Women’s Skin Care – A Lifelong Quest

All skin care is not created equally! Women’s skin care differs from that of children and men, and among women, skin care even differs at various stages of life.

A woman’s appearance on the outside is generally a good indication of what’s going on inside her body. Poor nutrition, unhealthy lifestyle choices and stress all contribute to the overall poor health of the skin. Bad habits such as smoking and consuming high-fat, high-salt diets deprive the body of the important nutrients skin needs.

Although they don’t shave their faces, women do shave other body parts, including parts that are very sensitive. Extra care should be taken to avoid further skin irritation, cuts or ingrown hairs.

Women have a tendency to retain water, causing skin to look and feel more bloated. To keep water retention under control, it’s important for women to limit the amount of salt in their diets.

Men are gaining ground but still, women are more likely to undergo skin treatment procedures. Augmentation, dermabrasion and laser treatments all will change the skin’s appearance but too much will ultimately wreak havoc. Always weigh the risks versus the benefits before ‘going under the knife’.

Besides emotional ups and downs, wildly fluctuating hormones during pregnancy and menopause can cause changes in a woman’s skin.

Skin care during pregnancy

Take a look at the products you use to ensure they’re safe during pregnancy. Should you have any concerns, purchase products which are labeled safe to use during pregnancy.

Pregnancy can cause normal skin to become oily so you may have to change to skin care products that combat acne.

Use toners and exfoliate to remove dead cells and deep clean pores. Continue to moisturise skin, especially your growing belly, to reduce chances of developing stretch marks.

Your feet are getting an extra workout so be sure to massage with a foot lotion containing refreshing menthol.

Pigmentation sometimes changes during pregnancy, increasing the likelihood of sunburn/tan. Never forget to wear sunscreen to protect against damaging skin.

Skin care during menopause

Fluctuations in a woman’s progesterone and estrogen levels will cause skin to change. Facial hair may sprout and skin will start to sag, wrinkle and thin. It’s also drier due to slowed production of sebum. Interestingly, changing hormone levels may cause a new round of acne! Random dark spots and broken blood vessels will likely appear.

To counter the effects of dry skin, add humidity into the air, take shorter and warmer baths or showers and moisturise. Risks of skin cancer now increase so closely monitor moles and other skin discolourations. Most importantly, be vigilant about proper sun protection.