Menopause is when a woman’s body gradually starts making less of the female sex hormone, oestrogen. This causes women’s monthly periods to become less regular and eventually stop altogether.
What is the difference between peri-menopause and menopause?
Peri-menopause is the transition time around menopause. Menopause isn’t typically diagnosed until you have gone 12 months without a period, usually it is a day in time. While you are still having irregular periods, the stage is called Peri-menopause. This transition period can last up to 10 years and can be easily confused with menopause as the symptoms are very similar.
Understanding the Menopausal Transition
Peri-menopause varies greatly from one woman to the next. Some women suffer with extreme symptoms whereas others suffer with no symptoms at all. The menopausal transition most often begins between the ages of 40 to 50, however that can depend on many different factors. For example your race and ethnicity.
During peri-menopause the physical changes are rooted in hormonal alterations, particular variations in the level of circulating oestrogen. During women’s optimum reproductive years, the amount of oestrogen in circulation rises and falls fairly predictably throughout the menstrual cycle. However, as you enter the early stages of peri-menopause the level starts to jump unevenly which leads to women experiencing menopause-like symptoms such as hot flashes, sleep problems and weight gain.
What are the signs and symptoms of Menopause?
Hot flushes and night sweats – It’s estimated that between 35-50% of peri-menopausal women suffer sudden waves of body heat with sweating and flushing.
Poor sleep – This symptom is too complex to blame entirely on hormone oscillations alone. Around 40% of women suffer with sleep problems however, cycles can change as we age and insomnia is a common age-related complaint in both sexes.
Weight gain – The hormonal changes of menopause might make you more likely to gain weight around your abdomen than around your hips and thighs. But, hormonal changes alone don’t necessarily cause menopause weight gain. Instead, the weight gain is usually related to aging, as well as lifestyle and genetic factors.
Vaginal dryness – Vaginal dryness is a hallmark sign of menopause, With this condition, vaginal tissues become thinner and more easily irritated — resulting from the natural decline in your body’s oestrogen levels during menopause.
Body changes – Menopause can bring with it some noticeable changes to your skin. As hormone levels plummet, your skin can become dry, slack, and thin. This is where Cosmetier can help prevent and treat this!
Treatments and Home Remedies for Menopause
There is usually a correlation with stress and menopause due to the time in a woman’s life the transition occurs. Getting older means your body naturally gets weaker and requires more TLC. As well as menopause, women around the age of about 40-50 typically face life stresses such as having children become more independent, their parents ageing or requiring more care and potentially major career changes, all causing different levels of stress. So it is easy to recognise that the hormonal transition of menopause isn’t the only reason why it is a time of physical and emotional change.
Lifestyle choices and home remedies can help ease some symptoms of peri-menopause and encourage good health as you age. Eating healthily and being active goes without saying when looking after your physical health. During peri-menopause it is encouraged to adopt a low-fat and high-fibre diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains. It may be a good idea to include soya products as a way of ingesting natural oestrogens.
It is common for women to try out different relaxation techniques such as yoga, breathing exercises or meditation to help destress through this phase of their life. Although these methods won’t relieve symptoms such as hot flashes, they can definitely improve women’s overall wellbeing and help with sleeping patterns.
In terms of medical treatments, hormone therapy – which can come in the form of a pill, skin patch, spray, gel or cream – remains the most effective treatment option for relieving peri-menopausal and menopausal hot flashes and night sweats. Hormone therapy is used to replace the oestrogen that your body stops producing.
Aesthetic Treatments and Menopause
Here at Cosmetier we can offer a range of aesthetic treatments to help women enjoy this time in their lives and feel like themselves again.
We understand menopause can effect women in many different ways, large or small. Our main aim is to help everyone feel the best version of themselves, to look natural, feel confident and be proud of their beautiful, healthy skin, whatever stage of life they are at.
Two of our favorite treatments through this transition period in a woman’s life are;
HydraFacial
The effects of menopause can affect different parts of the body, including the face. As oestrogen production decreases, skin cells become slower to regenerate, leading to increased skin laxity, sagging wrinkles and duller, drier skin. All of these can decrease your self-confidence, and cause you to feel self conscious in your own skin.
HydraFacial is a gentle yet effective facial treatment that works to firm and plump up the skin by intensely hydrating it, while also clearing imperfections and brightening the skin’s surface. All 6 stages of the HydraFacial treatment are designed to reverse the signs of ageing and reduce the effects of peri-menopause and menopause.
How Each Stage of the Hydrafacial helps your skin.
The detoxification stage will help lymphatic drainage and improve blood circulation.
This is followed by the deep cleanse/ exfoliation which will remove those dead cells resulting in brighter, smoother skin.
Next is the peel stage where we modify the concentration and technique to soften the pores and impurities within them.
The extraction phase then helps remove these impurities and over time will reduce the appearance of open pores.
The next stage is where we flood your skin with anti-oxidants and glorious hydration products leaving your skin feeling pampered and loved.
Finally, we use the InfraRed LED lights to encourage healing and radiance.
Having a regular HydraFacial allows you to take some time out from your busy lifestyle and give your skin some much deserved TLC as well as ensuring that your skin is getting a medical facial which will benefit it both now and in the future.
Dermal Fillers
When oestrogen levels start to drop, your skin’s collagen production decreases too. Loss of collagen means the skin loses its youthful volume and tightness.
Dermal fillers are the perfect way to plump and lift your skin!
The majority of dermal fillers today are made from hyaluronic acid, a sugar naturally already found in the body. As we age and collagen levels in the skin are lost, the face tends to droop, forming folds and deep creases in the skin. Here at Cosmetier, after a full skin and facial profile analysis with Dr. Sharma. Dermal filler can be placed in the specific areas your face needs to provide a strategic lift and tightness to your skin. Resulting in you feeling confident, refreshed and your beautiful, natural self.
We tend to treat the skin progressively, adding so that you always look fresh without anyone else having a clue as to why you look ‘so well’!