Four Things That Happen to Your Skin During Menopause
Menopause is an unpredictable time. Even in the years leading up to menopause, you can experience a range of changes to your physical and emotional health and it’s natural to wonder exactly what’s going on. One thing in particular, that you might not have expected is the dramatic changes to the appearance of your skin.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the changes that occur to skin during menopause. We’ll explain what changes you can expect and show you which skincare ingredients to look out for to keep your skin bright and vibrant during menopause.
Here are four things that happen to skin during menopause:
Menopause Causes Collagen Loss
During menopause, your body’s oestrogen levels naturally decline. In turn, this causes the loss of collagen and elastin – both essential proteins that help maintain skin firmness.
Studies show skin loses about 30% of its collagen within the first five years of the menopause. After that, the decline is more gradual with a 2% loss expected per year for the next 20 years. This lack of collagen can make the skin less firm, with an increase in wrinkles and fine lines.
The Ingredients that Help
MEP Technology is a new kind of ingredient created specifically for menopausal skin. It encourages the skin to behave as if the oestrogen were still there. MEP doesn’t add oestrogen to the body. Instead, it helps key skin cells work the way they did before menopause, when they were being stimulated by oestrogen. This process helps restore collagen loss caused by menopause.
Other ingredients such as retinol and peptides also help boost collagen production, making them important ingredients to include in your menopause skincare regime. Peptides boost collagen production by creating chains of proteins within the skin. Meanwhile, retinol helps to increase cell turnover and stimulate collagen. These ingredients can help increase the appearance of firmness, improve uneven skin tone, and smooth the surface of skin.
Menopause Impacts Epidermal Thickness
Low oestrogen levels also cause a decline in skin thickness which can affect the overall look and feel of the skin. Research shows you can expect to see a 1.1% decline in skin thickness each year after menopause. This change in the skin’s structure can make it appear thinner and duller.
The Ingredient that Helps
Also known as vitamin B3, niacinamide is a restorative ingredient that can improve the appearance of uneven skin tone, fine lines and dullness. Niacinamide also boosts the production of ceramides – which are essential for promoting a healthy skin barrier to help protect your skin from external irritants and pollutants.
Menopause Causes Brown Spots and Uneven Skin Tone
As you age and approach menopause, you may notice a more uneven skin tone with brown spots appearing. This happens because the melanocytes that create melanin are controlled by oestrogen. As oestrogen levels decline, the skin can appear paler, with more brown spots. Ageing skin is also more susceptible to UV damage which causes brown spots too.
The Ingredients that Help
The good news is that retinol (also known as vitamin A) can help address brown spots and uneven skin tone by encouraging skin cell turnover. This renews the skin’s surface to create more even, brighter skin.
Remember to look out for skincare that contains antioxidants which will also help prevent brown spots from forming.
Menopause Causes Dry Skin
When menopause begins and oestrogen levels drop, your skin can look and feel much dryer. This is because menopausal skin finds it difficult to hold onto the oils in the skin. As a result, dry, itchy patches can occur. The effects are made worse by external influences like cold weather and pollution.
The Ingredients that Help
Hyaluronic acid is a key ingredient to look for in your skincare. It acts like a sponge, allowing your skin to soak up moisture. Hyaluronic acid absorbs up to 1,000 times its weight in water, helping to keep your skin looking plump and well moisturised.
Find the Best Skincare for Menopausal Skin
If you’re worried about how your skin is changing and ageing due to menopause, take a look at the Emepelle range of menopause skincare products.
With just two products; Emepelle Serum and Emepelle Night Cream, your skin gets all the ingredients (including all those we’ve talked about here) it needs to combat the changes that occur in your skin during menopause. Emepelle is also the only skincare range to include MEP Technology; a unique ingredient specially formulated to improve lines and wrinkles, dryness and dullness in menopausal skin.
What Next?
Find out how you can redefine how your skin ages through menopause with Emepelle here
Or, to receive skincare, welbeing and lifestyle tips during menopause direct to your inbox, sign up to the Emepelle Edit.
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