September 29, 2025 • 19 mins
Your skin seems to have changed overnight. The moisturiser that once worked wonders now barely makes a difference. Dryness, sensitivity, maybe even unexpected rashes have appeared—and you're wondering if it's all in your head.
It's not. As your body navigates the hormonal shifts of perimenopause and beyond, your skin is responding in real, biological ways. During our reproductive years, estrogen acts as our skin's personal trainer, maintaining collagen production, hydration, and elasticity. But when those hormone levels begin fluctuating and eventually declining, our skin reflects these changes dramatically—becoming thinner, drier, and more sensitive. Most striking is the research showing we lose up to 30% of our skin's collagen within just five years after menopause.
The good news? While we can't stop time, we absolutely can support our skin through this transition using gentle, non-toxic approaches that align with our values. From konjac sponges that provide perfect morning exfoliation without harsh products, to layering techniques with hyaluronic acid and nourishing plant oils, to the internal support of omega-3s and antioxidant-rich foods—there are many ways to help your skin not just survive this transition, but thrive.
This episode breaks down exactly why your skin feels different now and provides practical, natural solutions to help you maintain radiant, comfortable skin through perimenopause, menopause, and beyond. Your skin's changing needs aren't a beauty emergency—they're simply a signal to evolve your approach to skincare in this new chapter of life.
Want more support? Join the waitlist for my upcoming 8 week skin program and receive a free skin resource by clicking this link. Your ageless and awesome skin journey starts here!
Are you a woman feeling stressed, flat and experiencing the challenges of perimenopause?
It’s time to reclaim your youthful energy, radiance and self-assurance (and your ideal weight).
I’m here to help with my proven method.
Here's how I can support you -
1. Hit your health and wellbeing goals this year, balance your hormones and lose weight with your own personalised protocol, based on your body's biochemistry. Sounds awesome right!! Book a free 30 minute Peri Weight Loss Assessment with me so we can discuss your health and wellbeing goals and also see how I might be able to support you. Book your call here.
2. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook - @the.perimenopause.path
3. Join the waitlist for my innovative NEW 8 week group program, In Your Skin™️, for women in perimenopause and post-menopause who want effective solutions to manage skin changes at this time of life.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Hi, I'm Susie Garden and this is the Ageless and
Autumn Podcast.
I'm an age-defying naturopathand clinical nutritionist and
I'm here to bust myths aroundwomen's health and ageing so
that you can be ageless andautumn in your 40s, 50s, and
beyond.
(00:20):
The Ageless and Awesome Podcastis dedicated to helping women
through perimetapods andmenopause with great health, a
positive mindset, and outrageousconfidence.
Hit subscribe or follow now andlet's get started.
Hello, gorgeous one, and welcometo this week's episode of the
Ageless and Awesome Podcast.
(00:41):
I'm continuing my skin seriesthis week because I absolutely
love it.
And as I've been doing a bitmore research for these
episodes, I'm just getting evenmore passionate about it and
love, absolutely love sharingthis information with you.
So this week I'm going to talkabout why and how skin feels
(01:05):
different in perimenopause andalso postmenopause.
So it's this is a topic I thinkthat so many of us kind of think
about, but don't necessarilyalways talk about.
And the other thing I'm going tocover today is, and probably
most importantly, is what can wedo about it using some gentle,
(01:26):
non-toxic, and cruelty-freesolutions.
So in the next sort of maybehalf an hour, maybe 20 minutes,
see how much I ramble on.
We'll uncover the science behindthese changes in your skin,
share some real life insights,and of course, I'll give you
some practical strategies thatare kind to your skin and
(01:48):
aligned with your values.
So let's start with a truth weactually don't hear often
enough.
And that is your skin is notjust a surface.
Your skin is not just a bag,I've heard this described
before, a bag that holds yourbones and your organs and your
muscles together.
The skin is not like that.
(02:08):
The skin is actually yourlargest organ, and it's deeply,
deeply influenced by what'shappening inside your body.
And at this time of life, inperi- and postmenopause, your
hormones have a lot of influenceon your skin.
If you think back to, you know,your 20s and 30s, and I know
(02:29):
some of you are in your 30s,estrogen is a bit like your
skin's personal trainer.
It keeps collagen productionhigh, it maintains hydration, it
helps skin bounce back.
It's awesome.
We don't even think about it.
But in perimenopause, whenhormones start fluctuating, and
in postmenopause, when estrogenis consistently lower, your skin
(02:52):
unfortunately will start to feelfor many women different.
And that can be drier, it can bethinner.
You may notice sagging, finelines, pigmentation, sometimes
sensitivity, sometimes rashes.
Uh, for myself personally, I goteczema on my face, not great.
(03:13):
Uh, and this just seems tohappen overnight.
So if you've ever thought, like,why does my skin feel different?
Why does my face feel dry?
Why is my moisturizer notworking?
You're not imagining it.
These changes are real andthey're driven by biology.
When we look at perimenopausespecifically, during peri,
(03:36):
usually that sort of starts inyour 40s, but realistically,
from 35 onwards, it can start.
So if you're 35 or over, thiscould be happening to you, and
you may not have even beenthinking about it.
So estrogen levels startswinging up and down.
So they surge and then theydrop.
Bit like a roller coaster.
(03:57):
And that has many effects on ourbody, which I've talked about in
other episodes.
But on the skin, what that canmean for you is you can be
feeling dry one week and thenhave skin breakouts the next
because the oil production isfluctuating with the estrogen.
You also can get slower cellturnover, so your skin can look
(04:18):
dull, uneven, rougher intexture.
Um, there can be moresensitivity to the skin, the
skin barrier can be a littlecompromised sometimes.
So products you use before maysting or irritate.
Uh, you may find that you seepigmentation patches uh on your
(04:38):
skin, and also you may get moreitching.
Um, as I said, I personally hadeczema, and there is actually
quite a complex relationshipbetween histamine and estrogen.
And so many women get moreallergy type symptoms in
perimenopause because of thiscomplex relationship.
(05:01):
So it you're not imagining thateither, if you're finding that
you're getting psych eczema orrunny nose, um, uh hay fever
type symptoms, that kind ofthing, can absolutely be part of
this.
So, you know, I get women all ofthe time saying these kind of
things to me that, you know,their skincare is not working
anymore, and it seems to behappening overnight, and
(05:21):
certainly for myself, with theeczema that happened on my my
face and my hands and my elbows,um, that just gradually got
worse and worse, but it reallyappeared very suddenly.
It's just like, what the hell?
What is going on?
So I can assure you there isthat hormonal link.
There are a few other factors aswell, but I am gonna be just
(05:41):
focusing on hormones today.
And when you are post-menopause,menopause, menopause, so you get
these skin shifts that happenthen that are a little different
because once your period stopscompletely, you're not cycling
anymore, the estrogen is stayinglow, the skin changes become
more consistent and morenoticeable.
(06:04):
And the thing is, we lose up to30% of collagen in the first
five years after menopause.
30% of the collagen in our skin,I should say, in the first five
years after menopause.
It's probably in other parts ofour body as well.
But that's why skin can feelthinner and less firm.
(06:25):
Oil glands can shrink, sodryness becomes the new normal,
elasticity reduces, so skin canfeel looser, sometimes noticing
sagging, and the skin barrierweakens.
So you might notice moreredness, itching, sensitivity,
that sort of thing.
And the best part, you might bethinking, what best part?
(06:48):
But the best part is, you know,while we can't stop the clock,
obviously, we can absolutelysupport our skin in ways that
keep it healthy, radiant,comfortable, without harsh
chemicals, and we can do itcruelty-free.
If you're vegan, we can do itvegan.
There's so many things we can dothat will help support skin.
(07:12):
And it's not just about what youput on the skin, it's what
you're putting in your body,it's put what you're doing with
your gut health, it's what'shappening with your stress
levels.
There's many, many aspects ofthis.
I'm really probably today goingto focus more on what you're
putting on your skin, but we'llsee how we go.
Um, so some of the things thatyou can do to help your skin,
(07:36):
and I do stress obviously, thisis very much personal choice.
And if you've got something thatyou feel is working really well
for you, that is great.
Um, you may not need to changethings, but the majority of
women do need to change up theirskincare routines at this time
of life, and what I stronglyurge you to consider is
(08:00):
switching to non-toxic products.
And something that, you know, Ispent the majority of my life in
a corporate organization ororganizations, I should say, in
the pharmaceutical industry,non-toxic living was the
furthest thing from my mind.
(08:20):
And it wasn't even a thought.
And of course, I also, if I didever think about it, I just
thought, oh, natural productsdon't work.
And probably back in those sortof days, um, because it's been
over 10 years now since I'veworked in corporate, um, yeah,
that that natural productsreally didn't have a good
reputation for being effective.
The situation is very, verydifferent now.
(08:42):
There are some incrediblenatural products that not only
will do the job that they saythey're going to do, but they're
actually not going to have othereffects on your body.
Some of the things I reallynoticed when I stopped using um
body creams that weren't naturalin particular, and also
perfumes, I really noticed adifference in terms of the
(09:05):
effect of my hormones on mymood, particularly.
And now what I notice is if Ismell a perfume that is like,
you know, a well-known brandthat's not a natural perfume, my
the main thing I can smell isactually chemicals, which I
never used to be able to smell.
I used to love the smell ofthose, you know, high-end
(09:28):
perfumes, and now all I smell ischemicals initially.
And I actually went on theweekend and tried a brand that I
used to use because I justthought I haven't tried it for a
while.
I saw a natural version of itand I put it on my skin.
I thought that's really nice,but I can't remember if it
smells a lot like that originalone or not.
So I went and tried the originalone, and again, all I could
(09:49):
smell, and I thought to myself,why did I do this?
All I could smell was chemicals,and then it probably took half
an hour before I could actuallysmell the perfume itself once
those chemicals sort of absorbedinto me or evaporated, I'm not
quite sure.
But I absolutely noticed a hugedifference in my own um,
particularly mood hormones, uh,when I changed to natural
(10:11):
products in a very good, verypositive way.
So I just wanted to put that outthere as well.
That if you haven't exploredsome, and there are some really
lovely brands now in the naturalum skincare space, I really
encourage you to do that.
So I guess I wanted to startwhen looking at skincare itself
is looking at categories, if youlike.
(10:34):
So let's start with cleansing.
For you, if it depends obviouslywhen you kind of do your
skincare routine, like youreally actually don't need to
use product in the morning.
If you're not taking makeup offfor the majority of us, we don't
need to use a cleanser as such.
(10:54):
I have found using a conjactsponge in the morning to wash my
face an absolute game changerbecause it gives a really lovely
exfoliation.
My skin has never been so smoothas when I started using conjact
sponges a few years ago.
And you so you're not using anyproduct, you just use the
(11:15):
sponge, and it's amazing.
So that's just one step toexfoliate and cleanse your skin.
And then if you do want to use aum a more of a what I would
call, I'm gonna call it achemical exfoliant.
I don't mean it in terms of an asynthetic chemical.
I'm looking, I'm thinking aboutthings like fruit enzyme
(11:38):
exfoliant.
So I would really avoid harshscrubs.
You're probably going to findthat that gives you redness for
many women.
Uh, but instead choose naturalfruit enzyme exfoliants like
papaya, pineapple enzymes, maybeonly once or twice a week.
And these gently dissolve deadskin cells and bring back glow
without irritation.
(12:01):
Um, and there are some reallygood options out there that you
can you can probably Google andfind.
Um, and then obviously, you wantto do some hydration and barrier
support.
So, hyaluronic acid serums,plant-derived ones, are probably
my favorite ones.
(12:21):
They pull water into the skin,and that's what makes you look
more hydrated.
And when you pair that with amoisturizer, moisturizer that's
rich in ceramides, squalene, orjojoba oil, that just looks
beautiful.
I tend to use my oils at night.
I'll use argan oil, I've usedrose hip oil sometimes.
(12:42):
It really just depends what Ican source.
Sometimes the argan oil can be alittle hard to find.
But I find putting thehyaluronic acid and then the oil
over the top is just beautiful.
Particularly, you know, I livein Queensland in summer.
I sleep in air conditioning,which I hate, but it's necessary
evil because my sleep is soimportant that yeah, it really
keeps my skin hydrated even whenI'm in air conditioning the
(13:05):
majority of the time.
And the thing is when you'reusing something like rose hip
oil, it's packed, it's not justthe oil, it's moisturizing, it's
got vitamin A precursors, it'sfatty acids, which is perfect
for nourishing your skin.
And layering is key.
So not just sort of mixing itall up together, put the serum
on first and then the oil.
(13:25):
Uh, if you are using amoisturizer, then you can put
that on in between.
I don't tend to go crazy with myroutine, and I still feel like
my skin feels and looks prettymoist.
Um, if you're looking for, ifyou're doing a daily, like
sorry, a uh routine in the day,sun protection is a
non-negotiable, and particularlynot just the face, the neck, the
(13:51):
decollottage as area as well.
My big regret is my mum used totell me in my 20s all of the
time that I should put sunscreenon my chest, and I never did.
And now that's probably the mostaged part of my skin, is that
chest.
Now I have been able to bringsome of that back with using
things like hyaluronic acid,with using my conjact sponge,
(14:14):
with using oils, and I hope youcan't hear that through the
microphone.
I'm actually patting my chest,and the microphone's pretty much
in front of my chest.
But yeah, it's it's really hardto bring it back.
And it's my my chest iscertainly nowhere near where it
would have been if I had coveredup and I had used sunscreen
(14:35):
every day.
So even if you're not leavingthe house or not planning to
leave the house, put yoursunscreen on anyway, because sun
is going to come through thewindows.
You may just decide to go out,spur of the moment, and then
you'll forget to put yoursunscreen on if you haven't
already done it.
So absolutely do it.
It protects your collagen.
And this this we know fromresearch, this single habit can
(14:59):
slow visible skin aging morethan any other cream.
Any miracle cream, no, sunprotection is the big one, and
ideally covering up.
I did see a dermatologist forskin checks for a while, and he
always used to say to me, keepthe chest covered at night,
bring it out, sorry, during theday and bring it out at night.
(15:20):
So, and I think that's reallygood advice if you can.
The other thing in terms of umskin health, as I mentioned
before, is what you put in yourbody.
Obviously, hydration, that'ssuper important, and that
includes water, that can includeherbal teas, things that are not
(15:40):
going to dehydrate you.
Um, omega-3s are reallyimportant as well.
You can get them from food fromflaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts.
There is, you know, there's manyuh foods that you can get
omega-3s from.
Sometimes it helps even to takecapsules of those sorts of oils
(16:02):
to help get more of that intoyou because it really does help
plump the skin.
Skin uh, I'm not going to talkabout gut health today because
that's a really big topic, andalso stress is also a really big
topic.
So I'll leave them for otherepisodes.
But having some good skincarethat's really consistent, and
having good hydration, omega-3s,and I guess with nutrition, if I
(16:27):
can give one tip, is lots ofantioxidants.
And if you're not quite surewhat that means, if you have
lots of fruits and veggies thatare brightly colored, like your
oranges, your purpose, likeorange colors, purple colors,
bright greens, that kind ofthing, you'll be getting a good
variety of antioxidants.
So that's really important toofor helping skin.
(16:47):
I think that's one of thereasons when my clients in the
Glow Protocol get glowing skinis just all of the hydration and
all of these beautifulantioxidants that are coming in.
And also avoiding, actually, Iwill mention avoiding toxins.
So avoiding alcohol if you can,that's a big one.
Uh, and avoiding processedfoods, avoiding soft drinks,
(17:10):
avoiding sugar generally isalways a good idea, but
particularly for skin, becausesugar causes inflammation in the
body and messes with your bloodsugar, and all of that will
reflect on your skin.
And I'm not even talking aboutbreaking breakouts, I'm more
talking about the quality of theskin and the redness in the skin
and things like that.
(17:31):
So, to recap, peri andpostmenopause really does bring
significant biological shifts toour skin.
The collagen loss, dryness,sensitivity, redness, etc.
But by really getting mindfuland conscious about your
(17:51):
routines, your skincare, whatyou're putting in your body, you
can support your skin to lookand feel its best.
So thinking about cleansing theskin gently or just using your
conjact sponge.
If you are using a conjactsponge, just make sure you're
making rinsing it out thoroughlyand changing it over every four
(18:12):
to six weeks.
Um, using enzymes to exfoliaterather than harsh scrubs,
hydrating with serums and oils,using sun protection and
supportive nutrition.
Your skin doesn't have to justsurvive this transition, it can
thrive.
So, thank you so much forlistening today.
(18:34):
I hope you're walking away withsome practical and empowering
ways to care for your skinthrough peri and post-menopause.
If you enjoyed today's episode,please feel free to share it.
Um, and don't forget tosubscribe so you never miss an
episode.
As you know, I am shortlylaunching my skin program, which
is coming up very soon.
(18:56):
Uh, cannot wait to launch this.
I'm really, really excited aboutit.
If you want to join the waitlist and get a free uh skin
resource, there'll be a link inthe show notes.
I will see you next week withsome fresh new content.
Thanks so much for joining me onthe Ageless and Awesome Podcast.
If you would like this episode,please make sure you click the
(19:18):
little plus button if you're onApple Podcasts, or the follow
button if you're on Spotify, sothat you get each new episode
delivered to you every singleweek.
If you feel like writing me afive-star review, you would
absolutely make my day.
If you found this episoderesonating with you, head over
to my Instagram and DM me at thePerimetopause Park.
(19:40):
I would love to connect withyou.
Hi, I'm Susie Garden and this is the Ageless and
Autumn Podcast.
I'm an age-defying naturopathand clinical nutritionist and
I'm here to bust myths aroundwomen's health and ageing so
that you can be ageless andautumn in your 40s, 50s, and
beyond.
(00:20):
The Ageless and Awesome Podcastis dedicated to helping women
through perimetapods andmenopause with great health, a
positive mindset, and outrageousconfidence.
Hit subscribe or follow now andlet's get started.
Hello, gorgeous one, and welcometo this week's episode of the
Ageless and Awesome Podcast.
(00:41):
I'm continuing my skin seriesthis week because I absolutely
love it.
And as I've been doing a bitmore research for these
episodes, I'm just getting evenmore passionate about it and
love, absolutely love sharingthis information with you.
So this week I'm going to talkabout why and how skin feels
(01:05):
different in perimenopause andalso postmenopause.
So it's this is a topic I thinkthat so many of us kind of think
about, but don't necessarilyalways talk about.
And the other thing I'm going tocover today is, and probably
most importantly, is what can wedo about it using some gentle,
(01:26):
non-toxic, and cruelty-freesolutions.
So in the next sort of maybehalf an hour, maybe 20 minutes,
see how much I ramble on.
We'll uncover the science behindthese changes in your skin,
share some real life insights,and of course, I'll give you
some practical strategies thatare kind to your skin and
(01:48):
aligned with your values.
So let's start with a truth weactually don't hear often
enough.
And that is your skin is notjust a surface.
Your skin is not just a bag,I've heard this described
before, a bag that holds yourbones and your organs and your
muscles together.
The skin is not like that.
(02:08):
The skin is actually yourlargest organ, and it's deeply,
deeply influenced by what'shappening inside your body.
And at this time of life, inperi- and postmenopause, your
hormones have a lot of influenceon your skin.
If you think back to, you know,your 20s and 30s, and I know
(02:29):
some of you are in your 30s,estrogen is a bit like your
skin's personal trainer.
It keeps collagen productionhigh, it maintains hydration, it
helps skin bounce back.
It's awesome.
We don't even think about it.
But in perimenopause, whenhormones start fluctuating, and
in postmenopause, when estrogenis consistently lower, your skin
(02:52):
unfortunately will start to feelfor many women different.
And that can be drier, it can bethinner.
You may notice sagging, finelines, pigmentation, sometimes
sensitivity, sometimes rashes.
Uh, for myself personally, I goteczema on my face, not great.
(03:13):
Uh, and this just seems tohappen overnight.
So if you've ever thought, like,why does my skin feel different?
Why does my face feel dry?
Why is my moisturizer notworking?
You're not imagining it.
These changes are real andthey're driven by biology.
When we look at perimenopausespecifically, during peri,
(03:36):
usually that sort of starts inyour 40s, but realistically,
from 35 onwards, it can start.
So if you're 35 or over, thiscould be happening to you, and
you may not have even beenthinking about it.
So estrogen levels startswinging up and down.
So they surge and then theydrop.
Bit like a roller coaster.
(03:57):
And that has many effects on ourbody, which I've talked about in
other episodes.
But on the skin, what that canmean for you is you can be
feeling dry one week and thenhave skin breakouts the next
because the oil production isfluctuating with the estrogen.
You also can get slower cellturnover, so your skin can look
(04:18):
dull, uneven, rougher intexture.
Um, there can be moresensitivity to the skin, the
skin barrier can be a littlecompromised sometimes.
So products you use before maysting or irritate.
Uh, you may find that you seepigmentation patches uh on your
(04:38):
skin, and also you may get moreitching.
Um, as I said, I personally hadeczema, and there is actually
quite a complex relationshipbetween histamine and estrogen.
And so many women get moreallergy type symptoms in
perimenopause because of thiscomplex relationship.
(05:01):
So it you're not imagining thateither, if you're finding that
you're getting psych eczema orrunny nose, um, uh hay fever
type symptoms, that kind ofthing, can absolutely be part of
this.
So, you know, I get women all ofthe time saying these kind of
things to me that, you know,their skincare is not working
anymore, and it seems to behappening overnight, and
(05:21):
certainly for myself, with theeczema that happened on my my
face and my hands and my elbows,um, that just gradually got
worse and worse, but it reallyappeared very suddenly.
It's just like, what the hell?
What is going on?
So I can assure you there isthat hormonal link.
There are a few other factors aswell, but I am gonna be just
(05:41):
focusing on hormones today.
And when you are post-menopause,menopause, menopause, so you get
these skin shifts that happenthen that are a little different
because once your period stopscompletely, you're not cycling
anymore, the estrogen is stayinglow, the skin changes become
more consistent and morenoticeable.
(06:04):
And the thing is, we lose up to30% of collagen in the first
five years after menopause.
30% of the collagen in our skin,I should say, in the first five
years after menopause.
It's probably in other parts ofour body as well.
But that's why skin can feelthinner and less firm.
(06:25):
Oil glands can shrink, sodryness becomes the new normal,
elasticity reduces, so skin canfeel looser, sometimes noticing
sagging, and the skin barrierweakens.
So you might notice moreredness, itching, sensitivity,
that sort of thing.
And the best part, you might bethinking, what best part?
(06:48):
But the best part is, you know,while we can't stop the clock,
obviously, we can absolutelysupport our skin in ways that
keep it healthy, radiant,comfortable, without harsh
chemicals, and we can do itcruelty-free.
If you're vegan, we can do itvegan.
There's so many things we can dothat will help support skin.
(07:12):
And it's not just about what youput on the skin, it's what
you're putting in your body,it's put what you're doing with
your gut health, it's what'shappening with your stress
levels.
There's many, many aspects ofthis.
I'm really probably today goingto focus more on what you're
putting on your skin, but we'llsee how we go.
Um, so some of the things thatyou can do to help your skin,
(07:36):
and I do stress obviously, thisis very much personal choice.
And if you've got something thatyou feel is working really well
for you, that is great.
Um, you may not need to changethings, but the majority of
women do need to change up theirskincare routines at this time
of life, and what I stronglyurge you to consider is
(08:00):
switching to non-toxic products.
And something that, you know, Ispent the majority of my life in
a corporate organization ororganizations, I should say, in
the pharmaceutical industry,non-toxic living was the
furthest thing from my mind.
(08:20):
And it wasn't even a thought.
And of course, I also, if I didever think about it, I just
thought, oh, natural productsdon't work.
And probably back in those sortof days, um, because it's been
over 10 years now since I'veworked in corporate, um, yeah,
that that natural productsreally didn't have a good
reputation for being effective.
The situation is very, verydifferent now.
(08:42):
There are some incrediblenatural products that not only
will do the job that they saythey're going to do, but they're
actually not going to have othereffects on your body.
Some of the things I reallynoticed when I stopped using um
body creams that weren't naturalin particular, and also
perfumes, I really noticed adifference in terms of the
(09:05):
effect of my hormones on mymood, particularly.
And now what I notice is if Ismell a perfume that is like,
you know, a well-known brandthat's not a natural perfume, my
the main thing I can smell isactually chemicals, which I
never used to be able to smell.
I used to love the smell ofthose, you know, high-end
(09:28):
perfumes, and now all I smell ischemicals initially.
And I actually went on theweekend and tried a brand that I
used to use because I justthought I haven't tried it for a
while.
I saw a natural version of itand I put it on my skin.
I thought that's really nice,but I can't remember if it
smells a lot like that originalone or not.
So I went and tried the originalone, and again, all I could
(09:49):
smell, and I thought to myself,why did I do this?
All I could smell was chemicals,and then it probably took half
an hour before I could actuallysmell the perfume itself once
those chemicals sort of absorbedinto me or evaporated, I'm not
quite sure.
But I absolutely noticed a hugedifference in my own um,
particularly mood hormones, uh,when I changed to natural
(10:11):
products in a very good, verypositive way.
So I just wanted to put that outthere as well.
That if you haven't exploredsome, and there are some really
lovely brands now in the naturalum skincare space, I really
encourage you to do that.
So I guess I wanted to startwhen looking at skincare itself
is looking at categories, if youlike.
(10:34):
So let's start with cleansing.
For you, if it depends obviouslywhen you kind of do your
skincare routine, like youreally actually don't need to
use product in the morning.
If you're not taking makeup offfor the majority of us, we don't
need to use a cleanser as such.
(10:54):
I have found using a conjactsponge in the morning to wash my
face an absolute game changerbecause it gives a really lovely
exfoliation.
My skin has never been so smoothas when I started using conjact
sponges a few years ago.
And you so you're not using anyproduct, you just use the
(11:15):
sponge, and it's amazing.
So that's just one step toexfoliate and cleanse your skin.
And then if you do want to use aum a more of a what I would
call, I'm gonna call it achemical exfoliant.
I don't mean it in terms of an asynthetic chemical.
I'm looking, I'm thinking aboutthings like fruit enzyme
(11:38):
exfoliant.
So I would really avoid harshscrubs.
You're probably going to findthat that gives you redness for
many women.
Uh, but instead choose naturalfruit enzyme exfoliants like
papaya, pineapple enzymes, maybeonly once or twice a week.
And these gently dissolve deadskin cells and bring back glow
without irritation.
(12:01):
Um, and there are some reallygood options out there that you
can you can probably Google andfind.
Um, and then obviously, you wantto do some hydration and barrier
support.
So, hyaluronic acid serums,plant-derived ones, are probably
my favorite ones.
(12:21):
They pull water into the skin,and that's what makes you look
more hydrated.
And when you pair that with amoisturizer, moisturizer that's
rich in ceramides, squalene, orjojoba oil, that just looks
beautiful.
I tend to use my oils at night.
I'll use argan oil, I've usedrose hip oil sometimes.
(12:42):
It really just depends what Ican source.
Sometimes the argan oil can be alittle hard to find.
But I find putting thehyaluronic acid and then the oil
over the top is just beautiful.
Particularly, you know, I livein Queensland in summer.
I sleep in air conditioning,which I hate, but it's necessary
evil because my sleep is soimportant that yeah, it really
keeps my skin hydrated even whenI'm in air conditioning the
(13:05):
majority of the time.
And the thing is when you'reusing something like rose hip
oil, it's packed, it's not justthe oil, it's moisturizing, it's
got vitamin A precursors, it'sfatty acids, which is perfect
for nourishing your skin.
And layering is key.
So not just sort of mixing itall up together, put the serum
on first and then the oil.
(13:25):
Uh, if you are using amoisturizer, then you can put
that on in between.
I don't tend to go crazy with myroutine, and I still feel like
my skin feels and looks prettymoist.
Um, if you're looking for, ifyou're doing a daily, like
sorry, a uh routine in the day,sun protection is a
non-negotiable, and particularlynot just the face, the neck, the
(13:51):
decollottage as area as well.
My big regret is my mum used totell me in my 20s all of the
time that I should put sunscreenon my chest, and I never did.
And now that's probably the mostaged part of my skin, is that
chest.
Now I have been able to bringsome of that back with using
things like hyaluronic acid,with using my conjact sponge,
(14:14):
with using oils, and I hope youcan't hear that through the
microphone.
I'm actually patting my chest,and the microphone's pretty much
in front of my chest.
But yeah, it's it's really hardto bring it back.
And it's my my chest iscertainly nowhere near where it
would have been if I had coveredup and I had used sunscreen
(14:35):
every day.
So even if you're not leavingthe house or not planning to
leave the house, put yoursunscreen on anyway, because sun
is going to come through thewindows.
You may just decide to go out,spur of the moment, and then
you'll forget to put yoursunscreen on if you haven't
already done it.
So absolutely do it.
It protects your collagen.
And this this we know fromresearch, this single habit can
(14:59):
slow visible skin aging morethan any other cream.
Any miracle cream, no, sunprotection is the big one, and
ideally covering up.
I did see a dermatologist forskin checks for a while, and he
always used to say to me, keepthe chest covered at night,
bring it out, sorry, during theday and bring it out at night.
(15:20):
So, and I think that's reallygood advice if you can.
The other thing in terms of umskin health, as I mentioned
before, is what you put in yourbody.
Obviously, hydration, that'ssuper important, and that
includes water, that can includeherbal teas, things that are not
(15:40):
going to dehydrate you.
Um, omega-3s are reallyimportant as well.
You can get them from food fromflaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts.
There is, you know, there's manyuh foods that you can get
omega-3s from.
Sometimes it helps even to takecapsules of those sorts of oils
(16:02):
to help get more of that intoyou because it really does help
plump the skin.
Skin uh, I'm not going to talkabout gut health today because
that's a really big topic, andalso stress is also a really big
topic.
So I'll leave them for otherepisodes.
But having some good skincarethat's really consistent, and
having good hydration, omega-3s,and I guess with nutrition, if I
(16:27):
can give one tip, is lots ofantioxidants.
And if you're not quite surewhat that means, if you have
lots of fruits and veggies thatare brightly colored, like your
oranges, your purpose, likeorange colors, purple colors,
bright greens, that kind ofthing, you'll be getting a good
variety of antioxidants.
So that's really important toofor helping skin.
(16:47):
I think that's one of thereasons when my clients in the
Glow Protocol get glowing skinis just all of the hydration and
all of these beautifulantioxidants that are coming in.
And also avoiding, actually, Iwill mention avoiding toxins.
So avoiding alcohol if you can,that's a big one.
Uh, and avoiding processedfoods, avoiding soft drinks,
(17:10):
avoiding sugar generally isalways a good idea, but
particularly for skin, becausesugar causes inflammation in the
body and messes with your bloodsugar, and all of that will
reflect on your skin.
And I'm not even talking aboutbreaking breakouts, I'm more
talking about the quality of theskin and the redness in the skin
and things like that.
(17:31):
So, to recap, peri andpostmenopause really does bring
significant biological shifts toour skin.
The collagen loss, dryness,sensitivity, redness, etc.
But by really getting mindfuland conscious about your
(17:51):
routines, your skincare, whatyou're putting in your body, you
can support your skin to lookand feel its best.
So thinking about cleansing theskin gently or just using your
conjact sponge.
If you are using a conjactsponge, just make sure you're
making rinsing it out thoroughlyand changing it over every four
(18:12):
to six weeks.
Um, using enzymes to exfoliaterather than harsh scrubs,
hydrating with serums and oils,using sun protection and
supportive nutrition.
Your skin doesn't have to justsurvive this transition, it can
thrive.
So, thank you so much forlistening today.
(18:34):
I hope you're walking away withsome practical and empowering
ways to care for your skinthrough peri and post-menopause.
If you enjoyed today's episode,please feel free to share it.
Um, and don't forget tosubscribe so you never miss an
episode.
As you know, I am shortlylaunching my skin program, which
is coming up very soon.
(18:56):
Uh, cannot wait to launch this.
I'm really, really excited aboutit.
If you want to join the waitlist and get a free uh skin
resource, there'll be a link inthe show notes.
I will see you next week withsome fresh new content.
Thanks so much for joining me onthe Ageless and Awesome Podcast.
If you would like this episode,please make sure you click the
(19:18):
little plus button if you're onApple Podcasts, or the follow
button if you're on Spotify, sothat you get each new episode
delivered to you every singleweek.
If you feel like writing me afive-star review, you would
absolutely make my day.
If you found this episoderesonating with you, head over
to my Instagram and DM me at thePerimetopause Park.
(19:40):
I would love to connect withyou.
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