Menopause can bring about a lot of changes to a woman’s body. Alongside mood changes, disrupted sleep patterns, and a reduced sex drive, many women also experience changes to their skin.
Declining estrogen levels cause collagen production to slow down, which can cause dryness, breakouts, loss of skin elasticity, and an increased number of fine lines and wrinkles.
The beauty industry produces thousands of products, all promising to help women cope with these changes – but, this can make deciding which ones are worth buying overwhelming.
Below, we’ll look at how and why menopause affects the skin and explore some of the most effective, scientifically-proven ways to take care of your skin during menopause and beyond.
How does menopause affect skin?
Menopause causes a variety of changes within a woman’s body. The symptoms that appear are largely the result of a decreased production of estrogen and progesterone (female sex hormones).
Lower estrogen levels cause a decline in collagen production, which is a protein that forms one of the main building blocks of skin. Collagen is responsible for keeping skin looking smooth and plump.
Research shows that women’s skin loses up to 30% of its collagen content during the first five years of menopause, followed by a loss of 2% in the 20 years after.
This can lead to dryness, breakouts, sunspots, skin thinning, and an increased appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. A survey found that, since experiencing symptoms of menopause, 47% of women suffered with drier skin and 45% noticed an increase in fine lines and wrinkles. Though, more importantly, 46% of women felt these changes were having an impact on their confidence.
However, other research has found that many women aren’t aware of the link between the skin and menopause, and, as a result, don’t adjust their skincare routines accordingly.
Take this study of menopausal women, which found that 49% didn’t know about the impact menopause can have on their skin, despite noticing that their skincare products weren’t having the same effect – which knocked their confidence.
Note: It’s important to remember that taking care of your skin comes from the inside out too. This includes eating a healthy diet, quitting smoking, and taking steps to reduce stress levels. You can read about this in our article; 10 tips for healthy skin.
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4 common skin changes during menopause and how to manage them
Ageing is a natural process and menopause is part of this. So, it’s important to remember that skincare products won’t entirely prevent or reverse the signs of ageing. However, they can improve skin’s look and feel, and help you to feel more confident.
We’ll cover some of the most common menopausal skin changes below and offer some tips on how to manage them.
1. Dry skin
Drier skin is one of the most common menopausal skin changes – and often the first one that women notice. This is because menopause causes the skin to produce fewer natural oils, which are responsible for keeping skin dewy and moisturised.
If dry skin is something that you struggle with, there are a few key products that can keep the skin feeling moisturised and hydrated. Among these are ceramides and hyaluronic acid.
Ceramides are fatty acids that form part of the skin’s natural barrier and help to keep moisture inside. While hyaluronic acid is a moisturising substance that’s naturally produced by the body. It’s sometimes described as being like the skin’s natural sponge because it helps to retain water.
Studies have found that ceramides are very effective at treating dry skin and that hyaluronic acid can significantly improve skin hydration in mature women. So, both can be good products to consider adding to your skincare routine.
Some of the top-rated ceramide and hyaluronic acid products include…
Products containing ceramides
Products containing hyaluronic acid
2. Fine lines and wrinkles
Lower collagen means that skin can lose structure and cause fine lines and wrinkles to appear.
The most important thing you can do to help with this is to protect your skin from sun damage. Research shows that damage to the skin caused by sun exposure is responsible for up to 90% of visible changes to the skin. Cancer Research UK also says that up to nine in 10 cases of melanoma skin cancer could be prevented by being safe in the sun.
In our article, 11 tips to protect your skin from sun damage, we cover the impact of overexposure to the sun and what you can do to protect yourself. This includes using an effective sun cream that offers broad-spectrum sun protection every day of the year – even if it’s cloudy or overcast.
A few sunscreens recommended by dermatologists include…
To browse other options, check out this list of best sunscreens for mature skin from Refinery29.
Alongside sun protection, peptides have been found to be particularly beneficial for improving the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. These are fragments of protein that form the building blocks of the skin, and research has shown that they can stimulate collagen production and boost skin elasticity.
When buying products containing peptides, serums and moisturiser versions tend to be more effective than cleansers. This is because they aren’t rinsed off.
Niacinamide, a form of vitamin B3, has also been found to help reduce fine lines and wrinkles by boosting collagen production. When people in this study applied niacinamide to their face twice daily for 12 weeks, they reported improvements in red blotches, fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, and uneven skin tone.
Niacinamide typically comes in serum or cream form.
For guidance on which products are worth buying, check out this list of 15 best niacinamide serums from Good Housekeeping, or Stylist’s list of 13 best peptide skin care buys.
3. Reduced firmness
For skin firmness, retinol – a form of vitamin A – may be worth adding to your skin care routine. It stimulates collagen production and improves skin elasticity. Retinol can be found in over-the-counter (OTC) skincare products, including facial creams and serums, or in prescription products.
Research has found that OTC retinol skincare products are effective at replenishing skin elasticity, especially when combined with vitamin C. People in this study reported seeing a ‘significant reduction’ in wrinkles after using OTC retinol for 12 weeks. Prescription retinoids have also been shown to reduce signs of skin ageing.
However, since retinol is an active ingredient, side-effects including redness, irritation, or dryness aren’t uncommon – particularly when used on sensitive skin. So, first time users are generally recommended to start introducing retinol to their skincare routine only once or twice a week, to see how their skin reacts. Retinol also increases the skin’s sensitivity to the sun and should only be used as part of a nighttime skincare routine.
Skin firmness is also influenced by how hydrated it is, so it can help to choose retinol products that are mixed with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and glycerin.
Some top-rated retinol-based products include…
- Kiehl’s Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Microdose Serum
- Naturium Retinol Complex Serum
- La Roche-Posay Retinol Retinol and Vitamin B3 Serum
If retinol doesn’t agree with your skin, you could try bakuchiol oil instead. Bakuchiol oil is a plant extract from the seeds of the babchi plant and has been shown to offer similar benefits without irritating the skin. This means it’s suitable for all skin types.
Studies have shown bakuchiol oil improves skin firmness, pore size, and wrinkles by boosting collagen production and cell turnover. Other studies suggest no difference between retinol and bakuchiol in their ability to improve signs of skin ageing.
To add bakuchiol to your skincare routine, some of the top-rated choices include…
4. Breakouts
It’s not unusual to experience breakouts during menopause, even if you’ve never struggled with acne before. This is because a sudden drop in estrogen can result in hormone imbalances that cause breakouts.
If this is something you struggle with, experts recommend using products containing azelaic acid – a naturally occuring acid found on our skin and in grains like barley.
Research has shown that azelaic acid is effective at reducing skin inflammation. Its antibacterial properties also help to prevent pores from becoming clogged. Combined, these actions can make azelaic acid effective at both treating and preventing acne.
This study looked into the effectiveness of azelaic acid in treating menopausal acne. It found that applying a 20% azelaic acid cream led to a 53.9% decrease in mild-to-moderate acne over a period of 12 weeks.
Azelaic acid has been found to work well alongside other ingredients like retinoids, niacinamide, bakuchiol, and hyaluronic acid.
Stylist has a useful guide to azelaic acid for acne and scarring which offers a list of some of the best azelaic acid skincare products.
Note: Azelaic acid is an active ingredient which can cause redness and irritation. So, it’s important to ease yourself in – for example, only using it once a day to start with.
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Final thoughts…
Menopause is a different experience for everyone, but if you’ve been struggling with any of the skin changes outlined above, there are products out there to help.
We hope that by having a better understanding of how menopause impacts the skin, you might feel clearer about what products could be right for you and will leave you feeling your best.
For more related content, head over to the menopause section of our website. Here, you’ll find information on everything from the best food groups to help you through menopause to the difference between menopause and depression.
What do you include in your menopause skincare routine? Will you be trying anything new after reading this article? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
