Ad | Contains affiliate links Menopause is a natural biological process that marks the end of a woman's reproductive years. It is con...
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Menopause is a natural biological process that marks the end of a woman's reproductive years. It is considered as the time when a woman has not had a menstrual period for 12 consecutive months, which typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 55. During menopause, the ovaries stop releasing eggs and produce lower levels of estrogen and progesterone, two hormones that regulate the menstrual cycle and support fertility. As a result, women may experience a range of physical and emotional symptoms, such as hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, mood swings, and sleep disturbances.
Menopause is preceded by Perimenopause where the menstrual cycles continue but may become irregular and the first symptoms of low estrogen and progesterone start to appear. Menopause is followed by Post-menopause where some women may still have hormonal imbalances and their menopause symptoms may persist even years after their periods have stopped.
Menopause can have various effects on the skin as well due to the changes in hormone levels that occur during this time. Estrogen, a hormone that helps keep skin hydrated and elastic, decreases significantly during menopause, which can lead to a number of skin changes like:
- Dryness: low estrogen levels can cause the skin to become dry, itchy, and flaky, especially on the face, neck, and hands.
- Wrinkles and fine lines: Estrogen is known to stimulate the production of collagen and elastin, two proteins that keep the skin firm and supple. As estrogen levels decline, the skin may lose some of its elasticity, leading to wrinkles, fine lines, and sagging.
- Thinning: Menopause can also cause the skin to become thinner, making it more susceptible to bruising, tearing, and other types of damage.
- Age spots: The reduction in estrogen levels can also increase the risk of developing age spots or dark patches on the skin, especially on the face, hands, and chest.
- Acne: Although menopause is typically associated with dry skin, some women may experience acne breakouts due to the hormonal fluctuations that occur during this time.
There are a variety of products that women who are reaching menopause can use to reduce their symptoms. There are products like Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) medication, supplements, skincare products(moisturisers, sunscreen etc.), lubricants, herbal remedies and more. We will take a look at some products in the market currently.
WooWoo Menopause Range
WooWoo, an intimate care products brand, was launched by Lucy Anderson in 2016. WooWoo's product range includes feminine health, self-care and pleasure products.
WooWoo’s Manifesto range features six new body and intimate skin care products that have been designed specifically to counteract the reduction of oestrogen and progesterone that leads to common skin concerns such as dryness and loss of skin firmness.
The 6 products in the range are:
- Blissful Natural Bath Soak: featuring a beautiful botanical formula of essentials oils (Lavender and Rosemary Oil) this pH balanced natural bath soak has been specifically designed to be as gentle on intimate skin as it is on the rest of the body.
- Gentle Foaming Natural Body Wash: a pH-balanced, sulphate-free, gentle foaming natural body wash that has been specifically designed to gently cleanse skin all-over including intimate skin. Key ingredients include soothing Aloe Vera and Artichoke Leaf Peptides.
- Bright & Buff Natural Body Scrub: a natural body scrub with bamboo, packed with a skin buffing blend of Bamboo Extract and Aloe Vera, known for their antioxidant and smoothing properties. The natural pumice stones gently buff away any excess oil and dead skin cells, leaving skin feeling smooth and radiant.
- Goddess Glow Natural Body Cream: containing caffeine, Artichoke Leaf and Kigeline extract, this natural body cream cream formula works to improve skin tone, firmness and elasticity. It also has light-reflecting particles and brightening plant extracts that leave skin nourished, smooth and soft all over.
- Moisturising Natural Intimate Wipes: pH balanced, moisturising natural intimate wipes ideal for freshening up on the go. The natural formula featuring Aloe Vera and Artichoke Leaf Extract hydrates and gently cleanses while also moisturising the most delicate intimate skin.
- Intimate Natural Lube & Moisturiser: a fragrance-free, water-based moisturiser which also acts as a natural lubricant. The product is non-sticky and natural, and aims to help increase comfort and combat common perimenopause and menopause symptoms such as menopausal sensitive dry skin, inflammation, increased sensitivity to UTI’s and vaginal dryness.
The entire Manifesto range is plant-based and gentle on intimate skin while tackling a range of skin concerns related to perimenopause and menopause. We liked these products; gentle on the skin and no irritation. A big thumbs up from us.
WooWoo’s Manifesto range is available to buy from Boots.com, Amazon, Look Fantastic, Ocado and www.woowoo.fun
Eostre Supplements
Wellness brand, Eostre recently launched a supplement designed to reduce menopause symptoms that many women say interfere with their quality of life.
Eostre [ey-oh-struh] is the name of the goddess of change and the supplements, formulated by leading menopause experts and dieticians, combine a powerful mix of natural ingredients that are scientifically proven to balance hormones and support women’s wellbeing at the time when their bodies are undergoing changes due to menopause.
The key ingredients in the supplements are:
- Pycnogenol: pine bark extract designed to support women experiencing hot flushes, night sweats, irregular periods, loss of libido, vaginal dryness, fatigue, concentration and memory problems, hair loss, dizziness, weight gain, bloating, brittle nails, irregular heartbeat, depression, anxiety, irritability and mood swings.
- L-Theanine: a naturally-sourced amino acid derived from green tea that’s associated with mood boosting properties. It can help to encourage relaxation and reduce stress.
- Vitamin D: helps to keep bones healthy and contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.
- Ashwaghanda KSM-66: promotes improved cognitive function and concentration.
- Selenium: helps to keep nails and hair strong and healthy.
- Vitamin B12: contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
- Folate: contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
- Vitamin B6: helps to regulate hormones and contributes to the regulation of hormonal activity.
- Iodine: supports normal thyroid functions and contributes to the normal production of thyroid hormones and thyroid function.
Gluten-free, hormone-free, non-GMO, vegetarian and made in the UK, Eostre supplements can be purchased from www.eostre.uk as a one-off purchase for £37 or as a monthly supply: 1, 2 or 3-months’ supply (including a free jar in first month) for £31.
Pharmaceris N Capilar-Tone CC Cream with SPF30
Like I mentioned earlier dryness and thinning of skin is one of the most common symptoms of menopause. Right from the perimenopause stage, the collagen levels in the skin start falling and with it come a varied set of symptoms like thinning and sagging skin, looser skin, acne, fine lines, skin redness, appearance of broken capillaries and more
Pharmaceris N Capilar-Tone CC Cream is a lightweight colour-correction (CC) tinted formula that contains a green mineral pigment known for its ability to even out the skin tone by effectively concealing redness and minimizing the appearance of capillaries.
The cream, which is based on photo-stable UVA and UVB filters, delivers a high level of sun protection and prevents hyper-responsiveness to environmental conditions. The cream also contains Thioproline combined with milk thistle extract that strengthens capillaries, effectively preventing redness and erythema, and minimising their appearance. In addition, the cream is also enriched with high molecular hyaluronic acid which smoothes out the skin, improving its firmness and elasticity.
The formula adapts to the user's natural skin tone and delivers even coverage without creating a mask-like effect.
You can think of it like a multi-purpose product that combines skincare, sun care and makeup features into one.
Dermatologically-tested and cruelty-free, the product is available to buy from www.escentual.com
In2mate Complete Natural Care
Vaginal dryness is a one of the most common symptoms of the menopause. The dryness can be persistent or comes and goes and along with there are often other sensations like itching, irritation or even pain in the vagina. The dryness can make you more prone to yeast infections (thrush) while the imbalance of bacteria can lead to bacterial vaginosis.
In2mate developed their 'Intimate Skincare' range to reduce dryness and irritation, restore a healthy pH and improve elasticity and moisturisation of intimate skin using plant-based ingredients.
Their In2mate Complete Care range is designed to cleanse, rejuvenate and lubricate intimate skin. It uses almost 100% naturally active ingredients and includes a gentle, non-perfumed intimate wash, a light non-sticky non-perfumed moisturiser and a natural-feeling non-perfumed lubricant.
The gentle, non-perfumed intimate wash restores bacterial balance, protects against bad bacterial build up while rejuvenating, detoxifying and refreshing the delicate skin. The moisturiser is light non-sticky, non-perfumed and helps restore bacterial balance, guards against bad bacteria build up, repairs micro skin damage and also replenishes intimate moisture and flexibility. The lubricant is a natural-feeling non-perfumed lubricant that helps replenish lubrication, increase skin smoothness and rejuvenate vaginal skin for better flexibility.
Used in conjunction, these 3 products can help maintain the bacterial balance in intimate skin while also replenishing the moisture levels in the delicate intimate area skin.
The In2mate complete skincare range costs £16.50 (or each item can be bought individually) and can be purchased from www.in2mate.co.uk
Arella Pause - Menopause Support Supplement
Arella Pause is the UK's first single-serve liquid menopause support supplement.
Arella's product range harnesses the power of plants. The brand only uses 100% plant based, ethically sourced, clean ingredients in all of their products which are totally free from animal testing as well.
The newly launched, Arella Pause has been specially formulated to offer nutritional support for before, during, and after the menopause. The key ingredients in the liquid supplement are:
- Black Cohosh: a plant based compound that mimics the action of the hormone oestrogen and has been shown to alleviate symptoms of the menopause such as hot flushes, anxiety, mood swings, night sweats, vaginal dryness and vertigo.
- Wild Yam Extract: contains a chemical called diosgenin, a phytoestrogen; a plant substance that has weak oestrogen-type effects. Traditionally it has been used by herbalists to support female health through various stages of life.
- Chasteberry Extract: contains phytoestrogens which is a natural compound which mimics oestrogen. It aims to reduce the effect of hot flushes, night sweats and improve mood.
- Siberian Ginseng: by boosting the body’s resistance to mental and physical stressors, it helps to reduce brain fog, improve focus and supports memory and concentration.
- Passiflora Extract: soothes and calms the nervous system, helping one to function from a place of calmness whilst regaining a sense of confidence and control, promoting mental clarity.
- Vitamin E: decreases inflammation in the body and helps fight cell-damaging free radicals. Also helps with decreasing the occurrence of hot flushes.
As mentioned above, the supplement come in a liquid form and you need to take one sachet at your preferred time, daily.
The key ingredients have been carefully selected and are designed to enable optimum absorption and bioactivity of each nutrient in the body. Arella Pause is suitable for women of all ages and with various hormonal problems, from peri-menopause to PMS, irregular periods, PCOS or simply hormonal imbalances.
It is all natural and the key ingredients work together to target hormone balance, energy levels, mood swings and sleep issues that are common during peri-menopause and menopause.
The supplement is free from soy, wheat and gluten and is also dairy-free. It is suitable for vegans and vegetarians.
You can order Arella Pause from www.arella-beauty.co.uk
YogaPause: What Women Need To Know After 40 And Why Yoga Is The Answer
Rounding up this product guide is a fab book called YogaPause. Written by Cheryl Kennedy MacDonald, founder of YogaBellies and Yoga Master, the book features a mix of yoga, fitness, and nutritional advice, as well as key mindset changes that are specially designed to help women stay fabulous throughout their menopause journey.
The author, Cheryl, has been teaching yoga for many years now and more than 100,000 women have attended her YogaBellies classes globally. In the book, Cheryl shows shows how women (of all levels of yoga experience) can rejuvenate their bodies, manage their hormones, and gain a deeper insight into the changes that occur after the age of 40.
Some of the key content in the book includes understanding perimenopause and how yoga helps, yoga for PMS, personalised yoga plan for alleviating pain & discomfort, yoga & meditation practices, nutritional advice, a collection of perimenopause-friendly recipes and much more.
The book makes for a very good read. It is structured well, is informative, easy to read & understand and covers almost everything you need to know about the topic.
The book is available as a hardcover (£19.97), paperback (£14.97) and as a Kindle edition (£9.97). You can order it on Amazon.
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Note: Each one of us is unique and it's important to note that not all of these products may be appropriate or effective for every woman. You should talk to your healthcare provider to determine the best course of action for managing yuor menopause symptoms. Likewise, before taking any dietary supplement, it is important to consult with a healthcare professional, especially if you have any underlying health conditions or are taking medications.
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