Many of us sail through our twenties, thirties and even forties, confident that we’ve nailed a great skin care routine. Then, almost overnight, deep set wrinkles have settled in around your eyes and across your forehead. Not to mention that teenage style acne seems to also be affecting your chin, nose, and cheeks. How could this have happened, you wonder.
The culprit could very well be the perimenopause and menopause. A fluctuation in hormones caused by this natural ageing process leads to changes in the body’s functions. In particular, a lack of oestrogen affects the production of collagen, leading to looser, saggy and wrinkled skin.
Skincare for the Menopause
It can be hard to get your head around menopause, but the good news is that it’s possible to maintain a youthful appearance by adjusting your daily skincare ritual. One of the best things you can do when the effects of menopause hit is switch to a glycolic acid moisturiser.
Obagi-C® Fx Exfoliating Day Lotion is an extremely gentle, weightless exfoliating hydrator that should be used as part of your morning routine. It’s perfect for anyone with normal-dry or mature skin as well as those with hyperpigmentation or visible signs of ageing. It cleverly combines an intensive moisture boost with daily exfoliation to keep the skin hydrated, healthy, and smooth.
Main ingredient, Glycolic Acid is a powerful AHA that works by chemically exfoliating the skin and increasing cell turnover. This means that dead skin cells, dirt, excess oil, and impurities are gently dissolved away, purifying the skin, and ensuring that follow-on products can penetrate more deeply to work optimally.
By increasing the rate of turnover, newer cells are produced quicker, leading to a more youthful appearance too. Hyaluronic Acid, another star ingredient, has been added to this highly effective formula because it improves the skin’s moisture content, plumps it, and minimises fine lines and wrinkles.
So that’s daytime sorted, but it’s equally important to give your complexion some help overnight. Skin-brightening cream Obagi Nu-Derm® Blend Fx is perfect to get an evening skincare routine off to a great start because it’s been designed to aid the absorption of retinoid products.
Formulated with 7% Arbutin, a well-known natural skin brightener, this will gently lighten the skin, reduce the appearance of age spots, sunspots, melasma, acne pigmentation and skin discolouration.
Lactic Acid, a powerful AHA deeply exfoliates, smoothing rough and uneven skin, improving adult acne, and ensuring a clearer, more radiant complexion.
Meanwhile non-irritating OBAGI360® Retinol 0.5, suitable even for sensitive skin, is an absolute must when it comes to any anti-ageing skincare routine. That’s because our natural skin cell turnover slows down as we age, leading to dullness, roughness, dryness, blemishes, loss of elasticity and fine lines and wrinkles. And when we hit menopause and experience a noticeable on-set of wrinkles, it’s as if the foot has hit the accelerator of the natural ageing process.
Gradual releasing entrapped Retinol, otherwise known as Vitamin A, is used in this product because the slow delivery of this hero ingredient minimises irritation and sensitivity. Once absorbed by the skin, Retinol gets straight to work, boosting the cells’ natural turnover to ensure that impurities and blockages are quickly removed, as well as promoting collagen production. That way, skin is kept healthy, clear, smooth, youthful looking and uber protected from future skin damage. It’s also great as a targeted treatment for hyperpigmentation, dark spots and fine lines and wrinkles too.
The clever combination of ingredients means that nourishing Shea Butter and Chamomile Extract also feature in the OBAGI360® Retinol 0.5 formulation to soothe inflammation, redness and flaking as well as hydrating the skin.
Sunburn Alert
A final word on menopause skincare. Since the likelihood is that you’ll be switching to highly transformative products containing powerful, active ingredients like Glycolic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Lactic Acid and Retinol, it’s important to be aware that these can increase your skin’s sensitivity to the sun. So, there’s no better time to incorporate a sunscreen like Obagi Sun Shield Matte™ Broad Spectrum SPF50 as the final step of your morning skincare ritual.
And don’t forget to wear protective clothing and limit sun exposure while using these products and for a week afterwards either!