Skincare Through Menopause: Managing Dryness, Firmness, and Collagen Loss

Menopause means more than hot flashes; it literally changes your skin. 

Hormone changes related to perimenopause and menopause often visibly change the skin’s structure and accelerate aging. You may notice more dryness and fine lines, along with decreased firmness and elasticity. These changes may be more noticeable in certain areas, including the face, neck, and chest. 

The skincare routine that worked in your 20s and 30s may no longer offer the same benefits and protection. Your skin may need more specific support, and that’s what we’ll cover in today’s article. Continue reading as we explore:

• Menopause skin changes
• Menopause and dry skin, thinning, and laxity
• How estrogen influences skin aging
• Menopause skincare for hydration and comfort
• The best anti-aging serum, skin-tightening treatment, and ingredients to look for
• How to tighten neck skin 
• Crepey skin treatment for the neck, chest, and arms
• Anti-aging skincare routine for menopause
• What causes menopause dry skin and other FAQs

How Menopause Changes the Skin: Dryness, Thinning, and Laxity

Your skin responds to hormones, and changing hormones in midlife directly affect the skin’s structure, function, and appearance. 

Perimenopause, the years leading to menopause, are shaped by hormone fluctuations and the eventual decline of estrogen and progesterone. Menopause is the one-year mark without a menstrual cycle and the beginning of the post-menopausal years, accompanied by very low estrogen levels and almost no progesterone at all. Many women notice the onset of skin changes right around the time of menopause. 

Menopause is associated with:

• Dry skin 
• Menopause itchy skin (pruritus)
• Skin thinning
• Inflammation and sensitivity
• Fine lines and wrinkles
• Increased laxity or sagging 
• Crepey skin 
• Poor wound healing
• Poor skin circulation
• Changes in skin barrier function 

Why Estrogen Decline Accelerates Collagen and Elasticity Loss

Ovarian hormones, particularly estrogen, directly affect skin health. Estrogen protects the skin, and estrogen loss during menopause is associated with declining collagen, elastin, and hydration. 

Collagen is the skin’s primary structural protein. It declines with age, but collagen loss can accelerate in women as estrogen declines. Collagen loss leads to decreased firmness and elasticity. Without as much collagen to hold onto moisture, the skin can become drier. Estrogen loss also disrupts the skin barrier, which can increase transepidermal water loss (TEWL), compounding dehydration. 

Aging and sun exposure also contribute to skin changes, and with menopause and low estrogen, your skin becomes less resilient to environmental factors and slower to recover. 

As your hormones change, your skincare routine needs to evolve as well. 

How to Treat Menopausal Dry Skin and Restore Lasting Comfort

Dry skin is one of the most common skin changes in menopause. Dry skin treatment is twofold: first, support skin hydration with active ingredients, and second, protect and nourish the skin barrier.

Hyaluronic acid is one of the most hydrating skincare ingredients. It pulls water into the skin. But it’s not enough on its own. You also need to seal the moisture in the skin, which requires a healthy skin barrier. Skincare ingredients, including ceramides, squalane, and plant oils, support skin barrier structure and help form a protective barrier over the skin. 

Choosing a high-quality face oil and moisturizer for dry skin in menopause is one of the best additions to your skincare routine. Here are some options from NassifMD® facial plastic surgeon skincare: 

NassifMD® Restore & Firm Face Oil with CoQ10 is a deeply nourishing face oil with CoQ10, botanicals, squalane, and plant oils to restore skin quality and firmness. Layer it over water-based serums and under your moisturizer. 

NassifMD® Skin Barrier Protection Cream targets the skin barrier with niacinamide, botanicals, and sunflower seed oil. It’s calming, comforting, and immediately moisturizing. It’s the perfect fit for dry skin. Use as your moisturizer or layer with a day or night cream. 

NassifMD® Soft Focus Hydrating Day Cream is the best moisturizer for dry skin for daytime use. With hyaluronic acid, biopeptides, red clover extract, niacinamide, and jojoba esters for barrier function, this formula helps transform your skin in real time. It also doubles as a makeup primer. 

NassifMD® Pure Hydration Night Cream is the best face moisturizer for dry skin to use at night. The formula contains aloe, fu ling mushroom extract, vitamin C, and galactoarabinan to deeply moisturize and restore the skin barrier while you sleep. Use it as the last step in your evening skincare routine. 

Choose one or more of these formulas for active ingredients that promote barrier protection, hydration, and dry skin healing in menopause. 

The Best Peptides, Ceramides, and Firming Ingredients for Mature Skin 

Anti-aging skincare in menopause goes beyond addressing dryness, using targeted ingredients to address concerns around texture, firmness, and elasticity. 

In menopause, skin often becomes laxer, crepey, and even saggy. These changes may appear around menopause and magnify with age. However, targeted skincare ingredients, such as skincare peptides and retinol, can help support the collagen structure that holds the skin in place (and holds onto hydration). 

NassifMD® Pro Peptide Collagen Serum doesn’t contain collagen itself, but instead a specialized lipopeptide complex that supports healthy collagen signaling in the skin. The formula also contains beta-glucan, hyaluronic acid, and betaine to promote a smoother texture and firmer skin. 

NassifMD® Hydro-Screen Hydration Serum is another anti-aging serum you’ll want in your menopause skincare routine. The trifecta of ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and retinol supports skin barrier health, hydration, and skin rejuvenation for improved skin resilience in menopause or any life phase. 

NassifMD® Niacinamide Biopeptide Serum combines niacinamide, cranberry biopeptides, ectoin, and allantoin to support hydration, moisture retention, and smoother-looking skin. It is an alternative serum option for dryness, crepey texture, and fine lines.

How to Firm Crepey Skin on the Neck, Chest, and Arms

Your neck, chest, and arms are prone to menopausal skin changes, just like your face. These areas deserve the same consistency and care. 

Loss of firmness and elasticity can show up anywhere, but the neck, chest, and arms are areas of concern for many women. These areas are more likely to get sun damage, and the skin can be more delicate and prone to laxity. 

As you adapt your facial skincare routine for menopausal needs, don’t neglect the rest of the body. These NassifMD® Skincare gems can help. 

NassifMD® Crepe Inhibitor Triple Action Body Butter helps rehydrate and tighten crepey skin with plant humectants, Renovage™ (teprenone), glycoin, and shea butter. It’s deeply moisturizing and smoothing, and you can use it on the neck, chest, or any area of concern. 

NassifMD® Hydro-Screen Soufflé offers lighter body hydration with hyaluronic acid, Ceramosides HP, and bakuchiol to soften dry, rough, or crepey-looking skin. Use on the body, neck, and décolleté morning and evening or as needed.

NassifMD® Deco-Lift Neck and Décolleté Firming & Lifting Complex is the best neck firming cream. Renovage™ (teprenone), DMAE, and glycolic acid help improve visible firmness and texture—concerns commonly addressed by anti-aging peptides. Elasta-Derm C Complex and Aquaxyl™ help soften fine lines and crepiness while hydrating neck and chest skin. 

A Daily Menopause Skincare Routine 

Skincare for menopausal skin starts with high-quality, facial plastic surgeon-formulated products providing a synergy of active ingredients from NassifMD® Skincare. 

Use this chart to establish your daily skincare routine for menopause and beyond. Choose one serum, or layer Pro Peptide Collagen Serum or Niacinamide Biopeptide Serum before Hydro-Screen Hydration Serum. 

Apply Deco-Lift morning and evening to cleansed, toned neck and chest before moisturizer, using light upward motions. Patch test first and discontinue if irritated. Finish your morning routine with broad-spectrum sunscreen.

As your hormones change, your skincare should too. NassifMD® Skincare helps make the transition smooth by providing the hydration, nourishment, and protection your skin needs in this life phase. 

Menopause Skincare FAQs

What skin changes happen during perimenopause and menopause?

With the decline of estrogen in perimenopause and menopause comes a decline in collagen structure and hydration, along with accelerated skin aging. Skin may become drier, less firm, and more prone to irritation. 

What is the best moisturizer for menopausal dry skin?

The best moisturizers for menopausal dry skin are NassifMD® Skin Barrier Protection Cream, NassifMD® Soft Focus Hydrating Day Cream, and NassifMD® Pure Hydration Night Cream.

Can you rebuild collagen in the skin after menopause?

Yes. Targeted ingredients, including skincare peptides and retinol, can slow collagen loss and support collagen signaling in the skin. 

Do collagen supplements help skin firmness and elasticity?

Yes, oral collagen supplements may support firmness to some degree. NassifMD® Pro Peptide Collagen Serum is a topical peptide that supports healthy collagen directly in the skin. You can use both. 

Which ingredients help tighten crepey skin on the neck? 

NassifMD® Deco-Lift Neck and Décolleté Firming & Lifting Complex combines Renovage™ (teprenone), DMAE, glycolic acid, Elasta-Derm C Complex, and Aquaxyl™ to support visible firmness, smoother texture, and hydration. NassifMD® Crepe Inhibitor Triple Action Body Butter provides richer moisture for dry, crepey-looking body skin. 

References

1. Zouboulis, C. C., Blume-Peytavi, U., Kosmadaki, M., Roó, E., Vexiau-Robert, D., Kerob, D., & Goldstein, S. R. (2022). Skin, hair and beyond: the impact of menopause. Climacteric : the journal of the International Menopause Society, 25(5), 434–442. 
2. Stevenson, S., & Thornton, J. (2007). Effect of estrogens on skin aging and the potential role of SERMs. Clinical interventions in aging, 2(3), 283–297. 
3. Croda Beauty. Renovage™. Ingredient information and INCI: Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (and) Teprenone.