If your skin suddenly feels drier, more sensitive, less firm or simply not like the skin you’ve always known, hormones may be playing a bigger role than you realise.
As our skin changes, so should the way we care for it. We’ve recently been diving deeper into menopausal skin, so we can continue to understand, educate and support our clients through every stage of their skin journey. One of the biggest reminders from the training was simple: our skin changes as we do. The skincare, products and treatments that worked beautifully for you five years ago or even one year ago may not necessarily be what your skin needs today.
First, what actually happens to our skin during menopause?
Oestrogen plays an important role in maintaining many of the qualities we associate with healthy skin, including collagen, hydration, elasticity and barrier function. As oestrogen levels fluctuate and eventually decline throughout perimenopause and menopause, changes can begin occurring throughout both the deeper and more superficial layers of the skin.
You may start noticing:
Increased dryness or dehydration
A thinner or more fragile feeling to the skin
Loss of firmness and elasticity
Fine lines and wrinkles becoming more noticeable
Increased sensitivity or reactivity
Changes in pigmentation
Slower healing and recovery
Products you've previously loved suddenly causing irritation
There are changes happening beneath the surface too. Collagen production decreases, fibroblast activity changes and the skin's ability to hold onto moisture can decline. Changes within the outermost layers of the skin can also affect its protective barrier, contributing to dryness, sensitivity and increased water loss. In other words, you're not imagining that your skin has changed, it genuinely has & it can begin earlier than you think.
One of the most interesting things that have stuck with us how early these changes can begin. While menopause commonly occurs between approximately 45 and 55 years of age, perimenopause can begin years beforehand, often during a woman's 40s and sometimes earlier. This means you may notice changes within your skin before you've even considered hormones as a possible reason.
Suddenly your usual moisturiser isn't quite enough. Your skin is reacting to ingredients you've used forever. Pigmentation seems more noticeable. Your complexion feels duller or you're beginning to notice changes in firmness and texture.This is exactly why we believe skin should never be treated with a one-size-fits-all approach.
So, how can we support menopausal skin at Harleh?
This stage isn't necessarily about throwing every active ingredient and aggressive treatment at the skin.
Quite often, less really is more.
Our focus is on understanding what your skin is doing right now and creating a plan that works alongside it, supporting hydration and barrier health while addressing concerns such as collagen loss, pigmentation, redness, sensitivity and changes in texture.
Depending on your skin, this may include treatments such as Laser Genesis, LED, Microneedling, DermaFrac, customised Skin Peels and deeply hydrating facial treatments.
Laser Genesis
A Harleh favourite for a reason. Laser Genesis gently heats the deeper layers of the skin to support collagen production while helping improve the appearance of redness, texture and overall skin quality. For skin experiencing changes in firmness, texture or redness, we can incorporate Laser Genesis into a longer-term treatment plan without necessarily relying on aggressive resurfacing.
Microneedling
As collagen production naturally declines, treatments designed to stimulate the skin's natural repair response can become particularly valuable. Microneedling creates controlled micro-injuries within the skin, encouraging natural processes involved in collagen and elastin production. It can be a beautiful option when we're targeting concerns such as fine lines, texture, firmness and overall skin rejuvenation always selected according to the health and resilience of your individual skin.
DermaFrac
For skin that needs rejuvenation without an overly aggressive approach, DermaFrac allows us to combine controlled microneedling with targeted serum infusion. The treatment can be customised depending on what your skin needs most, making it particularly useful when hydration, texture and overall skin health are priorities.
LED Light Therapy
Sometimes supporting the skin rather than pushing it is exactly what it needs. Our Dermalux LED treatments are a beautiful addition for skin experiencing sensitivity, inflammation or compromised barrier function and can also be incorporated alongside other treatments to support recovery and overall skin health.
Customised Facials & Skin Peels
A Skin Peel at 30 may not be the Skin Peel your skin needs at 45 and that's okay. At Harleh, our advanced facials and Skin Peels are customised to what we see in front of us.
Depending on your skin, we may focus on hydration and barrier support, pigmentation, texture or rejuvenation rather than simply choosing the strongest treatment possible. Effective doesn't have to mean aggressive.
Your home skincare matters too
Professional treatments are only one part of the picture.
As your skin changes, we may also recommend reassessing what you're doing at home. This could mean introducing richer hydration, supporting the skin barrier, changing the frequency or strength of active ingredients, incorporating antioxidants and peptides, or simply removing products that your skin is no longer tolerating. And yes, SPF remains non-negotiable.
Rather than continuing with the same routine simply because you've always used it, this is an opportunity to look at your skin as it is today.
Your skin isn't meant to stay the same forever!
One of the most beautiful messages from our recent education came from Emory Hall's I Have Been a Thousand Different Women. Throughout our lives, we continually become different versions of ourselves. Menopause is another one of those transitions.
And while we can't and don't want to stop the natural process of ageing, we can support your skin through it.
At Harleh, that starts with listening. We look at your skin, talk about what you've noticed changing, consider what you're currently using and create a treatment and homecare approach appropriate for where your skin is right now. Because what your skin needed five years ago may not be what it needs today and your skin plan should be allowed to evolve with you.
Not sure where to begin?
Book a consultation. We can assess your skin, talk through the changes you've noticed and create a personalised plan designed to support your skin through its next chapter.
