As you enter your 40s and 50s, the natural aging process accelerates skin changes. You may notice some small changes from your 20s and 30s, but nothing drastic. Then menopause hits, and for many women, their skin seems to transform overnight.
Menopause and Your Skin
Why does menopause have such a dramatic impact on your skin? Let’s take a closer look at what’s really going on.
Hormonal Shifts
Menopause marks a significant decline in estrogen levels. Estrogen plays an important role in maintaining skin health – it helps stimulate collagen and elastin production, keeping skin firm, plump and youthful-looking.
Collagen Loss
As estrogen drops, you begin losing about 30% of your skin’s collagen in the first 5 years of menopause alone. This collagen loss continues at a rate of 2% per year for the next 20 years. The result? Sagging, thinning skin, and the emergence of fine lines and wrinkles.
Less Moisture
Estrogen also helps regulate moisture levels in the skin. With less estrogen, skin becomes drier, flakier, and more prone to irritation and sensitivity. Many women also experience an increase in facial hair growth due to the changing ratio of estrogen to testosterone.
Lifestyle Factors
While hormones are the primary driver of menopausal skin changes, certain lifestyle habits can exacerbate the effects.
- Sun exposure: UV damage is a top contributor to collagen breakdown and premature skin aging. Sun damage accumulates over time, and the effects might not be noticeable right away.
- Smoking: Cigarette smoke contains over 4,000 toxins that generate free radicals, which break down collagen and elastin. Smoking also impairs circulation, depriving skin of oxygen and nutrients.
- Diet: A diet packed with sugar and refined carbs promotes inflammation and glycation, a process that damages collagen and elastin fibers. Excessive alcohol intake is also dehydrating.
- Stress: Chronic stress elevates cortisol levels, which breaks down collagen, thins the skin, and impairs its ability to retain moisture.
Protect and Improve Your Skin, Even in Menopause
While you can’t stop menopause, you can take steps to minimize its impact on your skin. In addition to staying hydrated, eating well, and protecting your skin from the sun, now is the time to consider these antiaging treatments.
Laser Skin Resurfacing
Laser techniques like the gentle LimeLight laser and the more impactful Laser Genesis are excellent options for improving the appearance of aging skin. These treatments target many signs of aging, including lines and wrinkles, age spots, sagging skin, sun damage, and more. Bonus: These treatments can be used not only on the face but also in other areas of the body where aging impacts skin, such as the hands and chest.
Microneedling or Chemical Peels
If you aren’t ready for lasers, these treatments are a great place to start when looking to address your menopausal or perimenopausal skin concerns. Chemical peels exfoliate the skin using special serums to slough off dead cells and stimulate new growth. Microneedling, on the other hand, causes micro-injuries to the skin to stimulate healing and growth, promoting collagen and elastin production beneath the skin’s surface. If you want to tackle both wrinkles and sagging, consider Morpheus8, an even more effective treatment that combines microneedling and radiofrequency energy.
Laser Hair Removal
If hormonal changes have caused you to notice unwanted hair in places where you never had hair before, consider permanent hair reduction with laser hair removal. Safe for all areas of the body, laser hair removal uses light energy to target pigments within the hair follicle to prevent new growth. No need for shaving and plucking new, unwanted hair.
The Best You is Yet to Come
If you’re struggling with these or any other skin issues you think might be related to menopause, schedule a consultation with us today. Our experienced skin experts can evaluate your skin and help us create a personalized treatment plan just for you!