Menopause and Your Skin

You may have thought that once you managed get through your teen years skin care would be a piece of cake, however aging brings it own set of issues. Seeing the changes taking place with our skin is enough of a shock for most women and then you are hit with the frustrations that menopause brings with it. Perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms for many women includes extreme skin dryness, acne and/or Rosacea.

Acne is acne no matter what age you happen to be however as the age you have a few other skin concerns that must be recognized when choosing a skin care treatment plan. When choosing a acne treatment plan try to stay away products that contain Benzoyl Peroxide as then tend to cause irritation, dryness and may even acerbate your breakouts. This is especially true for those individuals who may be having an issue with Rosacea. You want to look for products that are gentle, soothing and effective and that will not add to the dryness that becomes more prevalent as we age.

Along with the unwanted blemishes you will start to experience many changes in the appearance of your skin, some do to the hormonal changes of menopause and some that are changes do to aging. Cell turnover begins to slow and will continue to do so and your complexion becomes dull and dry. And if that is not enough you will begin to notice that your skin is beginning to sage and loosen as it loses its elasticity. Your facial pores will remind you of craters as they become much more visible and prominent especially on your upper cheeks and nose. This is also the age at which sun damage begins to show its self in the form of age spots, wrinkles, spider veins and possibly precancerous spots.

Cleansing both morning and night with a non soap cleanser is recommended. Soap cleansers will add to the dryness so instead use a foam or gel cleansing product and make that they have with moisturizing properties. You may also want to look for a product that is a gentle exfoliant, if you have sensitive skin then only exfoliate a couple of times a week to help keep your skin looking fresh and radiant. Try to choose products that list water as one of there main ingredients, which means listed in the first couple of positions.

Menopause or no menopause, once you reach middle age moisturizing is the key and will become increasingly more important to the appearance and health of your skin. For the best results use a moisturizer that contains Vitamin C, this powerful antioxidant will do wonders for the over all appearance of your skin. The trick to moisturizing is to apply it to your damp skin, moisturizers hold the moisture in, they do not add moisture. It is also important to look for moisturizers with SPF 20 or more and make sure that it protects against both UVA and UVB rays. Lanolin, water or petroleum based products are a good choice for whole body moisturizing, and again it is best to put on when your skin is still damp.

You may also find it useful to up your consumption of water and oils, as perimenopause and menopause deplete your body of both. This does not mean that you need to start eating fried chicken for every meal, but instead try an oil supplement or adding a tablespoon of olive oil to your salad at dinner.