One of the most significant changes a woman goes through in life is menopause. It’s a time of great hormonal changes resulting in numerous physical and emotional changes. Perimenopause and menopause are a normal part of ageing, but they affect everyone differently. Some glide through without giving it much thought, while others feel their lives have been turned upside down.
Your skin will also be affected during this time, becoming drier and thinner. This article details the changes you’ll experience and the treatment options available to help you maintain a smooth, radiant complexion and keep your facial features looking more youthful.
How menopause affects your skin & face
Hormonal changes, particularly a drop in oestrogen levels, can profoundly affect your skin. This is because oestrogen influences collagen production, hydration and general skin resilience. Specifically, you’ll notice the following changes:
- Collagen and elastin levels drop – oestrogen is responsible for your collagen production, so as oestrogen levels fall, so do your collagen levels. Collagen gives your skin that youthful firmness and plumpness. Instead, it becomes thinner and starts to sag.
- More fine lines and wrinkles – less collagen and hydration means the skin loses its plump, youthful bounciness, and fine lines and wrinkles become more noticeable.
- More dryness – your skin’s ability to retain moisture will decrease, so the skin becomes drier. Consequently, your skin loses some of its barrier protection.
- Increased redness and sensitivity – as your hormones fluctuate, they can increase skin sensitivity, making it easier to suffer from irritation and inflammation.
- Pigmentation changes – you may notice an uneven skin tone or an increase in age spots due to hormonal changes.
It does sound bleak. And although getting older is unavoidable, changes happen slowly. And fortunately, there are ways we can counteract these changes. Some women may be suitable candidates for HRT, which will help replace the hormones oestrogen and progesterone and help with menopause symptoms. Talk to your doctor for more information.
Several excellent cosmetic medical treatments are also available to help with the change. Let’s take a look.
Volumising & augmenting treatments
Outcome summary: Returns your facial features to more balanced proportions.
In addition to the changes outlined above, our youthful fat pads decrease (for example, around the mouth, cheekbones, jawline, chin and temples). Also, our muscles and bone tissue diminish. All these changes result in a change in our facial proportions. For example, our brows sink, cheeks fall, nasolabial folds increase, top lip sags, and our jawline becomes less firm and defined.
We can use volumising and skin augmenting treatments to address these changes, which can return our facial features to more balanced proportions. They can add volume to areas such as the jawline, cheeks and brow. Some products can fill hollow areas, while others can minimise fine lines and wrinkles.
Read more about volumising and augmenting treatments >
Treatment for wrinkles
Outcome summary: Smooths the skin, minimising wrinkles while lifting other areas of the face for a more balanced aesthetic.
We can use muscle-relaxing treatments for various parts of the face to prevent the muscles from contracting and wrinkling the skin, causing wrinkles. This treatment can also help open the eyes more and prevent the brow from sagging.
Read more about treatments for wrinkles >
REJURAN
Outcome summary: Boosts collagen and rejuvenates the complexion.
REJURAN is a highly rejuvenating skin treatment gel that contains polynucleotides (PN) – DNA fragments derived from salmon. When treated on the skin, PN promotes skin regeneration, improves skin elasticity and reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles while reducing unwanted inflammation — which is perfect for perimenopausal and menopausal skin.
REJURAN is an excellent choice for those who would prefer to avoid various other treatments. This treatment can be performed on the cheeks, temples, forehead and periorbital area.
Skin boosters
Outcome summary: deeply hydrates the skin, giving you a plumper, younger-looking complexion.
Skin boosters help hydrate the skin, making them ideal for perimenopausal and menopausal women trying to combat dry skin. They are made from naturally occurring substances in our skin and help maintain skin hydration by binding closely with water. They also help support collagen and elastin, which help keep your skin’s youthful firmness and fullness.
Skin boosters absorb water, so your skin is deeply hydrated, giving it a firm, smooth appearance. Rather than augmenting the face, they boost the appearance of skin with added hydration.
Read more about skin boosters >
PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma injections)
Outcome summary: Kickstarts your skin’s healing and rejuvenating processes for smoother, healthier-looking, more youthful skin.
PRP helps with facial rejuvenation, skin tightening, eye rejuvenation and collagen stimulation.
During your treatment, your blood platelets are collected and then reinjected into areas of the face. Your platelets have growth factors and proteins that encourage regeneration, repair, healing and reinvigoration of your skin.
Bio-remodelling treatments
Outcome summary: Rejuvenates, hydrates and stimulates collagen production while helping prevent future collagen loss.
This next-level anti-ageing treatment is excellent for thin, crepey skin, fine lines and wrinkles, improving skin texture, hydration, overall skin quality and firmness and preventing future collagen loss.
Unlike any other treatment, it doesn’t volumise or augment in any way. Instead, it stimulates the skin by changing its structure and function from within. Consequently, this process remodels the skin, improving the solar environment and reducing the visible signs of ageing.
Bio remodelling injections are made of a high concentration of next-generation hyaluronic acid. Once administered, it spreads like honey under the skin. Then, the hyaluronic formula slowly attracts water into the deeper layers of the skin, stimulating cells to produce more collagen and elastin while also hydrating and plumping the skin.
Read more about bio remodelling injections >
Fraxel
Outcome summary: deeply rejuvenates the sun-damaged and ageing skin.
Fraxel is a game changer for menopausal skin. Compared to conventional laser treatments, this non-ablative laser treatment requires only minimal downtime as it treats the skin in microscopic treatment zones, allowing for a much faster healing time and less downtime. It is excellent for treating sun-damaged skin, tone and textural irregularities, mild-to-moderate wrinkles, melasma and actinic keratosis — all issues for mature women.
Healite II
Outcome summary: reduces inflammation and helps stimulate collagen production.
A popular treatment, the Healite II bathes you in LED (Light Emitting Diode) light, which helps reduce inflammation while stimulating your body’s natural cellular recovery and encouraging skin healing and rejuvenation. This incredibly soothing and relaxing treatment is perfect for the entire face, neck and décolleté area.
Thread lift treatment
Outcome summary: a nonsurgical alternative to a facelift.
Threads can tighten and lift the tissues in the face and neck, giving the face more youthful proportions. They can treat jowl lines, midface sagging, brow sagging, and sagging neck tissue.
During the procedure, a small thread is placed under the skin after applying a local anaesthetic. This thread gives an initial mechanical lift, which is only approximately 10 to 15 per cent of the final result. The collagen stimulation effect of the threads themselves creates the majority of the tightening effect. This effect will continue to improve over 3 to 12 months after the procedure. Results are subtle and gradually enhance your appearance over a few months.
Disclaimer: This information is general in nature and provided for educational purposes only. Results can vary between individuals. This treatment may not be suitable for everyone. A consultation with a qualified practitioner is essential before any treatment, and potential risks and side effects should be discussed during this consultation.
Samara Aesthetics is conveniently located at 918 Beaufort Street, Inglewood, near Morley, Maylands, Mt Lawley, Dianella, Bayswater, Bedford and North Perth.
