intake of dehydrating beverages such as alcohol and caffeine, as these can lead to dryness and skin dehydration.

To Conclude

The skin is your body's largest and most important organ; you must consider its health and well-being. In this fast-moving world, skin health often needs to be addressed. It would help if you gave special care to your skin as these times are prone to skin changes. 

By providing proper care and attention to your skin, you can maintain healthy skin during menopause. Follow the skin routines mentioned in the blog and align a proper lifestyle routine and diet for the best results.