Menopause Skin Treatments Ramsgate & Thanet

Skin Changed? 5 Things Women Notice During Perimenopause & Menopause

Skin changed. Routine hasn’t?

Perhaps the moisturiser you’ve used for years suddenly isn’t enough. Pigmentation seems darker. Your jawline doesn’t look quite as firm. Your skin looks tired even when you’re not — and somehow you’re dealing with dry skin, the odd spot and a new chin hair at the same time.

If this sounds familiar, you’re certainly not alone.

At my studio here in Ramsgate, this is something I hear from women in their 40s, 50s and beyond. They don’t usually come in asking for a ‘menopause treatment’. They tell me their skin has changed and they’re not quite sure what it needs any more.

And there are genuine biological reasons for those changes.

Fluctuating and falling levels of oestrogen during perimenopause and menopause can affect collagen, hydration, elasticity, skin thickness and oil production.

So while your skincare routine may not have changed, the skin you’re putting it on has.

Here are five changes women commonly notice — and what you can actually do about them.

1. Face changed. Weight hasn’t

One of the changes women can find particularly surprising is feeling that their face has aged quite quickly, even though their weight hasn’t significantly changed.

Oestrogen plays an important role in maintaining collagen, skin thickness, hydration and elasticity. As oestrogen levels decline around menopause, these can all be affected.

Research suggests that women may lose around 30% of their skin collagen during the first five years after menopause, although the rate varies considerably between individuals.

In the mirror, you might notice less bounce in the skin, fine lines becoming more obvious, changes around the eyes and mouth or the lower face and jawline beginning to look a little softer.

What can help?

If changes in texture, firmness and skin quality are bothering you, microneedling is one treatment we can consider.

Microneedling creates controlled micro-injuries in the skin, triggering its natural repair response and stimulating collagen production.

But that doesn’t mean every woman going through menopause automatically needs microneedling.

The starting point should always be what has actually changed in your skin and what you would like to improve.

2. Moisturiser stopped moisturising?

You haven’t changed your moisturiser.

You’re using the same cleanser.

Yet suddenly your skin feels tight, dry, itchy or more sensitive than it used to.

Changes in oestrogen can affect skin hydration, sebum production and barrier function. That means products you’ve happily used for years may suddenly feel uncomfortable — or simply don’t seem to do enough.

And this is where it’s very easy to make things worse.

When skin starts looking dull or older, the temptation can be to add more acids, stronger retinoids, exfoliants and active ingredients.

Sometimes menopausal skin needs the opposite.

What can help?

Sometimes the first job is simply to support the skin barrier and restore hydration before doing anything more intensive.

A carefully chosen professional facial combined with the right home skincare can make a significant difference to how dry or uncomfortable skin looks and feels.

Your bathroom cabinet doesn’t necessarily need more products.

Your skin may simply need the right ones.

3. Tan faded. Pigmentation didn’t?

Summer ends. The tan disappears.

But somehow those brown patches don’t.

Sun spots, age spots and uneven pigmentation can become much more noticeable as we get older.

And living in Thanet, sun exposure isn’t only about two weeks on holiday.

We’re lucky enough to have the coast on our doorstep — whether that’s a summer afternoon on Ramsgate Main Sands, Stone Bay in Broadstairs or Margate Main Sands, or simply walking the dog along our beautiful coastal paths throughout the year.

All those everyday little doses of UV exposure add up over time.

Hormonal changes can influence pigmentation too, but pigmentation is complicated and not every brown mark is caused by menopause.

Sun-induced pigmentation, freckles, age spots, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and melasma can all behave differently.

That’s important because not every brown patch should automatically be treated with IPL.

What can help?

Depending on the type of pigmentation, your skin type and other factors, options may include IPL, professional skin peels or other advanced skin treatments.

Melasma in particular needs careful assessment and may require a different approach.

That’s why I prefer to look at the pigmentation first and decide which treatment actually makes sense for the skin in front of me.

If pigmentation is your main concern, you can also read my guide:

Pigmentation: What Causes It and Which Treatments Actually Work?

4. Dry skin. Spots. And now a chin hair?

This has to be one of the more frustrating contradictions some women experience during perimenopause.

Your cheeks feel dry.

Your moisturiser suddenly isn’t rich enough.

And yet you’ve somehow developed a spot on your chin and discovered a coarse hair that definitely wasn’t there yesterday.

Some women experience breakouts during the menopausal transition, while changes in the balance between oestrogen and androgens can also make coarser facial hair more noticeable, particularly around the chin and upper lip.

What can help?

If breakouts have become an issue, the answer isn’t necessarily to attack them with products designed to dry the skin out.

We need to look at what else is happening with your skin at the same time.

And if unwanted facial hair is becoming bothersome, darker, coarser hairs may be suitable for professional light-based hair reduction, depending on your skin and hair type.

Very blonde, white and grey hair generally won’t respond in the same way because these treatments rely on pigment within the hair.

It’s another reason why an assessment is more useful than simply choosing a treatment from a menu.

5. Looking tired when you’re not?

Sometimes there isn’t one dramatic thing you can point to.

You just don’t think your skin looks quite as fresh as it used to.

Perhaps it’s a little duller. Less plump. The texture has changed. There’s some dehydration, a little pigmentation and perhaps fine lines catching the light differently.

Often when somebody tells me their skin looks ‘tired’, what I’m actually seeing is a combination of several smaller changes.

Changes in collagen, elasticity, hydration and skin thickness can all contribute to the skin looking and feeling different around menopause.

What can help?

This is exactly why choosing a treatment from a long menu can be confusing.

Do you need a facial? Microneedling? A peel? IPL? Microcurrent? A skin booster?

You don’t need to know which treatment you need before you come to me. That’s my job.

Tell me what you’re noticing and what you’d like to improve.

From there, I can look at your skin and explain which options are genuinely appropriate — and which ones aren’t.

So, what actually works for menopausal skin?

There isn’t one magic ‘menopause facial’ because menopausal skin isn’t one skin type.

Two women of exactly the same age can need completely different things.

One woman may need to concentrate on hydration and supporting a compromised skin barrier.

Another may be mainly concerned about pigmentation.

Someone else may want to improve texture and support collagen.

Depending on your skin, concerns and suitability, we might consider advanced facials, microneedling, professional skin peels, IPL, microcurrent or skin boosters.

And sometimes the best starting point is much simpler — improving your home skincare and making sure your skin is properly protected from UV exposure.

I’d much rather recommend what your skin actually needs than sell you a treatment simply because it happens to be on my menu.

Menopause Skin FAQs

Does menopause cause dry skin?

Falling oestrogen levels can affect skin hydration, oil production and barrier function. This is one reason some women notice their skin becoming drier or more sensitive during perimenopause and menopause.

Can menopause cause pigmentation?

Hormonal changes can influence pigmentation, but years of accumulated UV exposure can also become increasingly visible as we get older. Different types of pigmentation require different approaches, which is why it’s important to assess the pigmentation before deciding on treatment.

Can menopause cause facial hair?

Changes in the balance between oestrogen and androgens can make coarser facial hair more noticeable in some women, particularly around the chin and upper lip.

Can menopause cause spots?

Some women experience acne or breakouts during the menopausal transition. Because the skin can simultaneously become drier or more sensitive, simply using harsh acne products isn’t always the best approach.

What is the best facial treatment for menopausal skin?

There isn’t one treatment that’s best for everyone.

Dry or sensitive skin may need a very different approach from skin affected predominantly by pigmentation, changes in texture or loss of firmness.

At my Ramsgate studio, I prefer to look at what has actually changed in your skin before recommending a treatment.

Recognise your skin in any of these?

You don’t need to diagnose your own skin.

And you certainly don’t need to work your way through a treatment menu trying to decide whether you need microneedling, IPL, a peel or a facial.

Tell me what’s changed, what bothers you and what you’d like to improve.

We’ll start there.

There’s no right or wrong way to age — only the way that feels right for you.

Thanet Rejuvenation Studio is a private, appointment-only skin and aesthetics studio in Ramsgate, welcoming women and men from Ramsgate, Broadstairs, Margate, Westgate and across Thanet.

Free on-site parking is available.

Skin changed? Let’s work out what it needs now.