Do I really need a perimenopause moisturiser?
Plummeting hormones have much to answer for – enter the jowls, wrinkles, crepey skin and dry, dull skin tone triggered during perimenopause that only become more pronounced as our hormones and collagen reserves deplete further during menopause.
Beauty brands have quickly caught on to the fact we're all becoming more aware of how our hormones can affect our skin too – this year has seen a raft of menopause-specific skincare launches – from hormone-balancing moisturisers and serums to eye creams and cleansers. Not to mention the burgeoning social media trend that's seen some women applying HRT oestrogen gel directly to their faces in a bid to improve their perimenopausal skin problems.
'This trend is concerning,' warns Dr Sonia Khorana, a dermatology expert and cosmetic doctor. 'Oestrogen gel isn't designed for facial use and could cause unwanted and even dangerous hormonal and dermatological effects. There's no proven benefit that HRT gel improves wrinkles and using it on the face increases the risk of health conditions, as well as acne, pigmentation and facial hair, too.'
So whilst this extreme measure is clearly a no-no, there's no denying menopause specific skincare is having a moment, with added ingredients like phytoestrogens and soy isoflavones touted to help address the dryness and hormonal skin problems associated with perimenopause. So do we really need to throw out our existing skincare and invest in menopause-specific products instead?
The British Skin Foundation advises proceeding with caution. 'Menopausal creams may promise to rejuvenate ageing skin and combat dryness. However, the evidence supporting these claims is often anecdotal or based on limited studies… you do not necessarily need a 'menopause' moisturiser.'
And what about the wrinkle-improving products many of us are already using – aren't these good enough for midlife? 'Absolutely. Many well-formulated products already contain key ingredients to target perimenopausal skin concerns, such as retinoids, peptides, antioxidants and hydrators, without needing a 'menopause' label,' says Khorana. 'Menopause-targeted skincare can be beneficial if people aren't sure where to start with their skin in midlife, but it's not necessary if you're already using products that already address skin ageing concerns – so always be mindful of falling for misleading menopause product claims and 'menowashing' in skincare.'
I tried the latest peri-menopause skincare to combat my own midlife skin concerns. Are they worth the investment?
Key concern: Saggy skin
At 40, jowls weren't on my radar, but fast-forward to 44 and my cheeks are heading towards my disappearing jawline. 'No amount of skincare can prevent saggy skin,' explains Khorana, 'but incorporating a good-quality retinal or retinol at night to help stimulate collagen production to increase firmness and also a brightening antioxidant product to help protect against age-accelerating free radicals during the day are key.'
Made of More Brightening Day Shield, £58, Made of More; SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic, £165, SkinCeuticals
For daytime, I've been trying new perimenopause skincare brand Made of More's Brightening Day Shield, which claims to 'tackle the rollercoaster ride of dermatological symptoms associated with fluctuating hormones' using antioxidant cannabigerol (CBG), hemp seed oil, peptides and Superox-C, a form of Vitamin C. Whilst this lightweight gel sunk in beautifully, I didn't notice it having a more significant impact on skin firmness and tone than my long-time favourite antioxidant, SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic, which, although has a heftier price tag, is clinically-proven to help firm and protect skin from environmental aggressors. I come back to this product time again because it works.
Key concern: Deep lines and wrinkles
There's a buzz around peptides right now – the proteins in skincare that help encourage deep lines to relax so wrinkles are less noticeable. 'Whilst collagen peptides won't have the same effect as Botox, regular use signals your skin cells to make collagen, which can help skin appear less wrinkly over time,' explains Khorana.
Lixirskin Night Switch Phytoestrogen & Peptide, £32, lixirskin; Meder Myo-Fix, £99, Meder by Dr Tiina Meder
Given my crow's feet have been deepening steadily, I've been experimenting with different peptide formulas. Lixirskin's Menopausal Skin Support Night Switch Phytoestrogen & Peptide contains collagen peptides and phytoestrogen which is claimed to help boost collagen production and elasticity in menopausal skin. 'Some studies may suggest phytoestrogens do this, but their ability to significantly affect hormone levels is debatable since they have low skin penetration,' Khorana explains.
I don't feel this product has much-improved my crow's feet, so I've turned to the reformulated Meder Myo-Fix, which contains concentrated muscle-relaxing peptides and can be applied just to your wrinkly areas – for me, that's around my eyes and forehead. And it works; these areas just don't crinkle as much anymore.
Key concern: Dull skin and discolouration
Pigmentation and melasma are all fun side effects of perimenopause, so it's been a learning curve discovering products that serve me when it comes to emerging brown patches. 'For discolouration and pigmentation, vitamin A products like retinol or even dermatologist-prescribed tretinoin (medical-grade vitamin A) can help improve and refine skin texture and tone, smoothing lines at the same time,' explains Khorana.
Renew+Me Serum in a Cream, £29.99, Renew+Me; RoC Retinol Capsules, £35.99, RoC
Whilst I'm sceptical about menopause-specific skincare, I've been using mid-life targeted Renew+Me Serum in a Cream, a monthly tretinoin serum subscription for six months now, and can hand on heart say my skin tone has never looked glowier or more even. It contains azelaic acid to target brown spots too so I no longer have pigmentation on my cheeks or forehead. For a commitment-free alternative, RoC Retinol Capsules contain an exceptional quality retinol and the measured nightly dose ensures you don't use too much or little.
Key concern: Midlife acne
One thing no one tells you about perimenopause is that, despite your oestrogen depleting, you can still get spots like a teenager. Pores can appear larger and baggier too. 'Thorough cleansing with gentle products containing salicylic acid and niacinamide will help balance and exfoliate prevent mid-life breakouts,' explains Khorana.
Raaie Manuka Honey Enzyme Cleanser, £65, Raaie; Dr Jart+ Ceramidin Ectoin-Infused Cream, £56, Dr Jart+
I'm generally sensitive to acids but I've found that double-cleansing with Raaie Manuka Honey Enzyme Cleanser helps prevent breakouts – it's designed for mid-life skin but it isn't a menopause-specific product. It contains gentle enzymes to help loosen dead skin cells and leaves skin bright, smooth and comfortable. To ensure my skin barrier stays protected, I'm devoted to Dr Jart+ Ceramidin Ectoin-Infused Cream, which contains ceramides to deeply hydrate and prevent sensitivity – essential for minimising skin dryness which can increase in midlife.
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Progesterone balances out the effects of oestrogen, which on its own stimulates the growth of the womb lining, and can cause 'abnormal cells and cancer' to grow. Women taking fat jabs need 'effective contraception' - as health chiefs warn of serious harm to unborn babies The menopause experts expressed concern over the loss of the progesterone's protective effect on the womb as a result of weight loss jabs. They recommended that doctors move women taking progesterone orally to an intrauterine device, such as a Mirena coil, or increase their dose of progesterone. Prof Annice Mukherjee, a consultant endocrinologist and member of the society's medical advisory council, who led on the guidance, told The Telegraph that a hormone imbalance could put women 'at increased risk of womb cancer' - particularly if they are obese. 'Oestrogen is almost always given through the skin for HRT in women living with obesity, but progesterone is frequently given as a tablet, and that formulation is thought to be the safest route for women who have complicated health issues,' she said. 'If we then start one of these injectable weight-loss drugs, then you're preferentially stopping absorption of the progestogen that's coming in orally, but you're allowing plenty of the oestrogen through the skin. 'The rules are very clear that if you give a very high dose of oestrogen and you don't give enough progesterone, however that happens, you're putting that woman at risk of womb cancer,' she said. Prof Mukherjee said there was currently a 'culture of putting women on very high doses of oestrogen', which can make the womb lining thicken. 'It's like having a lawn in a woman's womb. Oestrogen makes the lawn grow. Progestogen cuts the lawn. But if it's not being cut, it grows thicker, and then you can get abnormal cells and cancer.' Everything you need to know about fat jabs Weight loss jabs are all the rage as studies and patient stories reveal they help people shed flab at almost unbelievable rates, as well as appearing to reduce the risk of serious diseases. Wegovy – a modified version of type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – and Mounjaro are the leading weight loss injections used in the UK. Wegovy, real name semaglutide, has been used on the NHS for years while Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a newer and more powerful addition to the market. Mounjaro accounts for most private prescriptions for weight loss and is set to join Wegovy as an NHS staple this year. How do they work? The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less so your body burns fat for energy instead and you lose weight. They do this my mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when the stomach is full, so the drugs are officially called GLP-1 receptor agonists. They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients' sugar levels are too high. Can I get them? NHS prescriptions of weight loss drugs, mainly Wegovy and an older version called Saxenda (chemical name liraglutide), are controlled through specialist weight loss clinics. Typically a patient will have to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as medically obese, and also have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure. GPs generally do not prescribe the drugs for weight loss. Private prescribers offer the jabs, most commonly Mounjaro, to anyone who is obese (BMI of 30+) or overweight (BMI 25-30) with a weight-related health risk. Private pharmacies have been rapped for handing them out too easily and video calls or face-to-face appointments are now mandatory to check a patient is being truthful about their size and health. Are there any risks? Yes – side effects are common but most are relatively mild. Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea. Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at said: 'One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.' Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia. Evidence has so far been inconclusive about whether the injections are damaging to patients' mental health. Figures obtained by The Sun show that, up to January 2025, 85 patient deaths in the UK were suspected to be linked to the medicines. But she also stressed that the biggest risk factor for womb cancer was obesity - meaning that on the whole, weight loss jabs can cut the risk of disease. 'These drugs reduce the risk of cancer,' Prof Mukherjee said. 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Dr Bassel Wattar, a consultant gynaecologist and medical director of clinical trials at Anglia Ruskin University, told The Sun: 'It's not the medication itself, but the weight loss that helps regulate a woman's hormones allowing her ovaries to function properly again. 'Pregnancy is more of a happy side effect.'
The Sun
13 hours ago
- The Sun
New fat jabs warning over ‘increased risk of cancer – as experts fear they ‘stop common medication working'
WEIGHT loss jabs could prevent a medication taken by millions of women from working - and increase patients' risk of cancer. The British Menopause Society said the jabs could cause hormone imbalance in women taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT), particularly for those with obesity, putting them 'at increased risk of womb cancer'. It follows warnings to women on weight loss medications to take effective contraception, as the jabs could render the pill less effective. That's because weight loss drugs Wegovy and Mounjaro - as well as diabetes jab Ozempic - can delay the absorption of pills taken orally, as well slowing down the passage of food through the gut. Guidance suggests women taking HRT in pill form may also be at risk. The British Menopause Society (BMS) told doctors to closely monitor menopausal women on HRT who are also using weight-loss jabs. The treatment tops up the hormones oestrogen and progesterone, which dip to low levels as the menopause approaches. Data from 2023-24 showed that 2.6 million women in England rely on the drugs to alleviate hot flushes, night sweats, difficulty sleeping and mood changes. "During the last two years, since semaglutide and tirzepatide [the active ingredients in Wegovy and Mounjaro] received licenses for weight loss, there has been an increase in uptake of these medications through private clinics, while NHS prescribing is limited to specialist weight management services," the BMS guidance stated. "There are no current data available about numbers of women receiving HRT concurrently with semaglutide or tirzepatide." The most common form of HRT is a progesterone pill alongside a skin patch or gel to deliver oestrogen, but some people opt for a combined pill. Progesterone balances out the effects of oestrogen, which on its own stimulates the growth of the womb lining, and can cause 'abnormal cells and cancer' to grow. Women taking fat jabs need 'effective contraception' - as health chiefs warn of serious harm to unborn babies The menopause experts expressed concern over the loss of the progesterone's protective effect on the womb as a result of weight loss jabs. They recommended that doctors move women taking progesterone orally to an intrauterine device, such as a Mirena coil, or increase their dose of progesterone. Prof Annice Mukherjee, a consultant endocrinologist and member of the society's medical advisory council, who led on the guidance, told The Telegraph that a hormone imbalance could put women 'at increased risk of womb cancer' - particularly if they are obese. 'Oestrogen is almost always given through the skin for HRT in women living with obesity, but progesterone is frequently given as a tablet, and that formulation is thought to be the safest route for women who have complicated health issues,' she said. 'If we then start one of these injectable weight-loss drugs, then you're preferentially stopping absorption of the progestogen that's coming in orally, but you're allowing plenty of the oestrogen through the skin. 'The rules are very clear that if you give a very high dose of oestrogen and you don't give enough progesterone, however that happens, you're putting that woman at risk of womb cancer,' she said. Prof Mukherjee said there was currently a 'culture of putting women on very high doses of oestrogen', which can make the womb lining thicken. 'It's like having a lawn in a woman's womb. Oestrogen makes the lawn grow. Progestogen cuts the lawn. But if it's not being cut, it grows thicker, and then you can get abnormal cells and cancer.' Everything you need to know about fat jabs Weight loss jabs are all the rage as studies and patient stories reveal they help people shed flab at almost unbelievable rates, as well as appearing to reduce the risk of serious diseases. Wegovy – a modified version of type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – and Mounjaro are the leading weight loss injections used in the UK. Wegovy, real name semaglutide, has been used on the NHS for years while Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a newer and more powerful addition to the market. Mounjaro accounts for most private prescriptions for weight loss and is set to join Wegovy as an NHS staple this year. How do they work? The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less so your body burns fat for energy instead and you lose weight. They do this my mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when the stomach is full, so the drugs are officially called GLP-1 receptor agonists. They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients' sugar levels are too high. Can I get them? NHS prescriptions of weight loss drugs, mainly Wegovy and an older version called Saxenda (chemical name liraglutide), are controlled through specialist weight loss clinics. Typically a patient will have to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as medically obese, and also have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure. GPs generally do not prescribe the drugs for weight loss. Private prescribers offer the jabs, most commonly Mounjaro, to anyone who is obese (BMI of 30+) or overweight (BMI 25-30) with a weight-related health risk. Private pharmacies have been rapped for handing them out too easily and video calls or face-to-face appointments are now mandatory to check a patient is being truthful about their size and health. Are there any risks? Yes – side effects are common but most are relatively mild. Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea. Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at said: 'One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.' Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia. Evidence has so far been inconclusive about whether the injections are damaging to patients' mental health. Figures obtained by The Sun show that, up to January 2025, 85 patient deaths in the UK were suspected to be linked to the medicines. But she also stressed that the biggest risk factor for womb cancer was obesity - meaning that on the whole, weight loss jabs can cut the risk of disease. 'These drugs reduce the risk of cancer,' Prof Mukherjee said. 'But if they are prescribed to a woman who's on oestrogen through the skin, and she might already have womb thickening because she's living with obesity, and she's not absorbing the progesterone because she's been put on a weight-loss injection, she's potentially getting loads of oestrogen on top of her thickened womb lining, and that could potentially unmask cancers that are there or drive an early cancer to a more advanced stage.' The BMS put together the guidelines after calls from GPs for advice to give to patients. Dr Janet Barter, the president of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, told The Telegraph that weight loss jabs can cause side effects such as "vomiting and severe diarrhoea in some patients'. 'Obviously this could render any medication, such as HRT tablets or oral contraception, ineffective if there hasn't been enough time for them to be fully absorbed,' she said. 'If these side-effects are occurring, then people should discuss the matter with their doctor or specialist clinician to find the combination of drugs that's right for them.' Sun Health has contacted Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly - the makers of Wegovy and Mounjaro - for comment. It follows warnings from the Medicines and Healthcare products Agency (MHRA) that GLP-1 weight loss drugs could reduce the absorption of contraceptives, due to the fact they slow down the emptying of the stomach. The watchdog also said the jabs should not be used during pregnancy, while trying to conceive or breastfeeding, over fears they could lead to miscarriage or birth defects. medicine could cause harm to the baby.' Dr Bassel Wattar, a consultant gynaecologist and medical director of clinical trials at Anglia Ruskin University, told The Sun: 'It's not the medication itself, but the weight loss that helps regulate a woman's hormones allowing her ovaries to function properly again. 'Pregnancy is more of a happy side effect.'
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Fat jabs 'may stop hormone replacement therapy working and raise cancer risk'
Weight-loss drugs could prevent hormone replacement therapy from working – and put the health of menopausal women at risk. The British Menopause Society (BMS) has advised doctors to closely monitor patients taking HRT for menopause while also using fat jabs such as Mounjaro, Wegovy and Ozempic. Experts say the drugs' ability to delay food's transit through the gut can slow absorption of oral pills. The medicines regulator last week warned that women using fat jabs should not rely on oral contraception after receiving more than 40 reports of pregnancies from those using the two drugs together. Now guidance suggests women taking HRT orally should also be aware of the risks. The most common form of HRT is a progesterone pill alongside a skin patch or gel to deliver oestrogen. Importantly, progesterone balances out the effects of oestrogen, which alone boosts womb lining growth, and can cause 'abnormal cells and cancer '. The BMS, concerned about the potential loss of progesterone's protective effect, has now advised doctors to move women to an intrauterine device, such as a coil, or raise the progesterone dose. Professor Annice Mukherjee, of the society's medical advisory council, who led on the guidance, said an imbalance in hormones, particularly in women with obesity, would put them 'at increased risk of womb cancer'. But she stressed that the biggest risk factor for womb cancer is obesity and so overall the weight-loss jabs were a positive tool to reduce weight and cancer risk. It comes as a GP told the Cheltenham Science Festival patients may need to use fat jabs for life. Professor Graham Easton, who has used them himself, said: 'There's no point in most people taking it for a couple of years and then have the weight bouncing back.' There were 2.6million women taking HRT in 2023/24 in England to help with symptoms of the menopause, which can include hot flushes, night sweats, difficulty sleeping, mood changes, and aches. Meanwhile, more than 1.5million Britons are taking weight-loss jabs, with demand doubling in the past six months. It is not known how many are on both drugs together.
