Perimenopausal Acne Causes

Studies show that adult acne in women is on the increase, with perimenopausal acne in women over the age of 45 seeing one of the sharpest rises over the last five years.

Perimenopausal acne is not directly caused by the hormonal flux leading up to the menopause, but the changes in the skin as a result of decreasing hormone levels that leaves the skin more vulnerable or susceptible to perimenopausal acne.

Crucially, unlike teen or young adult acne, perimenopausal acne is not an oily skin issue, but more of a dry and weakened skin issue. Therefore the same products should not be used by perimenopausal women as by teens or young adults for controlling acne.

Perimenopausal acne is caused by four changes in the skin;

1. Dryness due to weakened skin barrier function
2. Decreased good skin bacteria
3. Increased skin sensitivity & redness due to skin reactivity from intolerance build to chemicals and perfumes in skincare ingredients plus accumulated UV damage.
4. Increased Facial Hair

At Skin Shop we have developed a range of products in our Clarol and Kalme ranges to help address these four skin changes in order to successfully manage and reduce perimenopausal acne.

1. Weakened Skin Barrier Function

In perimenopausal skin, the skin barrier function becomes weaker due to the drop in oestrogen, which is what gives skin its elasticity.

A weakened skin barrier function leads to dryness which causes microdamage as well as more gaping (open) skin pores allowing external bacteria to enter more easily.

How to treat it

Products for acne aimed at drying up sebum are the worst thing for perimenopausal acne.

Instead, overnight serums with intensely hydrating ingredients and skin prebiotics to help repair weakened skin barrier function are more effective.

Kalme TeQ Serum is a super hydrating and skin repairing prebiotic serum containing extracts of blue agave to replenish skin barrier function as well as an anti-redness ingredient from caper extract to reduce underlying inflammation and redness.

2. Decrease in Good Skin Bacteria

The perimenopause causes changes in the skin’s microbiome (the bacteria living on the skin’s surface) due to declining oestrogen which causes levels of good bacteria to reduce in number and diversity.

Conversely, levels and diversity of bad skin bacteria can start to increase leading to acne and making acne rosacea worse.

How to treat it

Products targeted increased growth of good skin bacteria are optimal for combatting perimenopausal acne.

Clarol Silver Serum contains a micronized silver ingredient that directly feeds good skin bacteria while repelling bad skin bacteria to help reduce perimenopausal acne and acne rosacea.

3. Increased Skin Sensitivity

With less good skin bacteria plus weakened skin barrier function, perimenopausal skin becomes more sensitive and prone to reactions to chemicals and perfumes in normal skincare products, suncreams and cosmetics again opening the pores and allowing external bacteria to enter the skin pore.

How to treat it

A key to controlling perimenopausal acne is reducing  inflammation to control sensitivity.

Reducing the use of products containing chemicals, lots of preservatives and perfumes is a first step.

Second step is to reduce the reactivity of skin. Kalme Undercoat is designed to be worn under other skincare products, cosmetics and suncreams that contains a specific de-sensitising ingredient to reduce the skin’s reactivity.

2. Increased Facial Hair

Due to a period of higher androgen levels in perimenopause, hair growth on the face (hirsutism) can lead to folliculitis acne, which is when external bacteria gets into the hair follicle.

How to treat it

Exfoliation is a single most effective way to reduce folliculitis acne.

However, exfoliation in perimenopausal skin must be less abrasive as the skin is more fragile.

Manual exfoliation every 1-2 days plus an acid exfoliation once every 3-4 days is a good routine for skin prone to perimenopausal acne and should keep hair follicles uncongested.

Clarol Silver & Birch Exfoliating Wash contains birch bark with natural equivalents of both salicylic acid and methyl salicylate and betulin to help reduce inflammation and is a gentle exfoliating formula for adult acne prone skin.

Products containing alpha-hydroxy acids (AHA’s) are good for acid exfoliation (though use only at 1-2% for perimenopausal skin).