You are probably prepared for the dreaded night sweats and hot flashes once you hit menopause, but what you might not know is that the decline in your estrogen levels could also impact the health of your hair and skin.
Loss of collagen begins early but accelerates rapidly during the first several years of menopause, causing lackluster hair and dry, dull skin. The decline of estrogen during menopause also causes your skin to get dehydrated and more wrinkly, and very itchy in some cases.
Fortunately, nourishing your hair and skin from the inside and safeguarding it would go a long way towards relieving these pesky symptoms.
1. Increase your vitamins and minerals intake
You should be getting sufficient amounts of nutrients by eating a healthy diet, and perhaps a multivitamin or supplement your doctor recommends. This might just give you the boost you need to help address your skin and hair concerns.
2. Make sure to get your thyroid examined
It’s also common for thyroid hormone levels to decrease during menopause, contributing to dry hair and skin. If you’re experiencing unusual or severe dryness, make an appointment with your doctor to get your thyroid checked.
3. Give your skin ample TLC
You have tons of topical treatment options, whether chemical or herbal products, for addressing dry skin. You don’t even need to spend on pricey brands.
What you need to do however is to look for specific ingredients to bring back moisture and hydrate your skin, as well as antioxidants to reverse and prevent free radical damage. Always wear sunscreen with at least SPF 30 when going outdoors, rain or shine, summer or winter.
Additionally, drink more water that you’re drinking now, especially if you sweat a lot or have dry skin.
4. Soothe your hair and scalp
If you have dry scalp, opt for an anti-dandruff shampoo that won’t dry out your scalp further. If your hair is dry, consider using only conditioner.
Make sure to limit your shampooing, use of hair styling products, blow-drying and other hair styling devices that use heat. When going outdoors, use a leave-in conditioner to safeguard your hair and/or wear a hat.
5. Stop smoking
If you haven’t already, now’s really the best time to finally quit smoking. Aside from all the health risks associated with it, smoking can also lower your estrogen levels.
6. Don’t forget to safeguard your hands
During summertime, always wear sunscreen on your hands to prevent wrinkles and age spots from forming and in the winter, wear gloves to prevent your hands from drying out due to lack of moisture.
7. Take ample time to relax and de-stress
Did you know that stress could easily reduce the thyroid hormone and estrogen levels in your body? With that said, make sure toallot time every single for relaxing and unwinding.
Issues with dry skin and hair could blindside you when you hit menopause. Fortunately, you have many different options to help you take better care of your hair and skin through menopause and beyond.
