Facing THE CHANGE

From fatigue and stress, to bursts of anger, the mid-life menopausal years can be a hormonal rollercoaster for our skin. We chat to the experts about how to make it a smoother ride.

- EVA-MARIA BOBBERT

This is not a story about battling ageing or turning back time. After almost 20 years of interviewing skin experts from every corner of the globe, I can honestly say, hand on heart, that a fighting attitude does not put you on the path to beauty nirvana (AKA feeling happy in your own skin). For starters, equating youth with beauty is an unrewarding algebra – no lotion or potion can magically erase the past when you’re moving into a new life phase, though it can make the transition feel a little smoother. It’s all a question of balance – we’re not suggesting you should look forward to saggy jowls or crow’s feet, but indulging in too much aesthetic nit-picking is self-defeating for both your self-image and your skin. Too often it prompts an arsenal of actives to appear on your bathroom shelf, which, without a careful guide, can send your skin into an absolute spin. When your hormones are already seesawing, that’s a troubling combo.

If you feel like you’re in mid-life freefall skin-wise, it’s time to try two things: “Skinmalism” (using only what you really need); and a mindset check-in – less “anti” ageing and more “healthy” complexion is a mantra echoed by aestheticians around the world. “What’s really interesting is that in much of Europe, the attitude to skin and beauty is slightly different to Anglo-Saxon countries,” says Stephen de Heinrich de Omorovicza, founder of Omorovicza, a brand born from the mineral-rich thermal waters in Hungary. “They understand that skin doesn’t go from ‘great’ to ‘old’. Women tend to enter into a symbiotic relationship with an aesthetician in their teens and, over time, that helps them become more attuned to what their skin needs. They begin to realise their skin’s potential.”