Perimenopause & Menopausse
What happens to your skin during menopause? During menopause, declining oestrogen causes your skin to lose collagen, moisture, and elasticity. This can lead to dryness, sensitivity, fine lines, and sagging. Supporting your skin with hydration, gentle skincare, sun protection, stress management, good sleep, and professional treatments can help maintain strength and glow during this life stage.
Perimenopause and menopause are often talked about in terms of hot flushes, mood swings, or sleep changes. And while those are real and important, there’s one area that often gets overlooked: your skin.
As a woman who has worked with hundreds of women over the past two and a half decades, I know how confusing, distressing, and unexpected skin changes can feel when they arrive. But I want you to know this: your skin isn’t “failing”, you haven’t just “aged over night”… your skin has been giving you gentle hints along the way and now it’s merely signaling a new chapter in your body’s journey.
Understanding what’s happening, and what you can do to support your skin, is one of the most empowering steps you can take during this transition.
ESTROGEN HORMONE LEVELS BY AGE
Why Skin Changes Happen in Perimenopause and Menopause
Your skin is your largest organ and one of the first places where hormonal shifts show up. During perimenopause (the years leading up to menopause) and menopause itself, your body’s production of key hormones, especially oestrogen and progesterone, fluctuates and eventually declines. These hormones play a major role in skin health: they help regulate collagen production, hydration, oil balance, elasticity, and vascular function. When they drop, your skin changes with them.
- Oestrogen supports collagen and moisture: As oestrogen decreases, your skin produces less oil and holds less water. Less collagen and elastin means your skin becomes thinner, less elastic, and more fragile.
- Collagen declines rapidly: Research shows that women can lose up to 30% of their skin collagen within the first five years of menopause. This further declines at a rate of about 2% every year.
- Skin barrier weakens: A decrease in oestrogen can lead to increased dryness, irritation, sensitivity, and a slower healing response.
These changes begin during perimenopause sometimes years before your periods stop and continue into menopause and beyond, which is why many women notice new skin concerns earlier than they expect.
Many of my clients have been with me since the very beginning of Temple. Caring for multi-generational families and their skin is both a privilege and a responsibility, and as a holistic dermal clinician and wellness practitioner, I am deeply attentive to how their skin evolves over time, particularly through the profound changes of perimenopause and menopause.
At Temple, I always make sure that my clients going through these stages, have their skin as the least of their worries!
Recognising Common Changes in Skin During Midlife
Every woman’s skin is unique, but there are some patterns that I see again and again in women navigating perimenopause and menopause:
1. Dryness and Dehydration
With less oestrogen, the skin’s ability to hold water decreases, leading to flakiness, tightness, and discomfort. This dryness can make fine lines appear more pronounced.
2. Loss of Firmness and Elasticity
Collagen and elastin are the proteins that give skin its structure and spring. As production slows, skin becomes thinner and less resilient. You may notice sagging, crepey texture, or reduced plumpness, particularly around the jawline, cheeks, neck, and eyes.
3. Fine Lines and Wrinkles
When the structural support of your skin changes, wrinkles can appear more noticeable, even if you’ve never had them before. This is a normal part of ageing but is accelerated by hormonal shifts in menopause.
4. Increased Sensitivity and Irritation
A weakened skin barrier means products that used to be fine might now sting, burn, or irritate. This sensitivity can also make acne or rosacea flare or make your skin react to textures or environmental triggers.
5. Slower Healing and Easy Bruising
Collagen is not just about elasticity, it also plays a role in repair. With less of it, wounds and bruises may take longer to heal and may appear more visible.
6. Pigmentation and Tone Changes
Hormonal shifts can make dark spots more visible or cause uneven pigmentation, especially with sun exposure or after inflammation.
These are natural changes, but that doesn’t mean you have to just “deal with them.” There are gentle, science-based ways to support your skin during this time.
Practical Skin Support Through Midlife
Here are evidence-based and everyday skincare practices that help your skin stay healthy and radiant during perimenopause and menopause:
Hydration From the Inside and Out
- Drink water consistently. Hydration supports every organ including skin.
- Use humectants like hyaluronic acid. This ingredient draws moisture into the skin.
- Use occlusives and emollients. Ingredients like ceramides and glycerin help lock that moisture in.
Hydrating both internally and externally helps counteract the dryness that comes with declining oestrogen levels.
Barrier-Friendly Skincare
As skin becomes more sensitive and prone to irritation, gentle formulations matter:
- Fragrance-free moisturisers
- Soothing ingredients like niacinamide and ceramides
- Avoiding harsh exfoliants and drying alcohols
This reduces irritation and supports the skin’s natural protective layer, which becomes more delicate with hormonal changes.
Collagen Support & Strengthening
Although collagen naturally declines with age, you can support your skin’s structural integrity:
- Topical retinoids or peptides: These support collagen production and turnover (ask a professional if appropriate for your skin type).
- Gentle facial massage: Stimulates circulation and supports skin health. Try the Plump & Define Facial that helps with strengthening, hydrating and firming the skin. Or, for more intensive results, book the Ultimate Anti-ageing Skin Plan.
- Sun protection: UV exposure accelerates collagen breakdown daily sunscreen is essential.
These practices help skin maintain strength, elasticity, and resilience even as collagen levels shift.
Healthy Lifestyle Habits That Support Skin
While skincare products are useful, true skin health comes from a combination of internal and external support:
- Balanced nutrition: A nutrient-rich diet supports collagen synthesis and inflammation reduction.
- Strength-based movement: Helps maintain muscle tone and blood flow both important for skin health and overall vitality.
- Good sleep: Repair and regeneration happen largely while you sleep and poor sleep can worsen skin ageing.
- Stress management: High cortisol (stress hormone) can accelerate skin ageing and inflammatory responses.
Addressing these lifestyle factors supports both your skin and your overall midlife wellbeing.
A Caring, Holistic Perspective
Through my years in skincare and clinical practice, I’ve learned that menopausal skin needs understanding, not judgement. Skin isn’t just an aesthetic concern, it’s a reflection of your internal environment, your hormones, your stress, your sleep, and your lifestyle. And while there isn’t one magic solution, a holistic, evidence-informed approach can make this transition more comfortable, clearer, and more empowering.
As an example, dermatological resources note that collagen decline accelerates during menopause and becomes more noticeable without protective habits like sun protection and supportive skincare.
The truth of the matter is, regular visits to your Temple Therapist in your 20s onwards, will give you the best care in both prevention and managing symptoms of oestrogen-deficient skin as perimenopause and menopause comes.
However, if you notice:
- Severe irritation that doesn’t respond to gentle care
- Sudden or extreme changes in texture or pigmentation
- Persistent rashes or wounds that don’t heal
Talking to a dermatologist, our Senior Therapists and I, can help tailor your approach safely and effectively. Having been recently recognised by GHP Magazine’s 2025 Global Excellence Awards as 2025's Leading Anti-Ageing Products Specialists - New South Wales, we take much pride in using only skincare products that bring results that our clients can confidently rely on, including medi-spa modalities that restore and rejuvenate to bring back one’s confidence and radiance.
Book the Ultimate Anti-ageing Skin Plan to get the best skin care for oestrogen-deprived skin.
Beyond skincare, community and a sense of family, a Temple Family, means so much to me. Every client that comes through our doors is Family to us, deserving of genuine care, support and respect. To me, my Temple Team and those who are in our care, it means the world to have a sanctuary like Temple where women can feel safe, heard and seen, and be empowered, living vibrant lives!.
Thrive through Perimenopause & Menopause: Let's Talk about It!
Take a Deep Dive into the changes your skin undergoes and how to remain glowing throughout.
When to Seek Temple Skincare & Spa Support
The truth of the matter is, regular visits to your Temple Therapist in your 20s onwards, will give you the best care in both prevention and managing symptoms of oestrogen-deficient skin as perimenopause and menopause comes.
However, if you notice:
- Severe irritation that doesn’t respond to gentle care
- Sudden or extreme changes in texture or pigmentation
- Persistent rashes or wounds that don’t heal
Talking to a dermatologist, our Senior Therapists and I, can help tailor your approach safely and effectively. Having been recently recognised by GHP Magazine’s 2025 Global Excellence Awards as 2025's Leading Anti-Ageing Products Specialists - New South Wales, we take much pride in using only skincare products that bring results that our clients can confidently rely on, including medi-spa modalities that restore and rejuvenate to bring back one’s confidence and radiance.
Book the Ultimate Anti-ageing Skin Plan to get the best skin care for oestrogen-deprived skin.
Beyond skincare, community and a sense of family, a Temple Family, means so much to me. Every client that comes through our doors is Family to us, deserving of genuine care, support and respect. To me, my Temple Team and those who are in our care, it means the world to have a sanctuary like Temple where women can feel safe, heard and seen, and be empowered, living vibrant lives!.
The Next Step Toward Confidence and Clarity
Navigating midlife changes can feel heavy, especially in isolation. That’s why, together with Real Fitness Training, we created a space where women can come together, learn, and feel supported for perimenopause and menopause. EmpowHER Day (taking place Saturday 7th February 2026 at Hills Lodge) brings trusted experts together to discuss hormonal health, skin changes, nutrition, mindset and lifestyle strategies.
This intimate, supportive day is designed to help you feel:
- More informed about your body and skin
- Supported by professionals who truly understand and specialise in Menopausal Health
- Connected to a community of women walking the same path
You Don’t Have to Navigate This Alone
Skin changes in perimenopause and menopause are real, common, and often distressing. But, they’re not something you have to just accept silently. With understanding, support, and a tailored approach, many women find ways to feel confident, comfortable, and radiant in their skin again.
And for those who want even deeper guidance, connection, and practical tools to navigate this transition, EmpowHER Day is an opportunity to learn alongside experts and women just like you.
