How to achieve glowing skin during menopause

This week’s blog is by Kim Wright, Award-winning Author of ‘Forever Young: The holistic guide to a glowing complexion’

Kim Wright

“Menopause can bring with it changes to the skin that are mostly a result of the reduction of hormone production.

The biggest effect is redistribution of the supportive fat layer. This means that the fat previously plumping up our rosy cheeks and perky breasts tends to redistribute onto our abdomen, hips and buttocks instead.

The repair and production of collagen and elastin slows. These are the underlying support structure of the skin. Our skin may also appear more oily as the sebum we produce becomes thicker. This can unfortunately cause late-onset acne for some.

Another widespread effect of menopause is to cause the production of melanin to reduce. This causes patches where the skin is more prone to sun damage which results in brown spots. The skin suffers further discolouration as the rate at which fresh skin cells are produced slows and therefore the old, dead skin cells remain on the surface for longer. Couple this with a sluggish circulatory system where nutrients take longer to arrive at the cells and the waste products longer to take away and our complexion can look rather dull.

This all sounds very gloomy but there is lots of positive action we can take – and the earlier the better.

Firstly, low fat diets may have been the buzzword of the health industry right through the eighties and nineties but recent theories have suggested that sugar is more of an issue than was previously believed. In any case sugars are certainly bad news for our skin. We need essential fatty acids and the like of omega three are anti-oxidant which is good news for anti-ageing. As we age a little plumpness in the face is a good thing.

In order to keep our collagen and elastin in tip-top condition anti-oxidants will be important plus vitamins such as vitamin C. You may be less aware of the benefits that vitamin B can offer in this respect and vitamins usually work in conjunction with minerals. So the best advice is to eat a rainbow of colourful fruit and vegetables daily in order to maximise your nutrition. Collagen is a protein so make sure you have some solid amino acid in your diet too.

The biggest baddy in terms of elastin and collagen is sugar. It causes a process called glycosylation or glycation which creates cross- linking between the fibres making them adhere together and also become less pliable. This is bad news, so avoid excess sugar if you want great skin.

There is little we can do about the production of melanin but if we have good nutrition it will keep the effects of ageing at bay for longer. We can avoid age spots by not being exposed to too much sunlight on unprotected skin.

Dullness is easier to avoid because it is very well remedied by exercise. Exercise helps pump the blood around the body and it helps keep the circulatory system in good order and carry the oxygen and nutrition that the cells thrive on. The current guidelines advise 30 minutes of activity five times a week.

Finally, although it will have a more general benefit to health than giving up excess sugar for example, I believe that stress contributes to poor skin. I suggest that you reduce stress where possible, but you can also do activities which lower stress. These might be meditation, taking a yoga class or going for a relaxing walk. The good news is that this will also count towards your weekly exercise goals!

Finally let’s talk about skin products. There are many anti-ageing products on the market. One of my favourite types of product is serum. A number of companies make these and they are rich in nutrients and deeply moisturising. They leave a lovely silky feeling on the skin.

When using anti-ageing products it is good to layer them. Serums and other products are not intended to replace a moisturiser but to be used with it. I would recommend using sets of cleanser, toner and moisturiser to suit your skin and to add serums etc., to them. Whatever you use, the moisturiser should normally provide the final protective layer.”

By Kim Wright, Award winning Author of Forever Young: The holistic guide to a glowing complexion