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10 Surprising Reasons for Marred Skin During Menopause

From the Menopause and Hormones Articles List

Trivia time. What’s your body’s largest organ? Here’s a hint. It’s 20 feet long.

Are you stumped? It’s your skin. Strange isn’t it? You wouldn’t have thought of your skin as being an organ. But it is, and it’s marred by time.

Age and menopause make it harder to keep skin healthy and hearty. Not only does the skin care routine you followed in your younger years not work so well now that there are some extra candles on your birthday cake, some of your daily habits may be marring your skin, too.

Here are 10 surprising reasons why your skin may be showing its age. Knowing about them gives you an opportunity to make some lifestyle changes so you can take steps to keep your skin glowing during menopause.

1. Beverage Choices

What you drink affects your skin. While water is great for keeping you and your skin hydrated, beverages like caffeine and alcohol are dehydrating. Without enough moisture, your skin can become dry, wrinkled, and flaky. Increase your intake of water and cut back on the other fluids.

2. Too Much Water

Sure, you need to drink lots of water to keep your skin healthy and hydrated, but exposing your skin to too much water can have the opposite affect. Think of how you look after a long soak in the tub – all shriveled and wrinkled. Overexposing your skin to water can also leave you with inflammation, redness, and rashes. Be careful of too many soaks and swims unless you are protecting your skin before and afterward.

3. Chlorine Exposure

Speaking of water, if you spend too much time in chlorinated water that can be a double problem. Chlorine can cling to your skin, even after you've tried to rinse it off. It also strips your skin of its natural oils, leaving your skin at risk for becoming dry, cracked, and wrinkled. If you spend time in chlorinated water, be sure to not only rinse but wash with soap afterward.

4. Chemicals

Another way water can be an issue is the chemicals in it. For example, the agents used to purify water could build up on your skin. The metals in tap water can clog pores, while the minerals in hard water clog your pores, dry out your skin, and increase your risk for eczema. The fluoride that’s added to water to help your teeth can also irritate your skin. Try using a water softener or use filter or distilled water on your skin.

5. Over-Exfoliating

Exfoliating your skin can keep it healthy. It removes old, dead skin so the new skin below can be exposed. If you exfoliate too often, however, you can strip your skin of its natural oils. You’re then left with skin that’s raw, red, irritated, and dry. For the best results, use a gentle exfoliating method no more than once a week.

6. Make-Up and Beauty Products

There are several ways your make-up and beauty products can be a problem for your skin. They can clog your pores, dry out your skin, and cause skin reactions. You can minimize these effects by protecting your skin when using hair spray, choosing products without alcohol, and making sure to thoroughly wash your make-up off each day.

7. Smoke

You know smoking is bad for your health. Did you also know it can affect your looks? There are thousands of chemicals in smoke that damage your skin, causing it to sag and wrinkle. It also causes an increase in wrinkles by accelerating the aging process. The act of smoking causes you to purse your lips, furrow your brow, and squint your eyes, all of which also lead to wrinkles. Smoking also zaps your skin of valuable nutrients, putting it at greater risk for damage. If you smoke, now’s a good time to quit.

8. Skipping Meals

With age came a few extra pounds, so too often you might try skipping a meal or two to control your weight. Stop. It’s not good for your health or your skin. When you skip meals, it sets off a chain reaction that’s going to hurt you in the long run. Your metabolism and insulin levels change – and not for the better. You risk nutritional deficiencies from not eating well enough. Or you may end up overeating later to make up for it, causing new problems. All and all, it’s not healthy to skip meals and that’s not healthy for your skin. Speaking of meals, yo-yo dieting, salt, and sugar are also unhealthy for you and your skin.

9. Nature

Mother nature can be a problem. The sun, wind, and cold can all do a number on your skin. Any time you head outdoors, no matter the weather, be sure to protect all of your exposed skin. Use sunscreen, wear chapstick, apply moisturizer, wear gloves, etc. – whatever it takes to protect your skin.

10. Being Hot and Steamy

No, it’s not that kind of hot and steamy. It’s saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs, and steamy showers that are the trouble. The heat of each of these can end up drying out and damaging your skin, despite the water and steam. You can develop dry patches, skin irritations, and existing skin conditions may worsen. Ironically, you can also end up with break-outs because your body produces extra oil to try to make up for the heat drying out your skin. It’s a good idea to talk to your doctor before engaging in any of these activities so you can get an evaluation to determine which ones are safe for your skin.


This content was written by staff of HysterSisters.com by non-medical professionals based on discussions, resources and input from other patients for the purpose of patient-to-patient support.



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