Dry Skin During Menopause: Here are 5 Natural Ways to Avoid It

During menopause, levels of estrogen change and ultimately drop generally. This starts to slow the production of sebum and fast-track the loss of collagen in the skin.

When this happens, the result can be flaky, dry, and even itchy skin. Such losses can also thin the skin and have its natural barrier disrupted against the outside world, making it more vulnerable to water loss, infection, and dermatitis.

You may be wondering why the skin changes, specifically, gets dry during menopause. Experts say the skin changes during this stage due to the sudden drop in sex hormones-estrogen and progesterone.

According to board-certified Keira Barr, MD, as an individual's hormones decrease in menopause, the functions they do to retain the skin's essentiality and health diminishes, too, characterized by a drop in "sweat, sebum and the immune functions" leading to a substantial alteration in the surface of the skin which includes pH, lipid, composition and sebum secretion."

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5 Natural Ways to Avoid Dry Skin

If you are in the menopausal stage, don't worry about the dry skin. The good news is that you can turn your dry skin into smooth, fresh-looking skin. All you need are these 5 easy, natural ways.

1. Give Collagen a Boost

Collagen is a protein that the body makes, providing the skin with elasticity and structure. You can help your own body produce more collagen by eating vitamin C- and sulfur-rich foods.

These collagen's two building blocks. Essentially foods rich in vitamin C comprise strawberries, guava, citrus, and red peppers. Meanwhile, foods rich in sulfur include broccoli, garlic, cauliflower, and arugula, among others.

2. Take The Supplement Needed

Skin experts say you should concentrate on tending to try skin, too, by "going internal." Phytoceramide supplements, for instance, are particularly great at retaining the hydration of the skin.

One study indicates, "participants with clinically dry skin" who were given phytoceramide-rich wheat extract oil for three consecutive months were seen a 35-percent improvement in skin hydration. A separate study specifies that participants reported improved skin hydration within only 15 days.

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3. Avoid Skin Products with Chemicals

A lot of bath soaps, skin lotions, and many other skincare products have chemical ingredients that eliminate natural oils and lead to dry skin.

Among the main skin irritants, you should avoid include SLS or sodium lauryl sulfate, the chemicals that make the shampoos and soaps in foamy form, and triclosan, a common substance found in antibacterial deodorants and soaps.

Instead, look for products that reduce the said synthetic chemicals and apply natural, pro-skin ingredients like coconut oil and shea butter.

4. Opt for Oils

Since your pores are producing less sebum, you may opt to add oil to your regular skincare regimen if you haven't had one yet.

Be aware that oils are occlusive. This means that they function as a "seal and trap" in anything below that is not naturally hydrating themselves; thus, they need moisture underneath to function. After a hydrating mist, you can put on oil or atop a lotion or cream that's water-based.

5. Have Your Thyroid Checked

A lot of women start having problems with their thyroid during menopause, although they experience only low symptoms of the condition.

Among these symptoms include dull and dry skin that can be easy to miss as they overlap with the symptoms of menopause.

If you are feeling very tired, inactive, slow, and cold every time and have observed not just changes in your skin but your fingernails and hair too, now is the perfect time to have your thyroid function checked.

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