menopause
SEPTEMBER 2026
What the Hell Is Menopause Doing to My Skin?
By Eliza Clark, Advanced Nurse Prescriber
And what's happening to the collagen?
Ah yes. Collagen.
The thing nobody particularly cared about until the beauty industry started mentioning it every eleven seconds.
Collagen is one of the proteins that helps provide structure and support within the skin, and we naturally produce less of it as we age. Hormonal changes around menopause can contribute to changes in collagen too.
That can show up as thinner skin, reduced firmness, changes in texture and lines becoming more noticeable.
But this isn't simply a story about the surface of your skin.
Changes are also happening to the fat, muscle and bone beneath it as we get older, which is one reason your whole face can start to look slightly different rather than you simply acquiring a few extra wrinkles.
No moisturiser, however expensive, can completely control all of that.
You knew about the hot flushes.
You'd heard about the mood changes, the sleep issues and the periods apparently deciding to freestyle their way towards retirement.
But did anyone mention that your skin might suddenly decide to join in?
One day you're using the same cleanser and moisturiser you've happily used for years. The next, your face is dry, itchy, sensitive, breaking out in places you thought you'd left behind in 1996 and seemingly offended by products it used to love.
Excellent.
If you're in perimenopause or menopause and your skin suddenly feels as though somebody has changed the rules without giving you the new handbook, hormones may have quite a lot to do with it.
So what actually happens to our skin during menopause?
The big player here is oestrogen.
Oestrogen has a role in several of the processes that help keep our skin hydrated, elastic and supported. As levels fluctuate during perimenopause and eventually decline through menopause, our skin can begin to behave differently.
At the same time, we're getting older anyway, so the normal changes associated with ageing haven't politely stopped while our hormones sort themselves out.
Thanks, everyone.
The result is that changes that might previously have happened gradually can suddenly feel much more noticeable.
You might look in the mirror and think:
When did THAT happen?
Usually, it didn't happen overnight.
But it can certainly feel like it did.
Why has my skin become so bloody dry?
This is a big one.
As oestrogen levels change, skin can become less effective at holding onto moisture and may produce less of its natural oils. That can leave it feeling drier, tighter or rougher than it used to.
Suddenly the moisturiser you've bought religiously for ten years barely seems to touch the sides.
You may also notice that makeup doesn't sit quite as nicely anymore, particularly if your skin is dehydrated or flaky underneath.
And piling on increasingly thick moisturisers isn't necessarily the whole answer.
Sometimes your skincare routine needs to change because your skin has changed.
Why is everything suddenly irritating my face?
Another particularly delightful development.
Skin can become more sensitive during this stage of life, which means products you've previously tolerated may suddenly cause redness, stinging or irritation.
This can be especially noticeable if you're using lots of active ingredients.
Retinoids, exfoliating acids and vitamin C can all have a place in skincare, but this isn't a competition to see how many powerful ingredients you can fit onto one face before bedtime.
If your skin barrier is struggling, enthusiastically exfoliating it into submission probably isn't going to help.
Sometimes simplifying your routine is the clever thing to do.
Your bathroom cabinet may take the news badly.
Where has my glow gone?
There isn't technically a tiny menopause fairy sneaking into bedrooms at night and stealing everyone's glow.
Although it can feel like it.
Changes in hydration, collagen, skin thickness and cell turnover can all affect the way the skin looks and feels. It may appear duller, less plump or simply a little more tired than it once did.
And if menopause is also interfering with your sleep?
Well, that's hardly helping matters.
The important thing is that dull skin doesn't automatically mean you need an aggressive treatment or a £200 serum.
First, we need to work out what's actually going on.
Hang on. Why am I getting spots again?
This one feels particularly unfair.
You can simultaneously have dry skin, wrinkles and spots.
Who authorised that?
Hormonal fluctuations can contribute to breakouts during perimenopause, including spots around the chin and jawline. And because your skin may now be more sensitive or dry than it was when you had teenage acne, attacking those spots with the strongest products you can find isn't necessarily the best plan.
Treating a 48-year-old face exactly as you treated your 16-year-old one may leave the rest of your skin extremely unimpressed.
Again, it's about treating the skin you have now.
So what does menopausal skin actually need?
There isn't one special menopause skincare routine that every woman should start the moment her periods change.
Sorry. That would have made this much easier.
But there are some sensible foundations.
A gentle cleanser. Enough hydration. Moisturiser that supports your skin barrier. Daily broad-spectrum SPF. And active ingredients chosen because they address your concerns, rather than because you've seen somebody waving them around on TikTok.
If your existing routine suddenly isn't working, don't assume you need to add six more products.
You may need to reassess what you're already using.
And if you're experiencing persistent or significant skin problems, particularly things like severe itching, rashes or troublesome acne, that's something to discuss with an appropriate healthcare professional rather than simply throwing more skincare at it.
What about treatments?
Professional treatments can sometimes help with particular concerns associated with changing skin, including things like hydration, texture and overall skin quality.
Depending on what's bothering you, there may also be treatments that address expression lines or changes in facial volume and structure.
But menopause itself isn't an indication for aesthetic treatment.
You don't reach a certain hormone level and receive a compulsory syringe of filler.
Thank God.
Whether a treatment makes sense depends on your skin, your face and what actually bothers you.
Some women want to explore treatments. Some want to change their skincare. Some want both.
Some want absolutely none of it.
All perfectly acceptable answers.
Your face isn't falling apart
We promise.
It's changing.
And when those changes happen alongside everything else perimenopause and menopause can throw at you, it's completely understandable if you occasionally look in the mirror and wonder where the bloody hell your old face went.
But the answer isn't necessarily to wage war on it.
Understand what's changing. Give your skin what it needs now. Get good advice if something is bothering you.
And remember that looking good through menopause doesn't have to mean trying to look like you haven't been through it.
You can look 45, 50, 55, 60 or beyond.
You can have lines.
You can have texture.
You can look your age.
And you can still look bloody fantastic.
Has your skin suddenly changed the rules?
Dryer? Duller? More sensitive? Breaking out? Or perhaps you can't quite put your finger on what's changed.
Take our Skin Check and tell us what you're noticing. We'll help you understand what might be going on and give you personalised guidance on what your skin could need now.