Ask a Dermatologist: “What ingredients are best for menopausal skin?”

By Womaness Editors   2-Minute Read

Welcome to ASK AN EXPERT, a series where we pose your real questions to our menopause experts for the answers you need. Have a question? Post it on The After Party, our private Facebook Group.

Your Question:

“What kind of ingredients are the best for taking care of my menopausal skin?”

The Answer:

From Dr. Sapna Westley, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City specializing in medical and cosmetic dermatology: 

“With dry skin, I usually recommend hydrating ingredients in general. Patients should have a conversation with their doctors regarding hormone replacement, because that can help these symptoms. But if that's not an option, then I usually recommend more hydrating products, rather than harsher, more abrasive products.

I like cleansers that say 'hydrating' and are very gentle on the skin. And I do have bathing instructions that can help. Keep showers a bit quicker, using not-too-hot, more warm water. The most critical time to moisturize is right when you step out of the shower after you towel dry. 

“When it comes to what to look for in a facial moisturizer, for dry skin, hyaluronic acid is one of my favorites.”

I usually recommend finding something that's in a jar rather than a pump, so it's a little bit more occlusive and moisturizing right away when you step out of the shower. And of course some people may need to moisturize again before bedtime.

When it comes to what to look for in a facial moisturizer, for dry skin, hyaluronic acid is one of my favorites. Hyaluronic acid really traps all that natural water back into the skin. With the lack of estrogen, you really do lose that natural hydration to the skin, so I love hyaluronic acid.

Now, you can find hyaluronic acid in all kinds of products. Moisturizers, serums, even a lot of cleansers have it added in, too. The nice thing is it hydrates, but without feeling too heavy or occlusive and causing clogged pores on the skin.

I also like ceramides, which are basically a building block for the skin barrier. There are some products out there with ceramides built into them, and ceramides are really nice because they help to enrich the skin barrier. I think it can help, especially with people with really dry skin.”

Try our ultra-hydrating cleanser Clean Slate, formulated with hyaluronic acid for the changing, drier skin of menopause. Learn more here.