Along with puberty and pregnancy, the menopause can bring about some of the biggest changes your skin will experience. While some will sail through this life stage experiencing little difference, for the majority of us, the menopause demands to be noticed.
Women usually experience the menopause around the age of 51, although it's common to have perimenopausal symptoms from your 40s. As your confidence and wisdom increase, oestrogen and progesterone levels drop and skin that has behaved for years can start throwing tantrums. But, with the right products and lifestyle you can enjoy skin confidence through the menopause and beyond.
Keep it clean
During the menopause skin tends to become drier as sebaceous glands become less active. You may notice your skin becoming tighter and more flaky or conversely, unbalanced testosterone levels can create thicker sebum making skin look more oily. Luckily, the answer to both lies in one clever product. Essential Face Wash is one-of-a-kind, a deeply cleansing yet ultra hydrating cleanser. It has a coconut oil base making it deliciously cocooning for a drier complexion with a super-concentrated lather. Mix with a few drops of water for an ultra-thorough cleanse that leaves skin refreshed, revitalised and perfectly prepped for moisturiser.
Double up on moisture
At this life stage your epidermis (the upper layers of skin) naturally thin as a drop in oestrogen causes fewer nutrients to be transported to skin cells. The result? A weakened barrier and greater transepidermal water loss – that means dryness. To fight back, bump up your moisture intake in any way you can, from drinking plenty of water to using facial oil, like Essential Facial Essence under your moisturiser. Our Essential Face Moisturiser is loaded with plumping oceanic biopolymers from red algae to help skin retain water plus mineral-rich seaweed extract for hydration and suppleness.
Add bounce with a balm
Hormonal changes cause a loss of supportive fat below the skin as well as a decline in collagen, the protein which gives skin its plumpness and bounce. Our Essential Face Balm is brimming with high levels of essential fatty acids, vitamins and lipids, to nourish the skin’s upper layers and boost the strength of the barrier to help prevent further moisture loss.
Buff your way to a glow
Our natural rate of skin renewal slows as we get older, from around 20 days in our 20s to 30 or more days in our 50s, but you can improve this with an exfoliator. By ridding your complexion of a build up of dead skin cells it will function more efficiently and gain a healthy glow. Our Essential Perfect Skin Exfoliating Polish with reinvigorating ginger, pomegranate and orange gently sloughs away rough patches and stimulates circulation. Skin looks brighter, smoother and radiant.
Gently does it
The menopause can increase sensitivity and therefore your chances of reacting to products, even ones you may have happily used for years. Clean products with pure, high quality ingredients work better on stressed skin. Slow Ageing Essentials will not bombard skin with ingredients and steps it does not need. Each product in this compact collection combines three ingredient systems, all working in synergy to get hormonally challenged skin into peak condition and keep it there.
Be a sleeping beauty
Disturbed nights are common during the menopause, but you can improve your chances of getting that optimum seven to eight hours of sleep. If hot flushes are an issue, ensure your bedroom isn’t too warm (the ideal temperature for sleep is around 60-67 degrees) and pick bedding made from breathable natural fibres such as cotton or bamboo. Creating a relaxing bedtime routine can also work wonders. Turn off screens an hour before bed and run a bath with a capful ofEssential Bath & Shower Essence. This elixir blends 100% pure rose geranium, rosemary, juniper and cypress essential oils, which act on your olfactory senses to put you in the best frame of mind for sleep.
Feed your skin
Research has shown that products derived from soybeans, such as soymilk, edamame beans or miso, can be helpful during the menopause for reducing symptoms like night sweats. This plant protein is rich in isoflavones, a type of phytoestrogen that mimics the action of estrogen with hormone-regulating benefits. Eating foods high in antioxidants can help your skin become stronger from the inside out, which may help to rebalance the effects of collagen decline. Brightly coloured fruits and vegetables are superb sources so try to eat a rainbow at every meal.
