How did peri and the menopause affect your skin and hair?

[BarryWhiteIsMyBrother]

I am approaching 50 and although my period is still very regular I'm beginning to wonder what's in store for when I become peri and then menopausal. I heard skin loses elasticity, you get hairier, your hair thins down and other lovely changes.

Could those of you who have been through peri and menopause please share info on the changes you saw? I know we are all different but I'd appreciate some first-hand insights. TY

• I got terrible itching under my arms to the extent that I couldn't use deodorant because I had scratched my underarm skin red raw and the deodorant stung me. This lasted about 3 years.
• my always-greasy hair and skin became dry and I had dandruff for the first time in my life.
• my fairly fat stomach got fatter
• I got a metallic taste in my mouth, this also lasted about 3 years
• my nice swishy thick hair became thin
• my eyelashes became more sparse
• I got the usual hot flushes
• I couldn't tolerate alcohol

I might think of some more? HRT sorted some of these things out.

My chin and upper lip are sprouting white and black hairs. Thick ones. The hair on my head is going silver and getting course. Skin has always been dry, but now the colour or pigmentation is different. I’ve had to lighten my hair to better go with my new skin tone.

Itchy skin, acne on my scalp and face, and very dry skin. My hair is so far ok.

Spots. And blackheads. My teens and I went through this phase together. Mine was much less severe than theirs. I was also sprouting chin hairs at the same rate as them, the difference being that mine were unwanted. Mine also grew faster than theirs.

Both these phases passed, though I still get the occasional chin bristle.

My skin is softer, drier and more wrinkle-prone than it used to be. I freckle more and tan less.

I've been on HRT since peri, over 10y now, and I have no intention of ever stopping.

I’m there now.
Hair has changed in several ways,
it’s coarser, more wiry if you will, get and thinning. It’s like I’m wearing someone else’s hair iyswim.
Also greasy, but here’s the strange thing, the grease smells different, not pleasant either.
I wash it every day.

Skin is just wrinkling more and yes the itching especially at night, drives me mad.

Facial hair has got bad, upper lip & chin especially, thick black hairs.

I’m gaining weight at a rate of about 4lbs a week. Now if I cut calories down to 1000 a day, weight maintains, If I cut down to 700 cals a day I loose maybe 1/2 a pound every now & again. Weight will not shift at all.

The most debilitating thing that I’ve found though has to be mood, extreme depression, lethargy, lack of motivation and zero joy in a single thing.
Absolutely not me at all whatsoever, never have I felt like this in my life.

Along side bouts of anxiety, it’s a miserable existence.

My moods were all over the place.(still are)
I couldn't (can't) tolerate caffeine.
I'm 55 this all started around 50 years old and hasn't let up yet.I've no real problem with hot flushes_but do have them occasionally when I drink to much caffeine.
Also wake through the night with panic attacks.
slur my word terrible to the point i think people think i've been drinking.
Brain fog is the worst for me ...confidence so low.

My hair was getting coarser but since Coronavirus it has turned to fluff and got thinner. Wondering if that’s due to Coronavirus or peri. Skin was getting drier but has improved with Diprobase and maybe by doing couch to 5k since the last lockdown.

Sorry op just having a rant,no real problems with skin and hair yet...

Hair got curlier
Skin drier and pigmentation showed more
Tan for first time in my life
Sore gums
Weight gain
Shape changed - back fat waist thickened bum flattened a bit ankles thickened
Mmmmmm .....nice.

My hair is drier now than it was but that's about it really. No effects on my skin or weight.

I seem to be having a fairly easy time and I'm appreciative of that. Not on hrt but I'm careful of what I eat and take quite a few supplements.

OK. So far I have experienced none of the above symptoms so I guess I'm not peri yet.

Anxiety... then hrt. Which they will have to pry out of my cold dead hand!

Rigt side of hair near parting has fallen out, so I had to style my hair differently.
Moods... At times in the month I could happily smack another human and not give a shit.
Weight gain but its now starting to come off.. Finally.. But food affects my mood, if I eat high fat I get grumpy, bloody love a fry up! I still eat it but occasionally, it's just not worth the crap feeling

I'm 45 and just entering period menopause I think. Been grimly for the last 2 years with terrible hormonal headaches and now been diagnosed with alopecia areata- large bald patch on side of head. 😥 not great really

No real problems with skin and hair, I'm out the other side now at 56. I haven't taken HRT, just supplements and try to take care of myself.

My hair has always been very fine, it hasn't changed and hasn't gone grey. My hairdresser said she thought it was thicker, but I'm not convinced. It's less greasy than it was when I was younger but still needs a daily wash.

My skin is good, really soft and smooth. I've no dry skin anywhere, even on elbows and feet, but I used to have. I've no lines, I'm genetically lucky that way. I used to get the odd spot but not any more

The only thing that drives me nuts is the white hair that appears in the middle of my forehead every few weeks. I swear it sprouts overnight and is an inch long by the time I notice it. And a bristly one that does it's best to sprout on my chin. I keep a beady eye on that one and pluck it as soon as I spot it.

Coarse wiry grey hair, but also fluffy and easily tangles, no shine whatsovever. One particular area broke off after some cheap highlights, never recovered and still growing it 2 years after.
Dark circles and eyes just look tired, skin not too bad with few wrinkles but that's genetic.
Hairs sprouting literally overnight on my chin.
Awful anxiety attacks that come from nowhere, tearful, depressed.

I had my ovaries and fallopian tubes removed at 40 and went straight into menopause. It all happened quite quickly so I dudnt get much time to prepare myself or think about it.

I have precisely 3 hairs which sprout under my chin and my upper lip hair seems to have got worse. My skin has definitely sagged and I think it's quite noticeable in the jowl areas. My skin isn't too bad. A few lines, of course, and dry over my cheeks but my t-zone is as oily as ever. Some pores are more obvious now, too. One good thing, though, is no longer getting those throbbingly painful, monthly hormonal spots I always experienced on my chin. The bags & dark circles under my eyes seem to be getting worse every day. Ugh!

My hair is thinning a little, but this has only happened in the last 2 years (I'm 50 now) and it was very dense to start with, so I'm not too worried about it yet. I have a few very wiry grey hairs, enough for me to be conscious of them, but they are spread throughout; my roots aren't grey yet. I used John Freida's Defy Grey shampoo & conditioner, recommended to me here on MN, and that really helped to blend them in. I had short hair all my life but have managed to grow it into a long bob over the last couple of years. It still looks fairly healthy & shiny, too, but I have had to start using conditioner, which I never needed before.

I've been on HRT for 10 years now and hope they don't make me stop. The gynaecologist I saw left me with the impression that I'm likely to develop Osteoporosis at some point, though.

From the comments above it seems that the vast, vast majority of people do experience some negative effects. When I asked my doctor he made it sound like it could go either way and I could sail through it...

Worse symptoms were
Hot flushes especially at night, after hot drink abs alcohol
Sleep less and up at ridiculous times like 4.30am
Hair much drier and thinner. Much more frizz
Body shape completely changed from pear to apple
General skin sagging
Rage!

Hrt helped with some of the symptoms

@anomletteandaglassofwine
Could you tell me which supplements you take please? I’m keen to try

I would say my hair has got curlier.
Skin on face seems increasingly able to tan like a pp said.
Brain fog definitely, I have to write everything down or I forget to bloody do it.

This has reminded me that I am supposed to be dying my hair today .

Late peri here and no symptoms of note so far. I'm very careful about diet and exercise and upped my hair and skincare routine years ago in preparation. I'm sure it will all catch up with me sometime soon.

Two years post-meno’. Whilst I haven’t had some of the really distressing symptoms some people get, it’s been a challenge! I described it to someone as like being stuck on a fairground ride you didn’t choose to be on, that’s unpredictable and you don’t know where you’ll get off (or when).

So, my hair: one day I noticed the front looked wispy and thin, then handfuls seemed to come out when I washed it. It did get to the point of having to arrange and style it to minimise the thinness. Then about a year ago slightly less came out when I washed it and - helped by gentle treatment and a hair tonic - it is now recovering. It’s not quite as heavy and thick as it used to be but it looks a lot better.

Skin: My face seemed to age ten years when I lost a lot of weight years ago. That said, good skin is a lucky family trait and I don’t think I look too bad now.

General: the aches, pains and weird rages did settle. The missing-in-action sex drive is slowly returning. I do still recognise myself. I haven’t opted for HRT but it’s a very personal choice.