Skin Tips for Menopause

Menopause changes not only your attitude and waistline but also your skin.  Feeling hot? and not in a good way?  During the hormonal changes that occur during menopause your skin will change and act and react differently than it used to.  This is a time to pay attention and care for these changes before they happen or as they occur so you can keep your radiant complexion well into your golden years.  Believe it or not menopause does not always mean drier skin, for some their skin will change to oily.  The one thing you can count on, is that it will change, along with many other changes going on in your body. Hence the term, "the change of life."

This is a time, more than any other, to make sure you are receiving professional treatments at least once a month.  Your skin will change not only over time, but from month to month as well.  This is especially true during the first years of menopause.  

Tweaking your at home care will also be necessary during this time.  Your skin care professional will make note of your skin changes and make recommendations to you for the right products to be using at home.  During this time you may feel like all the things you used to do for your skin are no longer working.  If you are like most women you are going to continue doing the same things anyway.  Well ladies, you all the definition of insanity right?  Doing the same thing over and over expecting different results?  You must change the way you care for your skin, because your skin is changing, it's a cold hard fact.

It is more important now, than ever, to protect your skin from the sun.  Your skin will break down quicker making exposure to the damaging rays from the sun even greater to the appearance and the health of your skin.

Below are some basic things to make sure you are doing on a regular basis to care for your changing skin.

• Cleanse twice daily with the appropriate cleanser for your skin type and changes
• Use a Skin Softener, not an astringent or toner after cleansing.
• Use your SPF every day, rain or shine to protect against UVA and UVB rays
• Exfoliate at least once a week with a gentle manual exfoliation to rid the skin of old skin cells.
• Moisturize daily, in the morning with SPF  and again at night with a deep moisturizer.
• Use your topical Vitamin-C daily, it's the best anti-oxidant available to protect against free radicals which damage the skin.
•  Use a daily Retinol or Glycolic  to dissolve build up on the surface of the skin
• Receive regular once or twice monthly treatments from your Esthetician

In addition to these things diet is also very important.  I will be writing a separate blog post on diet and nutrition for the menopausal years soon so check back for that.