Prime Time

Your skin and hair can change during menopause. These dermatologist-backed solutions will help save them.

- Gina Way

What the heck is happening with my skin? It's my firm belief that this question will be uttered at some point by every woman going through menopause. That's because issues like dryness, volume loss, adult acne, and wrinkles can all happen during this time. I should know—I'm there myself. I've been fortunate to sidestep the hot flashes, breast pain, and brain fog, but my skin has changed. I never considered my complexion to be problematic, but when I turned 50, my outer layer became a sensitive desert of dryness. Dune's Arrakis has nothing on me.

So, what's going on here—and what can we all do about it?

The hormonal fluctuations during perimenopause—the transition period leading up to your final monthly menstrual cycle—are what trigger breakouts and dryness, says Ellen Marmur, MD, a dermatologist at Marmur Medical. The maddening part is that often many of the skin issues that crop up at this age occur at the same time.

Double Trouble "My patients who are in perimenopause have two main complaints: pimples and wrinkles," says Dr. Wechsler. A mix of low estrogen, UV damage, and natural aging is the culprit.

That was certainly the case for Melissa Mattola-Kiatos. “I’ve had oily to combination skin my entire life, but in the year leading up to turning 50, things started changing drastically, and my skin became dry, itchy, and sensitive,” says Mattola-Kiatos, who lives outside Boston. “I also had acne—and it was different from the pimples I had as a teen. Out of the blue, I'd get one major cystic pimple on my lower face.”