Skin that appears dry and aged is, unfortunately, a common side effect of perimenopause.
Speaking exclusively to GB News, global skin doctor and cosmetic formulator Dr Vanita Rattan shared useful advice for getting moisture back into the skin.
She explained our bodies lose moisture during perimenopause which means everywhere becomes dryer, including the skin.
Dr Rattan said: "Post menopause, the skin becomes incredibly dry [as] you lose estrogen. Estrogen is a humectant, a water magnet, [so] you lose your water magnets.
Dr Vanita Rattan shared advice on menopausal skin care
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"The whole body becomes dry - your eyes will dry, your mouth feels dry, your skin feels dry, your vagina feels dry. Everything feels dry.
"So suddenly all these crow's feet start to appear and fine lines start to appear whenever the skin is dry."
Skin that is dry can look gaunt and older, and any fine lines can be magnified. To stop this happening, the expert shared some tips to get more hydration into your skin.
She continued: "One thing I would highly recommend for everyone that is going through post-menopause, menopause and on, is when you actually moisturise the skin, lock it in with a facial oil. Either that or slugging."
Slugging is a hydration technique that involves putting a thick layer of occlusive ointment on your skin to help lock in moisture.
Dr Rattan stated: "Use petroleum jelly such as Vaseline on the eye area in particular, but anywhere the skin feels dry across the whole face.
"Then sleep with your with your face up. You don't want your face sticky and then on the pillow, it's just not going to be a good look in the morning, you want to face up."
Another thing that dries the skin is central heating and air conditioning. So, using a humidifier can reduce the effects of this, Dr Rattan explained.
She said: "The other thing that might be beneficial is to use a humidifier at nighttime.
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Fine lines can appear more visible during menopause
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"A lot of us have air conditioning and that actually dries the skin out further. So does central heating.
"But if you have a humidifier... with your moisturiser that should have glycerin in it, it will lock into the water and bring it back into the skin."
In order to protect your skin from the daily signs of ageing, the expert also recommended everyone wear an SPF every day.
She said: "The number one thing we say is wear SPF 50. This is very important because this is going to protect you from UV rays."
