How much damage does the menopause really do and how to fix it?

[busterhall]

At 40 I am not yet menopausal as far as I know. I love good skin and have always looked after mine and with that and some good genes so far I am doing ok and I am often told I look much younger or people are really surprised at my age when they find out.

What I am also told it that once the menopause hits I'll be hit with wrinkles and facial aging and that by the time I'm 50 we'll all be level.

Now I do accept aging and getting older etc but I still want to have the best skin possible and to avoid wrinkles and sagging for as long as I can.

I'm not into having fillers, botox or surgery but would consider lasers, radio frequency tightening, dermal needling etc as well as skincare, nutrition and supplemental treatments including HRT.

I would be really interested from others how the menopause affected them and the things they did that help them head off the worst effets especially those in the looks department?

[MaQueen]

Thanks anycake, yep it's been a real rollercoaster. Just very thankful it's all sorted now - but I now crusade to make women more aware of the potential trials&tribulations of the peri menopause and menopause, and the benefit of effective HRT

[Deathraystare]

I think I am still peri menapausal. However there's an old woman in my mirror! My skin is quite good but you can see lines and my under eye bags insist on showing themselves off! The weight I can only blame on greed.

I still think I am a teenager and fairly indestructable which is of course wrong. I keep forgetting to use a face cream with SPF in it and have only recently had a good long hard look at my skin. I am sure diabetes and high blood pressure all pay their part in my looks downfall as well (was never Helen of Troy though!!).

[JaneJeffer]

Thanks MaQueen. I really should chat to my GP about it I suppose. It's all so confusing.

[Anycakeisgoodcake]

I'm impressed with a crusade Maqueen, really. It's a subject lots of people really don't have much informed information on. Sorry though to hear you've had a rollercoaster. Apart from a gp telling me I was far to young to think about that 5 years ago I've had a very straightforward time and the HRT I was given last year suited me straight away.

[Mamia15]

I was lucky as my GP was happy to prescribe HRT patches after I explained what I was experiencing and I asked for these.

It helped that I did a lot of research beforehand so when she suggested blood tests I told her that these would not be conclusive given that my hormones are all over the place at different times of the month.

Despite having sore tender boobs a lot of the time I m happy with how much better I feel. Broken sleep is such a killer and can really affect many aspects of your life - don't suffer in silence.

[Wtfdoicare]

poppym12 the hemp shampoo is from H&B too, all the same range. Good luck.

[susandrea]

Hi JohnCleese, I'm been offered an oopherectomy due to my anxiety re my grandmother having ovarian cancer. I'm worried about turning into an old lady overnight after the op and would like to take HRT. Slightly worried about elevated risk of breast cancer by taking HRT but no where near as worried as contracting ovarian cancer. Did the HRT help you and how much did you take after your oopherectomy?