Why Perimenopause Changes Your Skin (and What You Can Do About It)

Ever looked in the mirror during perimenopause and wondered why your much loved skincare routine suddenly feels useless? That bewildering shift isn't just ageing—it's a complex hormonal dance affecting your skin at its foundations.

As oestrogen fluctuates and progesterone declines, your skin undergoes profound changes. The plumpness, hydration, and collagen support that oestrogen provided starts to diminish, while the calming effects of progesterone fade away. Add in perimenopause-related stress that spikes cortisol (notorious for breaking down collagen), and suddenly the dry skin, unexpected breakouts, redness, and accelerated fine lines make perfect sense. What worked for decades fails because your body is literally changing its operating system.

The solution isn't necessarily that expensive miracle cream or elaborate 12-step routine. True transformation requires addressing the internal drivers: proper hydration (35ml per kilo of body weight), blood sugar management (always start meals with protein), and prioritising sleep with dimmed lights, reduced screen time, and perhaps supplements like magnesium theanine or glycinate. These simple shifts work from the inside out, often producing results that have friends asking what expensive products you've discovered—when the real magic is happening at a cellular level. Whether you're just noticing the first perimenopausal skin changes or feeling frustrated with treatments that haven't delivered, this episode offers practical, science-backed strategies that treat the cause, not just the symptoms.

Ready to feel comfortable in your skin again? Subscribe to catch next week's episode on the gut-skin connection, and stay tuned for details about my upcoming 8-week program specifically designed for perimenopausal skin health. You deserve to feel good in your skin at every stage of life.

Send me a text!

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.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, I'm Susie Garden and this is the Ageless and
Awesome podcast.
I'm an age-defying naturopathand clinical nutritionist and
I'm here to bust myths aroundwomen's health and aging so that
you can be ageless and awesomein your 40s, 50s and beyond.
The Ageless and Awesome podcastis dedicated to helping women

(00:24):
through perimenopause andmenopause with great health, a
positive mindset and outrageousconfidence.
Hit, subscribe or follow nowand let's get started.
Hello, gorgeous one, andwelcome to this week's episode
of the Ageless and Awesomepodcast.
I'm Susie, and this week I'mtalking about one of my favorite

(00:46):
topics, which is skin health inperi and post-menopause.
I love this topic.
Whenever I record an episode onskin health, it does so well,
so you guys obviously love it aswell, and I'm about to start a
four-part if you like series onskin health in perimenopause,

(01:09):
because I know you love it, solet's get into it.
So why does your skin suddenlyfeel like it's just gone crazy
when you hit perimenopause, andsometimes postmenopause as well
Generally more likely to be peri, though, but dryness, breakouts
like you're a teenager again,redness, fine lines, itching,

(01:35):
eczema.
You know all of these things.
They're not just about gettingolder.
They're linked to real hormonalchanges.
So today I'm going to tell youa little bit about my own
experience in peri andpostmenopause.
I'm going to talk about thehormone skin connection.
So estrogen, progesterone,cortisol and insulin are the

(01:57):
four hormones specifically whycreams and procedures don't
address the root cause, andthree simple things that you can
start today to support yourskin.
So let's get into it.
So I'll try and stay away fromjargon, but I've spoken about

(02:20):
this before that duringperimenopause in particular,
your estrogen levels fluctuate,sometimes wildly, and
progesterone levels really juststart to disappear.
And the thing is, you may nothave been aware of this because
most of us, when we think ofestrogen and progesterone, we
think of it as it pertains toour reproductive system.

(02:42):
But we have estrogen receptorsall over the body and that's why
we suddenly get all of thesesymptoms that we never, ever
thought were linked to ourhormones.
And estrogen keeps our skinplumped, hydrated, supported
with collagen, and as theestrogen dips over time, we can
start to notice dryness, thinnerskin, more visible lines and,

(03:08):
at the same time, progesterone,which is actually also calming
for the skin.
So when it drops, some womennotice more breakouts and
sensitivity.
And let's not forget cortisol,our stress hormone, which often
spikes in perimenopause, andhigh, cortisol actually breaks
down collagen and shows up onour skin as puffiness, redness

(03:33):
and maybe some signs ofaccelerated aging.
So it's kind of like your skinhas been playing by one set of
rules for decades.
We've got our routines down pat, we know exactly what to do to
make our skin feel nice and looknice, and suddenly these rules
get changed overnight and that'swhy what used to work like you
know, your cleanser, yourmoisturizer, a bit of eye cream

(03:58):
maybe, maybe a sunscreen,doesn't seem to cut it anymore.
And let's talk about skincare.
So you know why creams maybearen't the full answer.
You know because most of us andbefore I knew more about this,
I did exactly the same thing yougo straight to the skincare
counter, maybe go and see abeautician, start looking at

(04:20):
different types of products.
And when we know now,particularly with looking at
different types of products, andwhen we know now, particularly
with um, tiktok and Instagram toa lesser extent you get these
elaborate skincare routines that, frankly, most of us don't
really have time for, and thesesort of creams and things that
you're putting on your face.
Some of them are fantastic bythe way, I'm certainly not

(04:41):
dissing them but you don't needto spend hundreds and hundreds
of dollars on skincare.
There's some very good productsand we'll talk about that in
later episodes that are reallyamazing, that don't cost the
earth, but a lot of the timewhen you're looking at skincare
or even considering things likeinjectables, they're treating

(05:03):
the surface and the symptom, butthey're not addressing what's
actually driving the changes,which are your hormones, your
stress levels and your abilityto manage stress, your gut
health and your sleep.
They're the big and unless youwork from the inside out, the

(05:27):
results you see by puttingcreams on or injectables will be
short-term or evendisappointing.
So let's get practical.
I want to leave you with kindof three simple things that you
can start doing right now tosupport your skin through

(05:47):
perimenopause, and this isreally just scratching the
surface.
There's three things I justwant to tell you about today
because you know, with all ofthe things that we have to think
about during peri and postmenopause, you know you don't I
don't need to give you achecklist of 10 things to do to

(06:07):
also support your skin, right?
But frankly, these tips, eventhough I'm telling them to you
in the context of skin health,what they're actually doing is
starting to address some ofthese underlying drivers of the
symptoms that you're seeing inyour skin.
Underlying drivers of thesymptoms that you're seeing in

(06:29):
your skin.
So getting practical, numberone will always be hydration
Hydration from the inside out,not just moisturizer on the
surface.
So you may have heard my littleformula before 35 mils of water
per kilo of body weight, up to acap of around four liters, so

(06:49):
you can get that in water.
Maybe you can pop a little bitof sparkling water in there.
But also include hydratingfoods.
So some of the more hydratingfoods are things like cucumber,
watermelon, chia seeds.
If you're having large numbersof water numbers yeah, large
liters of water, large numbersof liters of water adding a

(07:11):
pinch of sea salt can be nicejust to make sure your
electrolytes remain balanced,particularly if you're also
sweating a lot.
We're in winter in the SouthernHemisphere, but I live in
Queensland, which gets very hotin summer, so definitely you
need to replace those fluidsthat you're losing and then have

(07:31):
the additional water.
So adding some sea salt canreally help you not get too
depleted of electrolytes.
So hydration, number one.
Balancing blood sugar, numbertwo and I need to dive deeper
into that over the coming weeksbut balancing out your blood
sugar, because blood sugarnumber two and I need to dive
deeper into that over the comingweeks but balancing out your
blood sugar, because blood sugarspikes drive inflammation, so

(07:53):
it'll be redness potentially,particularly if you have
something like rosacea, like Ido, and also the blood sugar can
drive breakouts.
So it's super important.
And also blood sugar is just soimportant for weight management
, for energy management, so manythings.
So a couple of tips.

(08:15):
Start with protein at breakfast.
So from the time you're firstputting food in your mouth in
the morning, you want protein.
So, whether that's eggs,whether that's a protein
smoothie, whether that's yogurt,whether that's nuts and seeds
or some sort of granola, that'spreferably one you make yourself
, so it's not loaded with sugar,because, remember, we want to

(08:37):
balance our blood sugar.
That is key.
And starting with one or twobites of protein as well does
really help to balance our bloodsugar because it tricks your
body into thinking that it'sgoing to have a high protein
meal.
So we want to start not onlyour day with protein, but each

(08:58):
meal.
Start with protein.
Just one or two bites ofprotein first and then keep
going, and if you don't knowwhat the protein is on your
plate, then you really need tore-look at what you're eating.
The protein should be prettyobvious, and it should be a
pretty decent amount as well.
The third hot tip that I'm goingto give you today is to

(09:21):
prioritize sleep.
Sleep is a massive issue withmany of the women that I work
with in my program, andprioritizing sleep and enough.
I've been very open about myown struggles with sleep.
Prioritizing sleep is hugelyimportant for many, many reasons
.
One of those reasons is skinhealth and the appearance of

(09:43):
your skin.
Your skin repairs itself atnight.
In fact, many different partsof your body repair themselves
at night when you're in deepsleep.
So helping your body actuallyachieve deep sleep is important.
So, whether it's creating calmaround the lead up to bedtime,

(10:05):
we use a term called sleephygiene.
I don't see sleep.
I need to go and have a lookand see if that's something
that's still being used.
I'm not seeing it a lot like Iused to.
We tend to more say bedtimeroutine now because, let's face
it, if you say sleep hygiene, itsounds like you need to have a
shower or wash your face orsomething like that.
But no, sleep hygiene, aka asleep routine, is really

(10:28):
important, particularly forwomen in their 40s and 50s and
beyond, and particularly if youare struggling with sleep.
So it's not just at the timeyou're going to bed, it's in the
lead up, like you know, takingthe lights down as soon as you
can.
So after dinner, once you'vecleaned up, lights go down.
I don't have any overheadlights on.

(10:50):
After about seven o'clock atnight it's all lamps,
candlelight, low lights, becausethat helps with starting that
production of melatonin.
To help you sleep.
Having some decent magnesium andmagnesium form matters, and
there are some particularmagnesiums that are way more

(11:13):
supportive of sleep than others.
In particular, one I'm reallyenjoying at the moment is
magnesium theanine.
I'm not sure if you can getthat over the counter.
I'm using a prescription onebecause obviously I have access
to that, but I'm finding that abit of a game changer.
There's also magnesiumglycinate, which is also a
really good one that you can getover the counter.

(11:34):
They'd be my top two at themoment.
Really reducing screen use,ideally after, again, about six
or seven o'clock at night.
That would be ideal.
I know it's not always possible.
If it's not possible, theninvesting in some blue blocking
glasses.
I have them in my prescriptionglasses.

(11:55):
If you don't wear prescriptionglasses.
You can just purchase blueblocker glasses and they used to
just all be like those plasticsafety glasses.
But now you can actually buysome really stylish looking blue
blocker glasses that don't haveany prescription.
They just have the ability tofilter out that blue light that
our devices emit that can messwith our melatonin production.

(12:17):
So those sort of calming thingshaving a bath, if you have a
bathtub, if you don't, maybehaving a shower and putting a
few drops of lavender essentialoil just at the base not near
the drain, but just near thebase of the shower that once
that hot water hits it, it'llsteam up and you'll get that
beautiful lavender which is, weknow from research, is very

(12:39):
calming and helps promote goodsleep.
I've seen a few supplements thatinclude magnesium, these hot
chocolate magnesiums.
Now, obviously, if you'rewanting to maintain a healthy
weight, you want to be a bitcareful about what the
ingredients are in some of those.
I don't recommend having foodbefore you go to bed, even if

(13:01):
it's something like that,because it will mess with your
blood sugar and that will impactyour sleep as well.
So ideally, that magnesium thatyou have before bed would be
more of a supplementation formthat doesn't have a flavor
that's not going to nudge yourblood sugar, and also having
like a simple skincare routinethat seals in hydration at night

(13:24):
before you go to bed, and Ireally love using oils such as
argan oil.
Rosehip oil are twoparticularly good ones for
calming redness, for promotinghydration, and even using things
like a silk pillowcase isbeautiful for your skin.

(13:44):
I also use a silk eye mask toblock out light, and that those
two things have been a real gamechanger for me in terms of the
skin benefits that I've seen.
But you know, even just changingone of those things, or
implementing rather one of thosetips this week, just one, could

(14:07):
make a noticeable difference.
Most women I speak to when Iask them how much water they're
drinking, they almost alwayswill say not enough.
So even if you just startedhydrating and that's all you did
this week was focus on that,that would be amazing and you
may even start to see adifference.
As you know, I have a programcalled the Glow Protocol and one

(14:29):
of the key things the reasonactually that I called it the
Glow Protocol is women, whenthey started doing the program,
would say to me within weeks, mywork colleagues are saying my
skin is glowing.
Or my friends are saying whatare you putting on your skin?
Your skin is glowing.
They're like I haven't changedanything and it's all of the
hydration and often thenutrients.

(14:50):
But I'm going to talk moreabout nutrients over the coming
weeks.
So, yeah, I'm just trying tothink if there's anything else I
want to say.
I think I just want to give youthe three tips this week, just
so I don't overwhelm you,because I'm going to be building
on that in the coming episodesand you know, if you really are
interested in learning moreabout skin and skin health, I am

(15:13):
actually working on a programthat I'm really quite excited
about.
That's going to be a eight-weekgroup program.
I have a name.
I'm not going to say it yetbecause I want to just tie down
a few more things with regard tothis program before I launch it
, but it is an eight week groupprogram.

(15:33):
It's designed specifically forwomen in peri and post-menopause
targeting skin.
So I'm very excited.
I will give you some moreinformation over the coming
episodes, when I'm a little bitmore organized as to how that's
going to work.
So that is it for today.
A bit of a short and sweetepisode today, so I guess I just

(15:55):
wanted to reiterate your skinchanges in perimenopause are
real.
They're not your fault.
With the right support, theydon't have to control you, and
if this episode was helpful,share it with a friend who might
also be navigating skin changesright now.
She'll thank you for it.
And don't forget to subscribeto the pod so you don't miss the

(16:18):
next episode, where we'll betalking about the surprising
link between your gut and yourskin.
Until then, take care.
Remember.
You deserve to feel good inyour skin.
Thanks so much for joining meon the Ageless and Awesome
podcast.
If you liked this episode,please make sure you click the
little plus button if you're onApple Podcasts, or the follow

(16:41):
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 episoderesonated with you, head over to
my Instagram and DM me attheperimenopausepark.
I would love to connect withyou.