World Menopause Day is on 18 October, raising awareness and dispelling taboos. In recent years the conversation around perimenopause and menopause has gathered momentum and more people are talking about what the process entails and how women can seek understanding and support.
There are the ‘headline symptoms’ – hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, erratic or absent periods and those that are perhaps lesser known, joint pain, vaginal dryness, brain fog and changes in hair and skin, any of which can start during the peri-stage. Mentally and emotionally it’s a roller coaster which can feel out of control but practicing a little self-care may help give you back some sense of agency in your own experience.
The Icelandic scientists behind Bioeffect spent over 10 years researching how to product a plant-based (barley) epidermal growth factor for use in skincare. The EGF range is specifically designed to help thinning mature skin maintain a healthy, dense, appearance. Their Power Cream is gratifyingly thick but melts easily onto the skin leaving it firmer, brighter and quenched.
£165 bioeffect.com
A serum can act as an additional layer of help to (amongst other things) brighten the skin and even its tone. The Evenswiss Rejuvenating Serum is gentle to use and immediately alleviates the parched feeling of menopausal skin.
£52 shop.dermoi.com
Even if you’ve never bothered with a targeted eye treatment before, it’s not too late to start attempting to mitigate the loss of collagen by using a topical cream or serum to hydrate and plump the thinner skin around the eye. PerriconeMD’s Growth Factor Firming & Lifting Eye Serum contains polyamine growth factor to improve both look and feel.
Menopause can feel like a veritable drought across the whole body but in the down belows this can be harder to alleviate by slapping on the moisturiser. Richly scented products can exacerbate the discomfort but SBC Skincare’s Lotus Flower wash is designed to gently cleanse whilst also calm and keep the pH balance healthy.
£9.00 sbcskincare.co.uk
Emerging research suggests that CBD can help with menopause symptoms including insomnia, night sweats, depression, and brain fog. It certainly makes intuitive sense. A good soak in the bath never hurt anyone looking to relax and sooth aching joints, so these Press Pause Indulgent CBD bath salts could do wonders for your evening wind-down.
Menopause can make even the most lustrous hair distinctly lacklustre. The GRO Serum from Vegamour (£43) tackles fall out due to stress, lack of sleep, vitamin deficiencies and hormonal changes. The combination of oils – and a good shot of caffeine – supports the follicular ecosystem whilst balancing the scalp and energising the roots.
It’s a vicious circle that stressing about hair loss can cause hair loss. Roots D-Stress uses plant-friendly and cruelty free renewables to create a topical stimulant which helps enrich the root of the follicle. Sprayed generously each day, it promises to work on both moderate and severe loss.
