PROVEN Team
PROVEN Team includes Stanford scientists and dermatologists who combine their expertise with cutting-edge technology to bring you the best for your skin.
Perimenopause Skin: A Science Backed Approach
Itchy skin during menopause? Science may have a solution.
Resource by: PROVEN Team
How To Care for Your Skin in Menopause
Menopause is an interesting time in your life that can be a little confusing and a little exciting at the same time because of all the changes happening all at once. The good news is that the proper care and mindset can make this transition easier on your body -- especially when it comes to your skin.
So, stay tuned to learn how you can properly care for your skin in menopause to maintain a youthful and healthy glow for years to come!
What Happens During Menopause?
Menopause is a natural biological process in which a woman’s menstrual periods stop occurring and she is no longer able to have children. It occurs as the female body starts to produce less hormones -- specifically, the hormones of estrogen and progesterone that regulate menstruation.
Menopause is officially diagnosed when you have gone 12 months without a menstrual period. The average age of menopause in the United States is 51, but this process can occur at any time in your 40s or 50s.
There is a period of time leading up to your official “menopausal” status wherein your hormones begin to fluctuate and you begin to experience irregular menstrual periods. This period of time is known as the menopausal transition or perimenopause. This transition typically begins between the ages of 45 and 55 and lasts an average of seven years.
While menopause most often occurs naturally, there are some things that could cause it to begin earlier, referred to as premature menopause. For example, menopause could begin as a result of a surgical procedure called an oophorectomy that removes your ovaries -- the organs that produce estrogen and progesterone to regulate menstruation.
Menopause could also be triggered by cancer therapies such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy. That being said, menopause induced by chemotherapy may not be permanent and radiation therapy will only affect the ovaries if the therapy is specifically directed at these organs. Finally, premature menopause could be caused by primary ovarian insufficiency, which affects about 1% of women who go through menopause before the age of 40.
However, it’s important to note that menopause causes changes throughout the entire body -- not just in your menstrual periods and fertility.
For example, declining estrogen levels during menopause can affect your bone health and density -- leaving you at a higher risk of fractures and osteoporosis. Additionally, changes in hormone levels may cause you to gain weight. Menopause also has the potential to lead to heart issues as your arteries will become more rigid from a lack of estrogen. Finally, menopause can cause changes in your skin and hair.
How Does Menopause Affect Your Skin?
While you may expect menopause to change your menstrual cycles, changes to your skin may come as a shock. So, how does menopause affect your skin and what skin changes might you experience during menopause?
If you experienced hormonal acne in your younger years, then you’re familiar with the intricate relationship between the skin and hormones. Well, this same relationship can contribute to things like dryness, sagging skin, and volume loss during menopause. This is because the estrogen receptors in the skin contribute to sebum protection which then contributes to collagen production. Sebum and collagen keep your skin hydrated and firm, respectively. So when your estrogen levels decrease, sebum and collagen production also decrease.
While decreased sebum levels may make your skin less acne-prone, it can also contribute to signs of aging including fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin. That being said, you could also experience an increase in acne as a result of fluctuating hormones.
As you can see, menopause can affect your skin in a variety of different ways that can cause some discouragement -- but it doesn’t have to with the right skincare routine.
How To Care for Your Skin in Menopause
During menopause, you may have to overhaul your entire skincare routine as a result of your changing skin. For instance, you may have had oily or acne-prone skin throughout most of your adult life resulting from overactive sebaceous glands. However, in menopause you may now experience dry skin that requires the use of different products and the development of a different routine.
Since many changes from menopause occur gradually over the period of several years, it can be difficult to determine when you should change up your skincare routine to accommodate your new skin type and skin concerns.
While there’s no hard and fast rule about adjusting your skincare routine during menopause, it’s important to pay close attention to your skin and its needs as you go through this transition.
That being said, menopausal skin can largely be managed by a comprehensive and tailored skincare routine that involves cleansing, moisturizing, sun protection, and anti-aging serums.
Here’s what you need to know about properly completing each one of those steps to promote smooth, hydrated, and healthy skin:
While moisturizing is important in any skincare routine, it’s especially important during menopause as the skin tends to dry out and lacks a lot of moisture as a result of decreased oil production.
If you were skipping out on moisturizing before due to an oily skin type, you definitely don’t want to continue neglecting this area. On the other hand, even if you were moisturizing before menopause, your changing skin may require a different type of moisturizer. For example, you may have been using a lightweight moisturizer before to simply provide your skin with a little bit of added moisture. Now, however, you may want to go with a more penetrating and nourishing moisturizer with ingredients like hyaluronic acid, shea butter, or ceramides to properly hydrate your changing skin.
Again, cleansing is a key component to a proper skincare routine no matter how old you are, but your cleansing needs will likely change as you enter menopause.
For example, you may have used a foam or gel cleanser in the past to deep cleanse oily skin. However, these types of cleansers can be harsh and end up stripping the skin of its natural moisture -- something that you definitely cannot afford to lose during menopause. As a result, you may want to switch to a cream cleanser that’s specifically designed for dry skin types.
Now more than ever, you should practice diligent sun protection for your changing skin.
Believe it or not, but estrogen actually helps protect the skin from sun damage. Now that you have less estrogen during menopause, your skin will be more sensitive to the sun and more at-risk for sun damage. As a result, you should be applying a product with at least SPF 30 every single morning no matter what the weather is outside or what your plans are for the day.
Provide your menopausal skin with an extra boost of beneficial ingredients through the use of serums and night creams.
These products contain highly concentrated amounts of the ingredients that your skin needs to stay youthful and healthy. For example, we definitely recommend using retinoids, or Vitamin A derivatives, to help support skin thickness and diminish signs of aging. If you’re experiencing age spots, we recommend using lightening serums containing ingredients such as Vitamin C, azelaic acid, mandelic acid, and niacinamide. Finally, if you’re experiencing a resurgence of acne and blemishes as a result of your fluctuating hormones, we recommend using an anti-acne serum containing ingredients such as salicylic acid, niacinamide, and alpha hydroxy acids.
Customized skincare for a clear and radiant complexion
Clearly, a lot goes into properly caring for menopausal skin.
This is especially true if you have to overhaul your entire routine as a result of your changing skin. However, the overhaul process doesn’t have to be difficult thanks to PROVEN Skincare’s revolutionary Skin Genome Quiz.
PROVEN’s Skin Genome Project contains relevant data regarding endless amounts of skincare ingredients and products so that you can receive a custom-made formula designed for your unique skin concerns. We combine our data with the answers from your skin quiz to come up with the perfect product formulations for your menopausal skin.
Within your PROVEN regimen, you will receive a cleanser, a moisturizer, and a night cream. These three products can make up your entire skincare routine thanks to science-based formulations.
For example, your cleanser also contains toning and exfoliating properties. Your moisturizer also contains SPF 40 to provide sun protection. Finally, your night cream contains all the extra ingredients you need to effectively manage your menopausal skin.
Caring for your menopausal skin is easy as one, two, three thanks to PROVEN’s line of custom products that can help you fight menopause skin issues whether it’s dryness, wrinkles, or blemishes.
Menopause can be a difficult time due to the endless amounts of changes that your body goes through. Between changes in your weight, hair, and skin, it can cause a lot of stress and anxiety. Thankfully, you can manage your menopausal transition and take proper care of your skin with a tailored skincare routine!
Here Is Why Personalized Skincare Is Better
Personalized skincare comes with a host of benefits
  |   | |
|---|---|---|
| Formulated and made-to-order for you | No | |
| Targeting your unique Acne needs | No | |
| Optimized for your lifestyle + environment | No | |
| Easy 3-step system for all your skin needs | No | |
| Made by Stanford scientists and AI tech | No |
Our Team
We're industry leaders in skincare
Dr. Yuan is a Computational Physicist from Stanford University
Proven co-founder, Dr. Amy Yuan, fixed her skincare woes by using her computer science background to analyze the effectiveness of more than 20,238 skincare ingredients, 100,000 products, 20 million testimonials, and more than 4,000 scientific journal articles. Now she is applying that to create the perfect skincare for you.
Your Skin Routine In 3 Simple Steps
Your Personalized Cleanser
Ensures any dirt from the day is removed to reveal glowing, healthy and fresh feeling skin
Your Personalized Day Moisturizer
Helps prevent the skin from drying out, while targeting other issues you may have.
Your Personalized Night Cream
Restores elasticity and delivers intensive nourishment to repair, plump and firm skin while you get your beauty sleep.
