The menopause is a natural event and occurs when your ovaries stop producing eggs and, as a result, the levels of your hormones called oestrogen and progesterone fall. As oestrogen levels reduce during the menopause and perimenopause, your skin can become less mobile and thinner. Low oestrogen levels can result in there being less blood flowing to the epidermis (upper layer of your skin) and more water lost from your skin – leading to your skin being less hydrated.
Dry Skin
In menopause, skin loses some ability to hold water, so can get quite dry.
What you can do
The following can help combat dry skin:
Cleanse with a mild cleanser or face wash instead of soap. Soap can be too drying. It’s important to remove dirt, grime, make-up and dead skin cells to allow the active oils to permeate.
Exfoliation may help with an acid or konjac sponge. At menopause, skin becomes thinner and trying one of these at home may cause more harm than good.
Apply Oil and then a Moisturiser. The plant oil along with essential oils (all with active ingredients and natural chemical components) will penetrate the upper layers of the epidermis, seep down into the dermis and let the chemicals activate cells in the deeper layers of the skin, cells like elastin to maintain elasticity and collagen for plumpness. A cream alone will sit on the surface of the skin (epidermis) and because it sits on the surface may appear to and feel like it’s smoothing and softening but will have fewer benefits than using an oil and then a moisturiser to seal the oil.
link here to an interesting piece on BBC Bitesize
Breakouts and Acne
Resulting from a hormonal imbalance
What causes acne?
According to the British Association of Dermatologists …… The sebaceous (oil-producing) glands of people who get acne are particularly sensitive to normal blood levels of certain hormones, (androgens) which are present in both men and women. As oestrogen levels drop, androgen levels, the male sex hormones that each woman has as well, remain mostly constant. This situation in effect causes the body to experience effects caused by these “male” hormones more than usual. One of the strongest of the androgens, testosterone, often triggers the sebaceous glands that result in menopausal acne. This is mostly because testosterone is not counterbalanced anymore by oestrogen. As testosterone levels rise, the skin’s sebaceous glands go into overdrive. These cause the glands to produce an excess of oil. At the same time, the dead skin cells lining the pores are not shed properly and clog up the follicles. These two effects result in a build up of oil, producing blackheads (where a darkened plug of oil and dead skin is visible) and whiteheads. The acne bacterium (known as Propionibacterium acnes) lives on everyone’s skin, usually causing no problems, but in those prone to acne, the build-up of oil creates an ideal environment in which these bacteria can multiply. This triggers inflammation and the formation of red or pus-filled spots.
https://www.bad.org.uk/shared/get-file.ashx?id=65&itemtype=document
The same treatment applies as for Dry Skin, however change the product and active ingredients to suit the breakout. It’s still important to use an oil, one that contains anti bacterial active ingredients, as they regulate sebaceous glands, help to kill the bacteria and act as a topical anti inflammatory.
I use Natural Elements Skin care
https://www.naturalelementsskincare.com/collections/facial-oils
Use code CC10 at checkout for a 10% discount, courtesy of AcademyCP.