Menopausal Skin

Falling oestrogen affects skin the way it affects everything else. Collagen drops fastest in the first few years, skin holds less water, oil production falls and the barrier gets less robust.

In practice that means skin that feels drier and tighter than it used to, looks less firm around the jaw and cheeks and reacts to products it was fine with a year ago. Some people get breakouts for the first time since their twenties.

None of it means you were doing anything wrong. The routine that worked before was built for different skin.

No. Adjust it rather than replace it.

Usually three changes do most of the work. A gentler cleanser, a richer moisturiser and staying consistent with SPF.

Medik8 Lipid-Balance Cleansing Oil and Image Skincare Biome+ Cleansing Comfort Balm are kinder than a foaming wash. SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2, Obagi Hydrate LUXE and Medik8 Advanced Night Restore are the moisturisers people move to.

Look for ceramides, fatty acids, cholesterol, squalane and glycerin. Those rebuild the barrier rather than just sitting on top of it.

Two practical changes make a bigger difference than most products. Apply moisturiser to slightly damp skin and stop using anything that leaves your face squeaky after cleansing.

Obagi Rebalance Skin Barrier Recovery Cream, Dermalogica Super Rich Repair and Image Skincare MD Barrier Repair Recovery Balm are all built for this.

Yes, and it is still the ingredient with the most evidence behind it for firmness and fine lines. You may need to use it differently.

Drop to two or three nights a week, use a lower strength and apply moisturiser first if your skin is reactive. Image Skincare AGELESS+ Retinol Repair Cream 0.3% Retinol Complex and Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Serum are both manageable at that pace.

If your skin is genuinely irritated, pause it and rebuild the barrier for a few weeks. Retinol on compromised skin sets you backwards.

Worth being straight about this.

Retinoids and peptides have real evidence for improving skin texture, fine lines and firmness over months of consistent use. Medik8 Advanced Pro Collagen+ Peptide Cream and ZO Skin Health Growth Factor Serum are examples of what that looks like here.

What no cream does is lift skin that has descended or replace collagen structure that has gone. Sagging along the jaw is a change in the deeper tissue. If that is your main concern, in-clinic treatment is the honest answer and skincare is what keeps the result looking good.

A thinner, drier barrier lets more of everything in, including the ingredients your skin used to shrug off. Fragrance, strong acids and high strength actives are the usual culprits.

Strip back to a gentle cleanser, a barrier moisturiser and SPF for two to three weeks. Once your skin is comfortable again, add one thing back at a time, a fortnight apart.

Medik8 Calmwise Soothing Cleanser and Dermalogica UltraCalming Cleanser are good places to reset to. If your skin stays reactive or you are dealing with symptoms beyond skin, that is a conversation for your GP.