Do you ever feel like hormones are out to ruin your skin?
As a young teen, they made you break out every other day and turned your skin so oily, you resembled more a frying pan than a human. In your 20s and 30s, you had to put up with cramps, mood swings and the odd pimple every single month (because bad things never come alone, obviously). And now that you’ve hit menopause and were hoping to finally get a rest, your skin looks worse than ever!
All its natural radiance seems to have disappeared overnight. Your fine lines have suddenly turned into deep crevices and your skin has started to seriously sag. It’s become a lot more sensitive, too and, in the worst case scenario, teen acne is back with a vengeance! It’s enough to drive you crazy! Don’t fret. Take a deep breath, relax and follow these tips to help your skin bounce back:
Pay Attention To Your Skin
Menopause can play all sorts of tricks on your skin. The most common one? It makes your skin as dry as the Sahara. Other times, it decides it wasn’t fair for you to go through your teens without acne and gives you a taste of it now.
Truth is, there’s no way to know how your skin reacts to the changes it’s undergoing now, so there’s no one size fits all beauty regime to follow. If your skin’s suddenly turned oily, for example, the worst thing you can do is buy a rich moisturizer because a random sales assistant told you that’s what mature women should use. Nonsense. Mature women listen to their skin, figure out what problems it has and look for targeted solutions to address them:
If Your Skin Has Become Drier
This is the most common issue women entering menopause experience. As the levels of your female hormones drop, your skin dries up. Dry skin is a lot rougher to the touch, flakes like crazy and make even the smallest fine lines look like deep wrinkles. Help!
The fastest way to deal with the issue is using a rich, super hydrating moisturizer, such as our Hydrating Aloe Cream & Coconut Oil Moisturizer. Aloe vera soothes irritations and hydrates the skin while coconut oil seals moisture in. If that’s not enough (that dryness can be stubborn sometimes!), keep an oil, like argan oil, in your skincare cabinet at all times. When your skin feels particularly dry, apply it as the last step of your skincare routine or mix a few drops with your moisturizer. Problem solved. Our Luxurious Oil Cleanser is highly recommended as well.
If Your Skin Has Become Oilier
Sometimes, the opposite happens and your sebaceous glands decide it’s time to work a little more. They release more oil than your skin knows what to do with, making you look like you’re constantly sweating and your pores like they’re under a magnifying lens all day long. And let’s not forget the breakouts. You don’t remember ever having to deal with so many pimples and blackheads before!
Time to lighten up your skincare, ladies! Forget rich moisturizers. They’ll make your pores clog even faster. Instead, opt for a lightweight cream like the Hydrate & Glow Oil-Free Moisturizer, which keeps skin soft and smooth without adding more oil to it. Another trick is to use a clay mask two or three times a week. They’re super absorbent and soak up all excess oil.
By the way, for once oily skin is a blessing. All that oil may drive you crazy, but it makes wrinkles look a lot less noticeable.
If You’ve Developed Acne
Yes, you can get acne at any age. Many women who never had to deal with acne before complain that menopause has turned their skin into a war zone. In that case, we’d better win that war, right, ladies? Your first line of defense is our Skin Fix line. Developed specifically for reactive, mature skin. Salicylic acid, niacinamide and sulfur regulate oil production and unclog the pores from within, keeping breakouts at bay. It contains anti-aging ingredients as well, like vitamin C and retinol, to fight wrinkles at the same time.
If that alone doesn’t do the trick, you can add our 6% Salicylic Facial Wash with activated charcoal. Used with gentle exfoliation, this can help to deep clean the pores. The added Salicylic boost will help to soften and release the clogged pores, while charcoal deeply cleans away the p. acne bacteria. All without stripping the skin of it’s natural lipid barrier.
If You’re Getting Dark Spots
This is the time when the bulk of the sun damage you’ve suffered before is starting to show up. The more careless you’ve been with your sunscreens, the more dark spots will make an appearance. But, not all hope is lost. There are plenty of ways to fade those dark spots away.
One of the most effective is arbutin, the active ingredient found in bearberry extract, a substance derived from the leaves of the Uva Ursi Plant. Bearberry extract inhibits the activity of tyrosinase, the enzyme involved in the production of melanin (the pigment that gives those dark spots their brown color). In case you’re wondering, bearberry extract doesn’t break down into hydroquinone. That means it provides the same benefits, without the nasty side effects. If you’re curious to try it, you can find it in our Pure Bearberry Extract For Skin-Lightening.
In the most severe cases, we recommend a series of our Lactic Acid chemical peels. Lactic is excellent for sensitive skin, aging skin, and those suffering from hyper-pigmentation. It is well known for its hydrating benefits also, so you avoid that dryness, dehydration, and sensitivity that can occur with other peel procedures.
If Your Skin’s Dull And Lackluster
As the top layer of your skin gets thinner, its skin cells aren’t able to renew themselves as fast as they used to. Now that skin’s less able to exfoliate itself, those dead cells remain on its surface, robbing it of its natural dewy glow. If you want it back, give your skin a helping hand and exfoliate often.
Glycolic acid is the best exfoliant for the job. Not only does it dissolve the glue that holds skin cells together, it also fades dark spots and boosts production of skin-firming collagen. All things your skin badly needs at this time. If your skin’s sensitive however, you may not be able to tolerate it. In this case, try our lactic acid, instead. Not into peels at all? We understand. It’s not for everyone. Try something less intense, such as the Microdermabrasion Cloth, or our fabulous Blueberry Mask with AHA’s (glowing skin, guaranteed!)
If Your Skin Is Wrinkled And Saggy
Did you know that your skin loses as much as 30% of its collagen within the first five years after menopause? No wonder your skin’s starting to sag and those wrinkles are deeper than ever. This is the time to up your retinol game. A higher concentration, like the one in Night Renewal Cream (2.5% All-Trans encapsulated retinol) will boost your collagen and reduce your wrinkles without irritating your skin.
Vitamin C is another powerful collagen booster. Plus, it brightens your skin and fights the free radicals that cause wrinkles. Vitamin C works even better when paired with vitamin E and ferulic acid. Science shows this powerful combination boosts sun protection, too! You can get your fix from our Super-C 20% Vitamin C Serum high potency C+E+Ferulic, with EGF & Matrixyl 3000. Maytrixyl 3000 boosts collagen as well, and EGF promotes new cell growth.
Menopause doesn’t have to wreak havoc on your skin. With a little extra care and a few tweaks here and there, you can enjoy a clear and youthful complexion during this challenging and exciting time of your life.