Menopause: Oestrogen And Our Skin.

Oestrogen is a power house hormone.

Every organ in our body has oestrogen receptors and the skin is no exception. Our skin is a large organ, and weighs about 15 kg. It has many functions, it does more than keep our bodies contained.

It serves in our immune system, keeping bacteria out and has lots of immune cells responding to any pathogens that do get in. It has many nerve cells, allowing us to feel pressure, heat and cold. It has a temperature control function for our bodies, as well as

producing vitamin D which is essential for healthy bones. Within the skin we have a

number of types of skin cells, immune cells, blood vessels and nerves and they all

have oestrogen receptors. It’s no wonder than fluctuating oestrogen levels of

perimenopause and low oestrogen levels of menopause have an impact on our skin.

One of the most common symptoms of perimenopause is dry, itchy skin. This makes

sense as oestrogen stimulates sebum, hyaluronic acid and ceramide production in

the skin. Sebum is a natural grease, which helps reduce water loss form the skin.

Hyaluronic acid is our body’s natural moisturiser and you will see it featuring in many

aesthetic injectable treatments and moisturisers. It is produced in our dermal layer of

our skin and here it helps to keep the skin plump and supple. Ceramides are proteins

that act like the mortar in between the skin cells. A reduction in these natural greases

leads to a reduction in the skin barrier function, the skin cycle slows down, skin

becomes more dull and scaly, feels dry and itchy, and will often become more

sensitive as the barrier function is weaker. Specific skin conditions such as rosacea

can become more problematic with hot flushes, and acne can also have a hormonal

component and can flare in menopause. Our hair and nails can also be affected by

fluctuating oestrogen levels.

Skin care

The reduced skin barrier function can lead to more sensitive skin. Often we try many

different actives, cleansers, exfoliants, PHAs, BHAs, retinoids, and these products

on a weaker skin barrier can cause more irritation, redness and dryness. We often

need to change our skin care regime, but beware, you don’t need any products that

claim to be for people of a certain age or “menopause” specific products. These

often have a high price tag, and offer no additional specific treatments for

menopausal skin. If a cream is good for dry skin, its good for men and women of all

ages, so don’t be made to feel like you need the more expensive or specific products

as none exist!

Ideally, you will want to be adding ceramides and proteins (amino acids) into your

skin to build up the skin barrier. You will want to moisturise the skin well, and add a

high factor SPF that has effects against UVA and UVB. Vitamin C is a great

antioxidant and also essential in the production of collagen, so is always a great

addition to any skin care regime.

Here at The Clinic by La Ross, the team are experts in skin care and can help your specific skin concerns offering bespoke medical grade skin care recommendations and prescriptions.

The gender gap

Men and women age equally until menopause, then women have an accelerated

ageing process. Our collagen drops by 30% in the first 5 years after menopause. Not

only the amount of collagen, but the quality of the collagen drops. Collagen is a

protein that creates structure and support to the skin. It affects the elasticity of the

skin too. There are many aesthetic treatments aimed at promoting collagen

production. You can speak to your clinician at the clinic to find out which treatment

would work best for your skin.

Thinning bones.

The other elephant in the room for women, is the risk of osteoporosis, or bone

thinning in menopause. We know that oestrogen protects from osteoporosis. Women

with an early menopause or surgical menopause are recommended HRT to protect

their bones and hearts. A fractured neck of femur affects approximately 1/3 women

and 1/5 men over 80. 10% will sadly die within 1 month and about 1/3 will die in the

first year following from a fractured neck of femur, and we know that HRT for even a

few years around menopause reduces the risk of having a fractured neck of femur.

Oestrogen dropping, does not just affect our spines and hips, but also the bones in

the face. If women have an MRI scan aged 20, 40 and 60, we can see the bones of

the face, jaw and chin get smaller. This means that we actually have less scaffolding

and support for the soft tissues of the face, and the soft tissues present as a

heaviness along the jawline, known as jowls, and as deeper lines from nose to

mouth (nasolabial folds) and from mouth concerns to jaw (Marionette lines). In The

Clinic by La Ross, we can offer injectable treatments with strategically placed dermal

fillers to replace the lost bone and add that support to generate some lift in the face,

reducing the appearance of jowls.

How we can help

Here we can support your skin through perimenopause and menopause by offering

bespoke personalized skin care regimes, helping advise on the best collagen

banking treatments, and also help restore you with some carefully, naturally placed

dermal fillers. We can even go one step further, and offer appointments with our

menopause specialist and GP, Dr Lorraine Kemp. Dr Lorraine is a BMS accredited

advanced menopause specialist and also an aesthetic doctor, so has good idea

about how menopause affects our health and skin. She has been treating the effects

of menopause on the facial structures in her aesthetic clinic, and being a GP, her

patients often talked about their menopause. She was surprised at what poor care

they were often being given. This sparked her interest in training as a menopause

specialist. She now works for us once per week offering holistic menopause

appointments, offering evidence based treatments. These are an hour long, as there

is so much she needs to know about you and also information to share with you. She

can see you in person at the clinic or on a video if that suits you better.

For menopause awareness month we are offering 10% off appointments with her for

October and November.

Usually £195, now £175 for an hours initial consultation.

 Do get in touch with her to book in.