THE POST MENOPAUSAL WOMAN (PART 1)
You know yourself like the back of your hand right? the you that you’ve looked at in the mirror for more years than you can remember the good and the (self-assessed) not so good bits, basically everything about your appearance is familiar and expected, that is until as is the case for many postmenopausal women, rapidly declining levels of the hormone estrogen begin to take their toll on your hair, skin and body resulting in loss of muscle tone and elasticity.
Estrogen promotes water retention, elasticity and plumpness in the skin when estrogen levels decline we lose some of the molecules that help us to keep our skin dewy and firm. Without it, we begin to see less radiant skin and a general loss of muscle tone, skin may appear crapey and thin .
Estrogen in regards to our hair encourages growth and fullness, without it our hair may become thinner, dryer and may appear to lack bounce and vigour.
SO WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT????
LETS START WITH SKINCARE
Cleanse
Throw away the cleansing wipes and foaming cleansers instead opt for a rich moisturising quality cleanser.
Exfoliate
To remove any trace of dead skin, left over make-up or pollution from the face and neck area.
Moisturise
Look for ingredients containing hyaluronic acid. Hydration is key for optimising skin plumpness, beautifully moisturised skin is the key to a more youthful appearance.
FACT
Did you know that Hyaluronic acid holds 1,000 times its own weight in water therefor a serum or rich moisturiser with hyaluronic acid is an excellent skincare choice.
Regular professional or at home facials and relaxing masks are also beneficial as are the use of moisture rich serums, vitamin C is an excellent skin brightener. Phyto-hormones, amino acids, vitamins C, E and A, peptides, retinols and age spot fading creams can all have a ‘significant’ impact on the appearance of the skin whilst sun protection creams are a must, remember it’s never too late to protect your skin from further damage.
MAKE UP AND HAIRSTYLING
YouTube is crammed with stylists , make up experts, all the tips and tricks you could ask for if your looking for a new look. If you’ve been using the same make up techniques for years and or wearing the same hairstyle/clothes then a make over might be just the ticket, what suited us in out 20s and 30s may be the very thing that is ageing us, don’t be afraid to ask for help if your looking to give yourself a bit of an update, great friends and shopping go hand in hand.
NUTRITION
If there was ever a time to look at changing our diets to include more nutritious foods it’s now! Not only do we need to reduce our calorie intake we need to support our state of health going forward in every way that we can in order to maintain our health and wellbeing. Education and action is the best way, knowing WHAT is happening to us as we hit our post menopausal years and then knowing HOW we can go about giving ourselves the best possible chance of looking and feeling good is paramount it getting it right!.
please check the end of this post to see what’s coming up next on nutrition.
SELF PERCEPTION
I do think there is a bit of grieving that we can allow ourselves to have in the space between the last bloom of youth and the acceptance that comes as we no longer look the way we used to. I remember having a good cry in a shop as I was trying something on one day, the sales lady was quite distressed for me but I think she knew that I had a slight case of the post menopausal blues ha ha.
Recently I had a real health scare and knowing that I had gotten on through it made me feel stronger somehow, I was grateful to still be here and lucky that I have such wonderful people in my life and that I am back doing the things that I love which never fails to make me feel alive and thriving even if it does take me a little longer than it used to to recover!
Being the best you that you can be is definitely the way forward, be kind to yourself and surround yourself with positive uplifting people you’ll be feeling like your NEW SELF in no time!!::
COMING UP “The Post Menopausal Woman (part 2)
What we’ll be covering:
NUTRITION ( Dr Gregors daily dozen)
COLLAGEN (do supplements actually work)
ANTIOXIDANTS (some of the best natural sources available)
OMEGAs (why are they so important)
KEEPING IN SHAPE (why it’s so important as we get older)
STRESS MANAGEMENT. ( meditation isn’t the only way)
For more information about supplementation please refer to the following blog.
UPDATE YOUR LOOK