Perimenopause & Your Skin! What’s Actually Going on and What to Do About It!

Perimenopause typically gate-crashes your life sometime in your late 30s to early 40s and—spoiler alert—can stick around for YEARS. Your estrogen and progesterone are basically playing musical chairs, and your poor skin is desperately trying to keep up.  And you are just along for the ride with no exit ramp!

Here's what might be happening to your formerly predictable face:

The good news? You don't need to take out a second mortgage for fancy treatments or dedicate your life to a 20-step routine.  Now listen, if that is your jam, you go for it sister.  Who am I to take away something you enjoy?  But if you are like me and have the patience of a small child after cotton candy, a soda and ice cream, my short go-to's might be exactly what you have been looking for!  At the end of the day, I don't mind spending money on QUALITY items and I am much more invested in quick routines that I can be consistent with.  And news flash, my skin likes that better too because no matter how much you spend on the skincare, it is useless in the bottle on your counter!  After much trial, error, and occasionally looking like a science experiment gone wrong, here's what I have found really helps:

Remember when you used to worry about looking too shiny? HA! Those were the days. Your skin barrier is basically sending SOS signals, so give it what it needs:
Look for moisturizers with ceramides, hyaluronic acid, or squalane. Think of these ingredients like a tall glass of water after a night out—absolute lifesavers for parched skin.  I have done some research and found 5 highly rated and recommended moisturizers and you can check them out HERE.  I also wanted to share with you some of my favorite moisturizers from Nu Skin which you can check out HERE and as always, you get the 15% off discount automatically.  All items will add to your cart but just look through and find the one that is best for you and delete the rest!

Retinol is still skincare royalty, but your skin might need the kindergarten version now rather than the advanced class. Start with just 2-3 nights a week—your face will thank you by not turning into a red, flaky mess during your important Zoom meetings.

Pro tip: If your skin is throwing a full rebellion, try buffering (moisturizer first, then retinol) or check out bakuchiol—it's like retinol's chill cousin who gets the job done without the drama.

If you want to see some great Retinol products and Bakuchiol (retinol alternative).  I made you a list HERE and HERE!

Sun damage is like that one friend who makes every bad situation worse. With your skin getting thinner and more fragile, daily SPF 30+ isn't just good advice—it's your new religion. Even when it's cloudy. Even when you're "just running errands." ESPECIALLY then.  And look, I learned this the hard way.  I was the girl who would go outside religiously with no more than an SPF 15 on (if that!) and was frequently in the tanning bed and would see the skincare warning signs and literally think "but it won't ever happen to me".  Until it did.  I was 35 when I was diagnosed with Advanced Melanoma and my whole life changed.  Now I have a few less lymphnodes, two scars (one pretty huge) as evidence and a yearly date with not only a skin doctor but also an oncologist - for life.  Don't make the mistake I made. 

Here's something nobody tells you about perimenopause: you start questioning EVERYTHING. "Is this normal? Am I imagining things? Why does nobody talk about this?!"

You're not imagining it. Your skin IS changing, and it IS because of hormones, and NO, you're not the only one wondering why your face suddenly needs a complete instruction manual rewrite.

The good news is that your skin can still look amazing—it just needs different care now. Think of it as upgrading your skincare, not admitting defeat. We're not giving up; we're getting smarter!