Nearly half of women don’t know that the menopause can affect skin health
The menopause, which typically affects women between the ages of 45 and 55 marks a huge hormonal shift in the body. This shift doesn’t just impact mood, energy, sleep (to name a few), but it also impacts skin health.
However, despite the fact that every female will experience menopause and perimenopause - the stages leading up to menopause - a high 42% of UK women didn’t know that the stages of the menopause can affect their skin.[2].That’s according to research by Hada Labo Tokyo - the number one skincare brand in Japan. What’s more, previous research[3] by Hada Labo Tokyo has found that around two-thirds of women have no idea as to why skin actually changes with menopause.
GP and skin specialist for Hada Labo Tokyo, Dr Nisa Aslam says: “During the perimenopause, a woman’s ovaries produce less of the hormone oestrogen, causing an imbalance with the hormone progesterone. But, oestrogen helps to maintain skin’s plumpness and moisture. When we lose oestrogen, our skin can dry out, making it look thinner.”
In fact, according to the Hada Labo Tokyo research, 48% of women cite dehydration as a menopausal skin concern, with 45% stating that they’re concerned about breakouts and spots, 36% are concerned about wrinkles and 33% are worried about a lack of glow.
Dr Nisa Aslam adds: “To care for menopausal skin correctly, it’s important to know exactly what’s going on, and the skin care ingredients which can have a positive effect on skin. Nearly half (48%) of women have started to consider their skincare needs for when they are in menopause, so it’s important that we try to increase awareness and ensure more women are prepared for this inevitable stage of life.”
Key changes to menopausal skin
Alongside the decline of oestrogen during perimenopause, levels of collagen and elastin in the skin also take a nosedive.
Dr Nisa Aslam explains: “Collagen gives our skin structure and elasticity, however, our skin’s ability to produce collagen falls by between 1% and 1.5% a year. Women’s skin also loses more collagen during the first five years of menopause.[4] On top of this, collagen levels can be depleted by pollution, smoking, UV radiation and other environmental assaults on the skin.[5]” But, although collagen is a key part of healthy skin, just 19% of women say they fully understand the role that collagen plays in skin health. Elastin, another key protein found in skin and connective tissue, gives skin its flexibility, allowing it to bounce back after being stretched.
Dr Nisa Aslam adds: “When the levels of collagen and elastin plummet, processes which support skin healing and the skin barrier slow down. This can cause skin to become thinner, more prone to dryness, wrinkles and facial discolouration, and it can lead to acne break-outs.”
Staying hydrated
Hydration is a key word when caring for menopausal skin, according to Dr Nisa Aslam.
“Oestrogen helps maintain skin hydration which in turn helps to prevent lines, wrinkles and sagging[6]. So naturally, keeping skin hydrated in other ways can help to fight back against dry skin,” explains Dr Nisa Aslam.
Hyaluronic acid (HA), a naturally occurring clear gel that’s made within the body, helps maintain moisture in the skin. A third of our body’s hyaluronic acid is found in the skin but as we age, levels of hyaluronic acid begin to fall.
Dr Nisa Aslam says: “Just 18% of women fully understand the role of hyaluronic acid with regards to the health of their skin yet this hydration hero is essential for plump, youthful skin. Luckily hyaluronic acid is a key ingredient in Hada Labo Tokyo skin care products, so women can continue to show their skin plenty of love.”
There’s even science to prove that when applied to the skin, hyaluronic acid can help to reduce wrinkles,[7] enhance hydration, improve firmness and elasticity and it can even help to manage the common skin condition, eczema.
As the research reveals, seven in ten women do think about hydrating their skin, either all the time or often with 55% of women thinking more about skin hydration during the winter and four in ten women thinking about hydrating their skin more during summer.
“But, skin, and particularly menopausal skin, needs hydration support all year round, no matter the season,” says Dr Nisa Aslam.
