Photo by Anna Shvets
Your skin and hair may alter noticeably during menopause, which technically starts one year after your last period. Your skin may become dry, saggy, and thin when your hormone levels drop. There can be more hair on your face and less on your scalp.You can mitigate these consequences by taking the proper precautions. Here is what dermatologists advise.
Age spots and other signs of skin damage from the sun
You may notice the impacts now if you’ve spent a lot of time in the sun without using sunscreen. On your face, hands, neck, arms, or chest, age spots and larger patches of darker skin may develop. Additionally, precancerous skin growths and skin cancer may be becoming more prevalent.
Your Options:
Every day before heading outside, apply sunscreen. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher to offer your skin the protection it needs. All skin that is exposed from clothes should receive it. This can lessen the appearance of age spots, stop the spread of new ones, and lower your chance of developing skin cancer
Schedule a skin cancer screening appointment with a dermatologist. As you get older, your risk of developing skin cancer rises. Skin cancer screenings become more crucial as your risk increases. Skin cancer and precancerous growths are more easily treated the earlier they are discovered.
Start skin self-exams. Ask your dermatologist at your appointment how frequently you should check your own skin. At Detect skin cancer, you may discover all the information you need to analyze your skin.
Request a treatment prescription from your dermatologist for age spots. Consult your dermatologist to have your skin examined before you purchase any age spot treatments.Skin cancer can occasionally resemble an age spot or another type of dark patch on your skin. Use of your age-spot treatment on a skin malignancy may cause the spot to disappear and postpone treatment. Delaying treatment for skin cancer allows the disease more time to develop and spread. As a result, treating the cancer may become more challenging. Your dermatologist can suggest an age-spot therapy after inspecting your skin and determining which is best for you.
Bruise quickly
Skin gets thinner when estrogen levels drop. Thin skin is more prone to bruising.
Your Options
Daily use of a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher is advised. While it won’t actually thicken your skin, this can stop it from getting any thinner. Apply sunscreen to your hands, neck, and any other exposed skin, including your face. And even during the cold, you want to do this every day.
Consult with a dermatologist about treatment options. A dermatologist will be upfront about what might be effective for you. A retinoid cream may be helpful for some women. A different alternative is laser therapy.
Dry skin
Skin might become quite dry during menopause because of the skin’s diminished capacity to retain moisture. This is particularly obvious when the air is dry.
Your Options
Use a gentle cleaner in place of soap when washing. Soap may dry out mature skin too much. And you should absolutely avoid the deodorant bars.
After a shower and whenever your skin feels dry throughout the day, moisturize. Hyaluronic acid or glycerin-based moisturizers can be especially beneficial.
See your dermatologist if your skin still feels dry. Microdermabrasion or exfoliation might be helpful, but you should first consult your physician. As a woman enters menopause, her skin grows thinner, making one of these at home potentially harmful.
Facial hair
Unwanted hair may grow above your lip, around your jawline, and beneath your chin as the levels of female hormones decline.
Your Options
One possibility is waxing. Your skin may break and bleed if it becomes too thin to be waxed. To get rid of extra hair, you should:
See your dermatologist. A dermatologist who has received board certification can advise you on the best methods for hair removal. A prescription hair-reduction lotion and laser hair removal are two alternatives.
Have a board-certified dermatologist perform laser hair removal, if that’s an option. This procedure may appear simple in experienced hands. When the individual administering your laser therapy is untrained in medicine and does not have in-depth understanding of the skin, your chance of adverse effects increases significantly.
Hair loss on your head
Many women have hair thinning on their heads during menopause. A broadening part could be the initial indicator. For some women, this means a receding hairline.
Your options:
The earlier you begin addressing hair loss, the better your outcomes will be. Since several factors can contribute to hair loss, you should:
At the first sign of a problem, consult a dermatologist with board certification. Depending on the cause, hair loss treatment may vary. Your dermatologist might advise minoxidil, laser therapy, or both if your hair loss is caused by menopause. A hair transplant may be an option if you have already lost a significant amount of hair.
Jowls, slack skin, and wrinkles
Skin quickly loses collagen throughout menopause. According to studies, the first five years of menopause are when women lose roughly 30% of the collagen in their skin. The deterioration becomes more slow after that. Over the following 20 years, women will lose 2% of their collagen annually.Our skin sags and loses firmness when collagen levels decline. Jowls emerge. From the corners of the lips to the tip of the nose, there are constant lines. The wrinkles that were previously only apparent when one frowned or smiled are now constantly evident.Later, the nose’s tip droops. Under your eyes, you could notice pouches.Lack of skin firmness also contributes to large pores.
Your options:
Avoid the sun’s rays on your skin. This can lessen apparent wrinkles and stop the development of new ones.
Pimple in general and acne breakouts
Some women experience acne reminiscent of their adolescent years as levels of female hormones fall before and throughout menopause.
Use a salicylic acid-containing cleanser to clean acne-prone skin. This aids in pore cleaning.
Avoid skin-drying acne products. Drying your skin can worsen acne.
If your acne won’t go away, schedule an appointment with a dermatologist. A hormonal therapy may be required.
Rashes and easily irritated skin
Our skin’s pH level changes about age 50. Skin becomes more sensitive as a result of this change, and women are more likely to experience rashes and easily irritated skin. This can get worse if you already have a skin disease like eczema or rosacea.
Your Options:
Make use of a moisturizer without fragrances. This can reduce irritation. A board-certified dermatologist should be seen if the rash persists or a skin issue gets worse. You might require the aid of a dermatologist when your skin grows drier and more prone to irritation.
Wounds heal more slowly
Our skin’s ability to recover is greatly influenced by hormones. When hormone levels drop, skin heals more slowly.
Your Options:
Remind yourself that your skin will recover. It might now take more time. If an infection or other skin issue appears, consult a dermatologist who has earned board certification. You have a higher chance of developing an infection or another skin condition when skin heals more slowly.
What changes will you make?
You now know what to anticipate and that there are many things you may do to lessen these changes. If this all sounds overwhelming, a board-certified dermatologist can develop a treatment strategy that works and produces results.
