3 menopause skincare dos and don’ts

Today's topic

Today on A.Vogel Talks Menopause, I'm going to be taking a look at 3 menopause skin dos and don'ts. I get lots of women contacting me worried about their skin and wondering why their skin is changing, and what can they do to help themselves.

So I thought today, I'd just go through some really simple dos and don'ts that can help your skin during menopause, including things that you can very easily add into your daily routine.

Skin problems during menopause

The problem with menopausal skin is that a whole range of different issues can crop up, such as dryness, itchy skin, thinning skin. It can get more sensitive and more wrinkled.

Your skin can start to age and lose its firmness. Some women also find that old skin conditions that they had years ago can come back. And sometimes, skin conditions that you already have can become worse, such as eczema.

3 things to DO for your skin

There are lots of things that you can do to help your skin during menopause, here are the top 3 things I always recommend:

1. Do eat plenty of healthy fats

These are really important for your skin. Unfortunately, in the menopause, one of the things that happen is, we can end up putting on weight, and one of the first things that usually gets excluded from our diet is fats.

But it's really important to keep a small amount of healthy fats in the diet. Fats are the building blocks of our cell membranes, so these help to keep our skin firm. They help to prevent dryness, and they help to keep the skin well-hydrated from the inside out.

Your healthy fats are things like your organic olive oil. It could be your coconut oil. And a lot of women tell me that they also use coconut oil on their skin.

2. Do try more natural skincare products

Try and move towards more natural skin products for your skincare range. That could be things like your toners, your moisturisers, and your body lotions.

The majority of body products contain a whole raft of chemicals, and a number of these chemicals will mimic oestrogen. So, they can cause a lot of problems in their own right. And if you're using a lot of different products, then none of us have any idea how all these chemicals are going to react together and could cause skin problems.

If you want to know the types of nasties in the products that you use, then there is a website called the Environmental Working Group. You can search their database for your favourite moisturiser or body cream and it will list all the products and chemicals that are in the cream and also what these chemicals are likely to do. So, it's an interesting exercise and it may give you a little bit of a shock.

Your local health food store will have a whole range of affordable organic skincare products. We do know also that some of the pharmacies have their own range. So, it's well worth just checking out and slowly move over towards a more natural range of skincare products. It can make a huge difference.

3. Do protect your skin from the sun

As you get older, your skin thins, which means you may be more prone to getting sunburned. It can get a lot more sensitive to the sun, too, so you could end up suddenly finding that when you're away on holiday, you're getting rashes or prickly heat.

There is a little problem with this, because if you start to protect your skin from the sun, you may end up not getting enough vitamin D.

So, it's important that if you start using more sunscreen is to get your vitamin D from other sources such as taking a supplement.

My Self-Care Tip: Top up your vitamin D intake with Balance Mineral Drink

If you are worried about not getting enough vitamin D via the sun, especially if you burn more easily during menopause, then you may want to consider a vitamin D supplement. I recommended our Balance Mineral Drink. Watch my self-care video tip for more information on this helpful supplement:

3 things you should NOT do

Many things can impact your skin during menopause, but there are 3 things that I always tell women to be mindful of at this time:

1. Don't ignore stress!

I know that's easier said than done, but stress creates chemicals that will irritate the skin, such as histamine. So, if you find that you're stressed, you may also find that you're more prone to rashes, and itchy skin, and maybe even more sensitive skin, too. Some women find that skin conditions can get worse or appear, such as eczema and psoriasis.

Also, when stressed, we often can't be bothered to do things. So sometimes, our daily beauty routine will slip, and that in itself can affect our skin over a period of time.

2. Don't forget to moisturise

It is really important to remember to moisturise all over, especially after you have had a bath or a shower. And remember, don't have baths or showers too hot because really hot water will dry your skin very, very quickly.

So, moisturise as soon as you have a shower or a bath because the creams will trap a small layer of moisture in and that will keep your skin well-hydrated.

You can use creams that have something in them called hyaluronic acid. They can be very good for moisturising the skin.

You can get things like aloe vera gel. Coconut oil, as I mentioned before, is a really lovely one. And if your skin is very dry or a bit flaky, we have a lovely moisturising cream called Bioforce Cream.

3. Don't eat a lot of high-salt and sugar foods

A lot of sugar will trigger spots and blemishes. Opting for natural sources of sugar is a healthier option such as dried fruit or honey. You should also try to be a bit more aware of the unexpected foods that may contain sugar, such as breakfast cereal, white bread, sauces, and fruit juices.

And too many salty foods will dehydrate you, and that will have a very quick impact on your skin, Including causing dry skin to become drier. So, try and keep these to a minimum.

I hope you found this helpful. Taking a little bit of extra care can make a huge amount of difference to your skin during menopause. If any of you out there have really good tips or have found something that's helped your skin, then please share them with me because I'd love to hear all about it.

Until next time, take care.