Menopause skin care: Davina McCall and Caroline Hirons’ top tips

Why can skin change during perimenopause and menopause?

When the oestrogen levels start to fluctuate during perimenopause, it can have a knock-on effect on your skin. The falling oestrogen will affect your skin’s ability to retain ceramides, fatty acids that help the skin lock in moisture.

Everyone’s skin reacts differently. You might have no issues at all, but for many  women, perimenopause means being  prone to redness and spotty skin. When I turned forty, I developed adult acne out of nowhere. I had what I would call  the ‘heavy-duty’ spots that never come to a head and linger like a volcano that just wouldn’t erupt, especially around the chin area.

Because your skin is literally becoming thinner, you’ll also probably notice that it takes longer for the skin to heal. So if you do get a spot, it’ll take longer to go away, and this goes for cuts or open wounds too.

Can perimenopause cause spots on your face?

Some women develop adult acne or occasional spots during perimenopause. Caroline remembers suddenly developing deep, lingering spots around her chin in her forties.

Confusingly, spots can appear while the rest of your skin feels dry or sensitive. That’s why aggressively treating your whole face can make matters worse.

Keep things gentle:

• Use a mild, non-foaming cleanser.
• Choose a non-comedogenic moisturiser that won’t block pores.
• Apply spot treatments only where they’re needed.
• Avoid scrubs, picking, and introducing several strong active ingredients at once.

Speak to a pharmacist, GP, or dermatologist if your spots are painful, persistent, causing scarring, or affecting your confidence.

If by “spots” you mean new dark marks, rather than acne, get any patch or mole that changes, bleeds, itches, or doesn’t heal checked by a healthcare professional.

What helps dry skin during perimenopause and menopause?

Don’t jump on the latest trendy ingredient or start buying a whole load of products aimed at ageing skin. ‘Ageing skin’ is about taking care of wrinkles, but in perimenopause usually the main things you need to address are redness and spots.

Having said that, you don’t want to aggressively treat your whole face by throwing the kitchen sink at it. Please, don’t attack your face! Sometimes when women get spots they start treating their skin like it’s the enemy.  Treat the areas where the spots are, but not your whole face.

When I was perimenopausal I switched from a heavier moisturiser to a lighter, water-based one that penetrates the skin more quickly. It felt a lot lighter and more comfortable on the skin.

Look for products with ceramides and copper peptides. Peptides are amino acids that can help boost dull and dehydrated  skin. Both ceramides and peptides are  a gentle way to keep your skin barrier in check without being super-aggressive.

Retinoids can help with skin texture and fine lines, but they can also cause dryness and irritation. If you want to use one, introduce it gradually, avoid combining it with other active ingredients, and reduce or stop using it if your skin becomes sore.

Menopause skin care

As you move into menopause, oestrogen depletes further and your skin starts to lose its tone and elasticity. This leads to wrinkles and jowls. If you find your skin has switched from being spotty to feeling tight and dry after cleansing, it might be a sign of oestrogen falling further.

To add fuel to the fire, it becomes harder for your skin to retain moisture, so you might find your skin switches from spotty to dry, flaky and itchy and you are left thinking, what the hell is this?

Because hormones are still fluctuating as you enter menopause, you can get the odd spot, but in general your skin tends to be drier and more sallow-looking at this stage.

Menopause skin care – expert tips

Unless it’s come on prescription from a medical professional, save your money and give a wide berth to products that promise to stop hot flushes or ‘fix’ your menopausal skin.

If your skin is dry and dull-looking, the key thing is getting moisture back in.  That doesn’t mean you have to go for a really rich moisturiser (unless your skin is  feeling very dry and itchy), as something water-based can work just as well.

Don’t go and spend a fortune on a clay detox mask, do the opposite – look for a hydrating mask. And if you’ve got a big event coming up, a good facial oil can fix a thousand sins very quickly.

Again, look for products with ceramides  and peptides. Think gentle and reassuring  products that aren’t going to throw your skin into a hissy fit. For daytime, menopausal skin will often respond well to cleansing milks and creams, facial  mists and a good moisturiser – and don’t skip a good SPF to protect your skin! The general advice is to use at least SPF 30 with four-star UVA protection. At night, repeat your daytime routine, without applying the SPF.

I also find that I’m not good with active products anymore, like retinols. My skincare barrier is more sensitive because of menopause, so it doesn’t like a really strong retinol. I would have been able to tolerate that five or ten years ago. The main thing is to listen to your skin and what it can cope with.

A simple menopause skincare routine

You don’t need a shelf full of products labelled “for menopausal skin”. A short, consistent routine is usually easier on sensitive skin.

Morning

1. Rinse your face or use a gentle cleanser.
2. Apply a moisturiser suited to your skin.
3. Use sunscreen with at least SPF 30 and four-star UVA protection.

Evening

1. Gently remove makeup, sunscreen, and daily grime.
2. Apply one treatment product, if you use one.
3. Finish with moisturiser.

When should you seek medical advice?

Speak to your GP, pharmacist, or a dermatologist if you develop:

• Severe or persistent itching
• A new or unexplained rash
• Painful or scarring acne
• A sudden flare-up of eczema or rosacea
• A patch, mole, or wound that changes, bleeds, or doesn’t heal

Your skin isn’t the enemy, and it doesn’t need to be attacked. A few thoughtful changes may be all it takes to make it feel calmer and more comfortable.

Extracted from Davina’s latest book Menopausing, published by HQ.

Photo: Mark Hayman

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