When it comes to menopausal symptoms, hot flushes, mood swings, night sweats, headaches and joint pain get all the anti-glory. However, one organ that is particularly susceptible to hormonal imbalance is the skin – especially during autumn and winter. With menopause and colder weather individually posing great agitation for your body and mind, it can be a nightmare when they coincide.
Most women experiencing perimenopause, menopause or postmenopause will notice that their skin starts reeling when hormonal equilibrium is disturbed, but won’t be sure how to help it. As such, it can be all too easy for skincare to fall by the wayside during midlife changes. It’s a notably important topic right now, given that October is Menopause Awareness Month.
What happens to the skin during menopause?
As menopause edges in, the natural decline in estrogen – a hormone primarily produced in the ovaries – sets off a cascade of changes within the skin. Like all other hormones, estrogen is a chemical messenger. Its decline triggers a reduction in natural moisturising factors that leads to skin thinning, dullness and laxity.
“During perimenopause and menopause, the skin’s ability to retain water decreases as lipid and ceramide levels fall,” Dr Janine David, GP and women’s health specialist, tells HELLO! “This weakens the skin barrier, leading to dryness and increased sensitivity. Hydration and barrier support become essential to help skin stay comfortable and resilient.”
© Getty ImagesWhat’s more, blood circulation slows during menopausal changes, which diminishes cell turnover and the skin’s ability to repair itself. Due to this hormonal chain reaction, most women experience deepened fine lines and wrinkles, sagging, dryness and dullness as estrogen declines, plus uneven texture and tone. Age spots and pigmentation may also surface.
What happens to the skin during autumn and winter?
When autumn sets in, the colder temperatures and lower humidity levels can dry out the skin, leading to dryness and irritation. Wind exposure further strips the face of moisture, whilst indoor heating intensifies the dehydration taking place on a cellular level. Now pair this with the problems your skin is already facing from the menopause, and soothing it can feel like a never-ending struggle.
How to soothe menopausal skin during autumn and winter
Alongside lifestyle factors like a nutrient-rich diet, exercise balanced with plenty of rest and good sleep hygiene, menopausal skin can be soothed with heavy duty products. Whether you’re suffering with tightness, dryness, sensitivity, acne or all of the above, there are products specifically formulated for such changes.
Among those is the Hada Labo Tokyo Premium range, which comes highly recommended by industry insiders like celebrity makeup artist Bryony Blake. The Japanese skincare brand’s premium line up was actually formulated with women aged over 40 – and thus midlife skin changes – in mind.
The Hada Labo Tokyo Premium Lotion Intense Super Hydrator contains seven types of hyaluronic acid, with molecules that can retain 1000 times their weight in water and nano molecules that can seep into deeper layers of the skin to hydrate from within. Dr Janine comments that it is “useful when dryness and sensitivity become more common in menopause”, especially during autumn and winter.
Similarly, Hada Labo Tokyo’s Premium Extreme Skin Regenerator Super Cream (which is designed specifically for night use) contains the aforementioned seven types of hyaluronic acid. It’s a multitasker: a deeply nourishing anti-ageing formula that fights wrinkles whilst you sleep, but also nourishes so that you wake up to plump, hydrated skin.
Dr Janine explains: “Skincare that layers multiple forms of hyaluronic acid, reinforces the barrier with emollients or ceramides, and supporting collagen with gentle retinoids can be especially effective for midlife skin.”
For an extra boost, Hada Labo Tokyo’s Premium Facial Sheet Masks with Super Hyaluronic Acid provide a quick burst of intensive moisture and hydration without causing sensitivity or irritation. The hydrating formula nourishes the skin leaving it soft, supple and glowing after each use – the perfect antidote to particularly dry days.
