Hormone Replacement Therapy
5 Winter Skin Tips During Menopause
Menopause occurs when you stop getting menstrual periods, and most people associate mood swings, difficulty sleeping, weight gain, and hot flashes with this stage in life. However, the hormonal changes that come with menopause affect your skin, too.
As progesterone and estrogen levels drop, skin often loses collagen and firmness, leaving you with tight, dry skin. As collagen decreases, there’s also a drop in lymphatic circulation and moisturization of the skin. The skin may become dull and saggy as estrogen decreases, too.1
These skin changes that come with menopause get exacerbated during the dry, winter months. To minimize the excessive dryness that often comes with menopausal skin, particularly during the colder season, considering making some changes to your skincare routine.2
Tip #1 – Go Heavy with Moisturizers
You may have chosen to go with a lighter lotion in the past, but menopausal skin – particularly in the winter – needs plenty of moisture.
Choose a heavy moisturizer on both the body and your face. Moisturizers that have hyaluronic acid make an excellent choice, and facial moisturizers with retinol work well as long as it doesn’t irritate the skin.
Don’t forget about your hands; moisturize them after you wash them.
Tip #2 – Avoid Long, Hot Showers
While long, hot showers feel great when it’s cold outside, hot water dries out your skin.
The same goes for hot baths.
Take shorter showers in lukewarm water, then moisturize skin while it’s still damp. This helps ensure your skin absorbs the moisturizer to keep moisture locked in to prevent dry skin, irritation, and cracking.
Tip #3 – Stay Hydrated with Plenty of Water
Remember that you still need to drink plenty of water in the winter months. Since it’s not as hot out, it’s easy to slack off on hydrating your body. Failing to get enough water each day will impact your skin, which is your body’s largest organ.3
Get a minimum of eight glasses per day, and limit foods and drinks that can dehydrate you, such as processed foods, salty snacks, and alcohol.
Tip #4 – Get at Least Seven Hours of Sleep
Menopause often makes it tougher to get the sleep you need, but sleep is essential to preventing skin damage.
Getting enough sleep at night gives your skin time to restore itself. When you don’t get enough sleep, it can increase inflammation, raise your cortisol levels, and even inhibit collagen formation, all of which harm the skin.
Aim to get at least seven hours of sleep at night, and if you’re having difficulty sleeping, talk to your physician about what options may be available to you to help.4
Tip #5 – Eat More Essential Fatty Acids
Essential fatty acids – found in omega-3s – are the building blocks of cell membranes.
Healthy fats help produce your skin’s natural moisture barrier, keeping skin younger-looking and plumper. Add foods to your diets high in healthy fats, such as flax oil, olive oil, walnuts, avocados, and fatty fish.5
Tip #6 – Consider Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT)
BHRT uses bioidentical hormones that have been derived from plant estrogens identical chemically to those found within the human body.
Some of the most commonly used hormones used in BHRT include testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone. While traditional hormone replacement therapy is made from synthetic hormones, BHRT is all-natural and believed to be safer.
BHRT has been found to help relieve many of the uncomfortable symptoms women experience during menopause, such as hot flashes and mood swings. Also, BHRT may help reduce some of the skin problems you experience due to waning levels of progesterone and estrogen.6
References:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2685269/
- https://www.webmd.com/menopause/ss/slideshow-better-skin-after-menopause
- https://www.everydayhealth.com/skin-and-beauty/top-tips-for-healthy-winter-skin
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/womens-health/what-to-do-about-dry-skin-in-winter
- https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/beauty-sleep
- https://www.webmd.com/beauty/features/natural-skin-care-skinny-fats
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2685269/
Menopause occurs when you stop getting menstrual periods, and most people associate mood swings, difficulty sleeping, weight gain, and hot flashes with this stage in life. However, the hormonal changes that come with menopause affect your skin, too.
As progesterone and estrogen levels drop, skin often loses collagen and firmness, leaving you with tight, dry skin. As collagen decreases, there’s also a drop in lymphatic circulation and moisturization of the skin. The skin may become dull and saggy as estrogen decreases, too.1
These skin changes that come with menopause get exacerbated during the dry, winter months. To minimize the excessive dryness that often comes with menopausal skin, particularly during the colder season, considering making some changes to your skincare routine.2
Tip #1 – Go Heavy with Moisturizers
You may have chosen to go with a lighter lotion in the past, but menopausal skin – particularly in the winter – needs plenty of moisture.
Choose a heavy moisturizer on both the body and your face. Moisturizers that have hyaluronic acid make an excellent choice, and facial moisturizers with retinol work well as long as it doesn’t irritate the skin.
Don’t forget about your hands; moisturize them after you wash them.
Tip #2 – Avoid Long, Hot Showers
While long, hot showers feel great when it’s cold outside, hot water dries out your skin.
The same goes for hot baths.
Take shorter showers in lukewarm water, then moisturize skin while it’s still damp. This helps ensure your skin absorbs the moisturizer to keep moisture locked in to prevent dry skin, irritation, and cracking.
Tip #3 – Stay Hydrated with Plenty of Water
Remember that you still need to drink plenty of water in the winter months. Since it’s not as hot out, it’s easy to slack off on hydrating your body. Failing to get enough water each day will impact your skin, which is your body’s largest organ.3
Get a minimum of eight glasses per day, and limit foods and drinks that can dehydrate you, such as processed foods, salty snacks, and alcohol.
Tip #4 – Get at Least Seven Hours of Sleep
Menopause often makes it tougher to get the sleep you need, but sleep is essential to preventing skin damage.
Getting enough sleep at night gives your skin time to restore itself. When you don’t get enough sleep, it can increase inflammation, raise your cortisol levels, and even inhibit collagen formation, all of which harm the skin.
Aim to get at least seven hours of sleep at night, and if you’re having difficulty sleeping, talk to your physician about what options may be available to you to help.4
Tip #5 – Eat More Essential Fatty Acids
Essential fatty acids – found in omega-3s – are the building blocks of cell membranes.
Healthy fats help produce your skin’s natural moisture barrier, keeping skin younger-looking and plumper. Add foods to your diets high in healthy fats, such as flax oil, olive oil, walnuts, avocados, and fatty fish.5
Tip #6 – Consider Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT)
BHRT uses bioidentical hormones that have been derived from plant estrogens identical chemically to those found within the human body.
Some of the most commonly used hormones used in BHRT include testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone. While traditional hormone replacement therapy is made from synthetic hormones, BHRT is all-natural and believed to be safer.
BHRT has been found to help relieve many of the uncomfortable symptoms women experience during menopause, such as hot flashes and mood swings. Also, BHRT may help reduce some of the skin problems you experience due to waning levels of progesterone and estrogen.6
References:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2685269/
- https://www.webmd.com/menopause/ss/slideshow-better-skin-after-menopause
- https://www.everydayhealth.com/skin-and-beauty/top-tips-for-healthy-winter-skin
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/womens-health/what-to-do-about-dry-skin-in-winter
- https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/beauty-sleep
- https://www.webmd.com/beauty/features/natural-skin-care-skinny-fats
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2685269/
