The Ageless and Awesome Podcast

From Dry to Dewy: Rescue Your Midlife Skin Crisis

• Susie Garden

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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!

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SPEAKER_00:

Hi, I'm Susie Garden and this is the Ageless and Autumn Podcast. I'm an age-defying naturopath and clinical nutritionist and I'm here to bust myths around women's health and ageing so that you can be ageless and autumn in your 40s, 50s, and beyond. The Ageless and Awesome Podcast is dedicated to helping women through perimetapods and menopause with great health, a positive mindset, and outrageous confidence. Hit subscribe or follow now and let's get started. Hello, gorgeous one, and welcome to this week's episode of the Ageless and Awesome Podcast. I'm continuing my skin series this week because I absolutely love it. And as I've been doing a bit more research for these episodes, I'm just getting even more passionate about it and love, absolutely love sharing this information with you. So this week I'm going to talk about why and how skin feels different in perimenopause and also postmenopause. So it's this is a topic I think that so many of us kind of think about, but don't necessarily always talk about. And the other thing I'm going to cover today is, and probably most importantly, is what can we do about it using some gentle, non-toxic, and cruelty-free solutions. So in the next sort of maybe half an hour, maybe 20 minutes, see how much I ramble on. We'll uncover the science behind these changes in your skin, share some real life insights, and of course, I'll give you some practical strategies that are kind to your skin and aligned with your values. So let's start with a truth we actually don't hear often enough. And that is your skin is not just a surface. Your skin is not just a bag, I've heard this described before, a bag that holds your bones and your organs and your muscles together. The skin is not like that. The skin is actually your largest organ, and it's deeply, deeply influenced by what's happening inside your body. And at this time of life, in peri- and postmenopause, your hormones have a lot of influence on your skin. If you think back to, you know, your 20s and 30s, and I know some of you are in your 30s, estrogen is a bit like your skin's personal trainer. It keeps collagen production high, it maintains hydration, it helps skin bounce back. It's awesome. We don't even think about it. But in perimenopause, when hormones start fluctuating, and in postmenopause, when estrogen is consistently lower, your skin unfortunately will start to feel for many women different. And that can be drier, it can be thinner. You may notice sagging, fine lines, pigmentation, sometimes sensitivity, sometimes rashes. Uh, for myself personally, I got eczema on my face, not great. Uh, and this just seems to happen overnight. So if you've ever thought, like, why does my skin feel different? Why does my face feel dry? Why is my moisturizer not working? You're not imagining it. These changes are real and they're driven by biology. When we look at perimenopause specifically, during peri, usually that sort of starts in your 40s, but realistically, from 35 onwards, it can start. So if you're 35 or over, this could be happening to you, and you may not have even been thinking about it. So estrogen levels start swinging up and down. So they surge and then they drop. Bit like a roller coaster. And that has many effects on our body, which I've talked about in other episodes. But on the skin, what that can mean for you is you can be feeling dry one week and then have skin breakouts the next because the oil production is fluctuating with the estrogen. You also can get slower cell turnover, so your skin can look dull, uneven, rougher in texture. Um, there can be more sensitivity to the skin, the skin barrier can be a little compromised sometimes. So products you use before may sting or irritate. Uh, you may find that you see pigmentation patches uh on your skin, and also you may get more itching. Um, as I said, I personally had eczema, and there is actually quite a complex relationship between histamine and estrogen. And so many women get more allergy type symptoms in perimenopause because of this complex relationship. So it you're not imagining that either, if you're finding that you're getting psych eczema or runny nose, um, uh hay fever type symptoms, that kind of thing, can absolutely be part of this. So, you know, I get women all of the time saying these kind of things to me that, you know, their skincare is not working anymore, and it seems to be happening overnight, and certainly for myself, with the eczema that happened on my my face and my hands and my elbows, um, that just gradually got worse and worse, but it really appeared very suddenly. It's just like, what the hell? What is going on? So I can assure you there is that hormonal link. There are a few other factors as well, but I am gonna be just focusing on hormones today. And when you are post-menopause, menopause, menopause, so you get these skin shifts that happen then that are a little different because once your period stops completely, you're not cycling anymore, the estrogen is staying low, the skin changes become more consistent and more noticeable. And the thing is, we lose up to 30% 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 of our body as well. But that's why skin can feel thinner and less firm. Oil glands can shrink, so dryness becomes the new normal, elasticity reduces, so skin can feel looser, sometimes noticing sagging, and the skin barrier weakens. So you might notice more redness, itching, sensitivity, that sort of thing. And the best part, you might be thinking, what best part? But the best part is, you know, while we can't stop the clock, obviously, we can absolutely support our skin in ways that keep it healthy, radiant, comfortable, without harsh chemicals, and we can do it cruelty-free. If you're vegan, we can do it vegan. There's so many things we can do that will help support skin. And it's not just about what you put 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's happening with your stress levels. There's many, many aspects of this. I'm really probably today going to focus more on what you're putting on your skin, but we'll see how we go. Um, so some of the things that you can do to help your skin, and I do stress obviously, this is very much personal choice. And if you've got something that you feel is working really well for you, that is great. Um, you may not need to change things, but the majority of women do need to change up their skincare routines at this time of life, and what I strongly urge you to consider is switching to non-toxic products. And something that, you know, I spent the majority of my life in a corporate organization or organizations, I should say, in the pharmaceutical industry, non-toxic living was the furthest thing from my mind. And it wasn't even a thought. And of course, I also, if I did ever think about it, I just thought, oh, natural products don't work. And probably back in those sort of days, um, because it's been over 10 years now since I've worked in corporate, um, yeah, that that natural products really didn't have a good reputation for being effective. The situation is very, very different now. There are some incredible natural products that not only will do the job that they say they're going to do, but they're actually not going to have other effects on your body. Some of the things I really noticed when I stopped using um body creams that weren't natural in particular, and also perfumes, I really noticed a difference in terms of the effect of my hormones on my mood, particularly. And now what I notice is if I smell a perfume that is like, you know, a well-known brand that's not a natural perfume, my the main thing I can smell is actually chemicals, which I never used to be able to smell. I used to love the smell of those, you know, high-end perfumes, and now all I smell is chemicals initially. And I actually went on the weekend and tried a brand that I used to use because I just thought I haven't tried it for a while. I saw a natural version of it and I put it on my skin. I thought that's really nice, but I can't remember if it smells a lot like that original one or not. So I went and tried the original one, and again, all I could 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 actually smell the perfume itself once those chemicals sort of absorbed into me or evaporated, I'm not quite sure. But I absolutely noticed a huge difference in my own um, particularly mood hormones, uh, when I changed to natural products in a very good, very positive way. So I just wanted to put that out there as well. That if you haven't explored some, and there are some really lovely brands now in the natural um skincare space, I really encourage you to do that. So I guess I wanted to start when looking at skincare itself is looking at categories, if you like. So let's start with cleansing. For you, if it depends obviously when you kind of do your skincare routine, like you really actually don't need to use product in the morning. If you're not taking makeup off for the majority of us, we don't need to use a cleanser as such. I have found using a conjact sponge in the morning to wash my face an absolute game changer because it gives a really lovely exfoliation. My skin has never been so smooth as when I started using conjact sponges a few years ago. And you so you're not using any product, you just use the sponge, and it's amazing. So that's just one step to exfoliate and cleanse your skin. And then if you do want to use a um a more of a what I would call, I'm gonna call it a chemical exfoliant. I don't mean it in terms of an a synthetic chemical. I'm looking, I'm thinking about things like fruit enzyme exfoliant. So I would really avoid harsh scrubs. You're probably going to find that that gives you redness for many women. Uh, but instead choose natural fruit enzyme exfoliants like papaya, pineapple enzymes, maybe only once or twice a week. And these gently dissolve dead skin cells and bring back glow without irritation. Um, and there are some really good options out there that you can you can probably Google and find. Um, and then obviously, you want to do some hydration and barrier support. So, hyaluronic acid serums, plant-derived ones, are probably my favorite ones. They pull water into the skin, and that's what makes you look more hydrated. And when you pair that with a moisturizer, moisturizer that's rich in ceramides, squalene, or jojoba oil, that just looks beautiful. I tend to use my oils at night. I'll use argan oil, I've used rose hip oil sometimes. It really just depends what I can source. Sometimes the argan oil can be a little hard to find. But I find putting the hyaluronic acid and then the oil over the top is just beautiful. Particularly, you know, I live in Queensland in summer. I sleep in air conditioning, which I hate, but it's necessary evil because my sleep is so important that yeah, it really keeps my skin hydrated even when I'm in air conditioning the majority of the time. And the thing is when you're using something like rose hip oil, it's packed, it's not just the oil, it's moisturizing, it's got vitamin A precursors, it's fatty acids, which is perfect for nourishing your skin. And layering is key. So not just sort of mixing it all up together, put the serum on first and then the oil. Uh, if you are using a moisturizer, then you can put that on in between. I don't tend to go crazy with my routine, and I still feel like my skin feels and looks pretty moist. Um, if you're looking for, if you're doing a daily, like sorry, a uh routine in the day, sun protection is a non-negotiable, and particularly not just the face, the neck, the decollottage as area as well. My big regret is my mum used to tell me in my 20s all of the time that I should put sunscreen on my chest, and I never did. And now that's probably the most aged part of my skin, is that chest. Now I have been able to bring some of that back with using things like hyaluronic acid, with using my conjact sponge, with using oils, and I hope you can'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 hard to bring it back. And it's my my chest is certainly nowhere near where it would have been if I had covered up and I had used sunscreen every day. So even if you're not leaving the house or not planning to leave the house, put your sunscreen on anyway, because sun is going to come through the windows. You may just decide to go out, spur of the moment, and then you'll forget to put your sunscreen on if you haven't already done it. So absolutely do it. It protects your collagen. And this this we know from research, this single habit can slow visible skin aging more than any other cream. Any miracle cream, no, sun protection is the big one, and ideally covering up. I did see a dermatologist for skin checks for a while, and he always used to say to me, keep the chest covered at night, bring it out, sorry, during the day and bring it out at night. So, and I think that's really good advice if you can. The other thing in terms of um skin health, as I mentioned before, is what you put in your body. Obviously, hydration, that's super important, and that includes water, that can include herbal teas, things that are not going to dehydrate you. Um, omega-3s are really important as well. You can get them from food from flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts. There is, you know, there's many uh foods that you can get omega-3s from. Sometimes it helps even to take capsules of those sorts of oils to help get more of that into you because it really does help plump the skin. Skin uh, I'm not going to talk about gut health today because that's a really big topic, and also stress is also a really big topic. So I'll leave them for other episodes. But having some good skincare that's really consistent, and having good hydration, omega-3s, and I guess with nutrition, if I can give one tip, is lots of antioxidants. And if you're not quite sure what that means, if you have lots of fruits and veggies that are brightly colored, like your oranges, your purpose, like orange colors, purple colors, bright greens, that kind of thing, you'll be getting a good variety of antioxidants. So that's really important too for helping skin. I think that's one of the reasons when my clients in the Glow Protocol get glowing skin is just all of the hydration and all of these beautiful antioxidants that are coming in. And also avoiding, actually, I will mention avoiding toxins. So avoiding alcohol if you can, that's a big one. Uh, and avoiding processed foods, avoiding soft drinks, avoiding sugar generally is always a good idea, but particularly for skin, because sugar causes inflammation in the body and messes with your blood sugar, and all of that will reflect on your skin. And I'm not even talking about breaking breakouts, I'm more talking about the quality of the skin and the redness in the skin and things like that. So, to recap, peri and postmenopause really does bring significant biological shifts to our skin. The collagen loss, dryness, sensitivity, redness, etc. But by really getting mindful and conscious about your routines, your skincare, what you're putting in your body, you can support your skin to look and feel its best. So thinking about cleansing the skin gently or just using your conjact sponge. If you are using a conjact sponge, just make sure you're making rinsing it out thoroughly and changing it over every four to six weeks. Um, using enzymes to exfoliate rather than harsh scrubs, hydrating with serums and oils, using sun protection and supportive nutrition. Your skin doesn't have to just survive this transition, it can thrive. So, thank you so much for listening today. I hope you're walking away with some practical and empowering ways to care for your skin through peri and post-menopause. If you enjoyed today's episode, please feel free to share it. Um, and don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. As you know, I am shortly launching my skin program, which is coming up very soon. Uh, cannot wait to launch this. I'm really, really excited about it. If you want to join the wait list and get a free uh skin resource, there'll be a link in the show notes. I will see you next week with some fresh new content. Thanks so much for joining me on the Ageless and Awesome Podcast. If you would like this episode, please make sure you click the little plus button if you're on Apple Podcasts, or the follow button if you're on Spotify, so that you get each new episode delivered to you every single week. If you feel like writing me a five-star review, you would absolutely make my day. If you found this episode resonating with you, head over to my Instagram and DM me at the Perimetopause Park. I would love to connect with you.

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Susie Garden

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