Your Guide to Skincare During Perimenopause and Menopause

Hot flashes, mood swings, and dry skin, oh my!

September is National Menopause Awareness Month and Kristen M. Jacobs, MD, aesthetic physician, best-selling author and owner of Ooh La La Spa Anti-Aging & Wellness in Glen Carbon, IL, wants to educate women on the impacts of menopause on the skin.

Menopause can start for women as early as their late thirties and can often come with a variety of symptoms including hot flashes, fainting, sleep disturbances, changes in their menstrual cycle, weight gain, irritability, or mood swings. Dr. Jacobs has more than 15 years of experience in aesthetic medicine and said throughout the years she can see how menopause often impacts overall health and appearance of the skin.

What Causes Skin Changes During Perimenopause and Menopause?

During menopause, as estrogen production decreases and ultimately stops, your skin’s ability to create high-quality collagen becomes compromised, leading to a loss of skin elasticity and thickness. Due to the loss of collagen and the skin’s struggle to retain moisture, it becomes drier, itchier, and more prone to fine lines, wrinkles, and other signs of aging.

Many women assume that dry, aging skin is inevitable during and after menopause. This may be true to a certain extent, but you also have control over how much your skin ages.

Addressing the Top Menopausal Skin Concerns

Let’s break down common skin concerns during menopause and provide some simple (and more complex) solutions to help you feel beautiful and healthy in your own skin!

Dry Skin
To combat dry skin, look for skincare products that contain ingredients like hyaluronic acid, which hydrates and plumps the skin. We recommend SkinMedica HA5 Rejuvenating Hydrator to keep your skin ultra-hydrated year round. We also recommend DiamondGlow facials for an amazing boost of hydration, as well as exfoliation.

Also, take lukewarm showers as hot water can strip the skin of its natural oils. And of course, stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water.

Fine Lines
We recommend SkinMedica TNS Advanced+ to almost all our patients because of the amazing results it provides. This product improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, as well as improving skin tone and texture. Another amazing product is the SkinMedica LUMIVIVE® System, which is designed to provide a bio-barrier against blue light and other environmental aggressors from damaging skin during the day and recharges the skin’s essential repair process at night.

We have several treatment options at Ooh La La that combat and minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. For instant and natural results, we offer wrinkle relaxers like Botox, Daxxify and Dysport that temporarily limit the injectable site’s range of motion, as well as Filler, which instantly restores your skin’s volume and smooths away facial wrinkles or folds.

We also offer first-class treatments like Pearl Laser, Secret RF, Ultherapy, ThermiSmooth and Forever Young BBL that work to restore collagen and improve the appearance of fine lines over time.

Age Spots
Age spots (or brown spots) result from sun damage or damage from smoking and can become more prevalent during menopause as your skin loses moisture and structural support. We are loving the newest line from SkinMedica, Even and Correct, which works to help target and prevent visible hyperpigmentation. And the LUMIVIVE® System we mentioned above works great for correcting brown spots and hyperpigmentation as well!

We would be remiss to not mention sunscreen for the prevention of future age spots! Our favorite brand of sunscreen is Colorescience because it’s a mineral sunscreen that doubles as makeup.

We offer some fantastic treatments for age spots, like Microneedling with PRP, HALO Laser, Forever Young BBL, Secret RF, and more!

Loss of Vaginal Muscle
Stretching of the vaginal muscles is common with aging. This damage can diminish sensation during intimate activity, reduce satisfaction, and change the relationship between partners.

Women don’t want to feel as if they’ve lost control of their body, especially when it comes to intimate parts of life. ThermiVA is a non-invasive, nothern-hormonal treatment with little to no discomfort and downtime. Using radiofrequency energy, ThermiVA gives you back control of your body.

We have your skincare needs covered! It’s NEVER too late to start your journey to healthy skin. Schedule a visit with our team, where we will take VISIA scans of your face to assess your skin needs and customize a plan just for YOU! Call us at (618) 288-9117 or click here to request a call from our team! Be sure to ask us about our Smart SCIN Membership that allows you to make monthly payments toward your skincare and injectables!