The menopause
The menopause is a phenomenon that for a long time was only a women’s issue and often a private matter that wasn’t talked about.
Fortunately, times are changing and the menopause – and the symptoms women experience is receiving more attention and recognition. This also means that there is greater focus on how some of the changes/challenges can be alleviated.
About the menopause
In a nutshell, the menopause is a period in which production of the female sex hormones oestrogen and progesterone gradually decreases and eventually ceases.
According to dermatologist Uffe Gjede, it is estimated that 30% of women go through menopause without major effects, while the rest experience hormonal imbalance to varying degrees – including changes in the skin and new demands, which is what we will be focusing on in this post.
Menopause and dry skin
One of the side effects of the menopause and the loss of oestrogen is that, among other things, it causes the skin to age faster, which manifests itself as follows:
- The skin loses its elasticity and fullness
- Lines, wrinkles and sun damage become more prominent
- The skin becomes less resilient and has difficulty absorbing and maintaining moisture.
This is why many women find that their skin becomes drier during the menopause.
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Menopause and blemished skin
Others find that the hormonal changes result in a tendency towards greasy skinand/or blemishes – even acne. This may be due to the loss of female sex hormones and thus greater dominance of the male sex hormone testosterone, which affects the skin’s sebum production and can result in greasy skin, blemishes and pimples.
Dry skin can also result in blemishes, so it’s still important to examine the skin and assess its needs, which we always recommend and are happy to help with.
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‘When you use vitamin A creams, you increase the amount of elastic fibres and thus increase the ability to bind water on the surface because the epidermis becomes thicker. At the same time, of course, you also need to treat the moisture level, and we do this by looking at what type of skin you have and how dry it is.’
Uffe Gjede, dermatologist
As the skin weakens, thins and becomes less resilient during menopause, previous skin conditions, damage or latent skin conditions can flare up.
In particular, more women are experiencing the skin condition Rosacea. Rosacea is an inflammatory skin condition that causes redness, pustules and spider veins and can be very distressing. It can appear all over the face or especially on the nose and cheeks.
Another more harmless form of redness can come from hot flushes. In these cases, a cooling mist and a light day cream can be helpful.
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Menopause and pigmentation changes
Just as skin conditions can appear during the menopause, sun damage can also become more apparent. Sun damage is characterised by a loss of elasticity and suppleness in the skin, which is further exacerbated during menopause.
In addition, there is increased risk of pigmentation changes. The skin naturally becomes thinner and the surface less robust. Therefore, the skin will be more sensitive to UVA and UVB rays from the sun. The brown patches referred to as pigmentation changes, age spots or liver spots are a build-up of melanin, which is the body’s natural defence against UV radiation. If sunscreen is not used on a daily basis, there is an increased likelihood of pigmentation changes. It’s also worth mentioning that the skin never forgets, so if there is sun damage in the skin from previous years, it will continue to build up, which also increases the risk of skin changes.
You can read more about prevention and treatment of pigmentation changes in this blog post.
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(Skin) Stress associated with menopause
The menopause is a time when many women experience changes that can affect their overall physical and mental state.
Many experience severe headaches, hot flushes, increased perspiration, trouble sleeping, loss of energy, etc. All these affect the body and mind, and when this occurs, it automatically has an effect on the skin.
There are several ways to alleviate the problems, and we encourage you to contact your doctor and together find a meaningful treatment for the symptoms.
Featured products
From a skincare perspective, there are some clear ingredients and products that we know can minimise skin damage. We have selected five different ones here:
Vitamin A / Super3Booster:
Super3Booster is a potent vitamin A cream that works to strengthen the skin from the inside and out. Vitamin A is essential for rebuilding lost collagen and elastin in the skin so that it can become strong and resilient again. Vitamin A can reduce collagen loss and thus wrinkles and lines, age spots, blemishes and sun damage in the skin.
La Forte Collagen Booster Tablets:
This supplement contains a number of excellent and essential antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, all of which are beneficial and really important for the body – including the skin. The supplement works from the inside and provides a powerful anti-ageing stimulus, boosts the skin’s moisture level and creates balance. This helps to alleviate and at least minimise problems with dryness, redness, blemishes, etc.
Vitamins A, C, D and E as well as Zinc are among the beneficial ingredients. In addition and specific to the supplement are selected extracts from fish and the plant kingdom. All in a combination that works wonders on the skin.
Body Lotion Dry Skin:
For dry skin, this is a fantastic body lotion. In just 30 days of daily use, it can increase the skin’s moisture content by up to 65% (based on clinical tests). It contains several different moisturisers, antioxidants and vitamin A to strengthen and balance the skin.
AHA Vitamin C Glow Creme:
Good day cream for mild dryness and a tendency to pigmentation changes. It moisturises, boosts cell renewal and adds vitamin C – all to prevent and treat age changes in the skin. For extra anti-ageing effect, combine with Defy Damage Serum.
Symphonique Serum:
Moisturising serum with Hyaluronic Acid for a big moisture boost and Niacinamide to improve skin elasticity and reduce pigmentation and wrinkles. The serum also protects against damage from irradiation (incl. UV rays and rays from electronic screens). The serum is designed for adult and mature skin.
For maximum anti-ageing, whether or not you’re feeling the effects of the menopause, take a look at the Symphonique range, the ‘limousine range’ of anti-ageing.