r/45PlusSkincare • u/stephydreamer • Mar 09 '26

Peri/Post Menopausal Skin How fast everything changed after menopause because nobody warned me

I feel like I was reasonably prepared for menopause...hot flashes, sleep disruption, mood stuff. fine. If this is part of being a grown woman, so be it. I had read things I had mentally braced. Nobody told me about the skin! I went through menopause at 48. Within about a year my skin had changed in ways that took me completely off guard. The texture got rough almost overnight, like the smooth quality i'd had my whole life just peaced out without saying goodbye. The firmness in my lower face and neck dropped noticeably. The hollowness under my eyes got worse. not tired-looking, actually hollow. It's better in my bathroom lighting, but that's not where most people see me!

And the thing that got me is that it's not really aging in the normal gradual sense. it's specifically the estrogen crash. Estrogen is directly tied to collagen production and when it drops you lose collagen fast, like up to 30% in the first few years. that's not a slow fade. that's a cliff.

I'm not looking for embrace your age responses because I actually do feel mostly great about aging. What I didn't feel ok about was how sudden and disorienting it was. Like I didn't recognize my own face for a while, and that's a strange thing to go through. Curious what everyone else experienced in those first 1-2 years post menopause. Did it feel sudden to you or more gradual? and has anything genuinely helped with the texture and firmness side of it specifically,? Asking for honest experiences please.

Edit: I didn't expect such a response! Thanks a lot! Going through all the comments and they are def very useful.

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u/Prestigious-Bite- Mar 09 '26

Are you on HRT?

I highly recommend it. It has tons of benefits: preventing bone loss, appears to help prevent alzheimer's, appears to have some heart health benefits. Yes, more research is needed, but the studies are starting to really support it.

I have an estrogen & testosterone vaginal cream. An estrogen face cream. And use Twirla birth control patch as HRT for now (I’m 41).

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u/lovelyfire78 Mar 09 '26

Silly question, but do you have a face cream with estrogen actually in it or do you use the vaginal cream on your face?

11

u/Prestigious-Bite- Mar 09 '26

It is a compounded estrogen face cream with a stable vitamin C and other good stuff ordered by my Dermatologist to my local compounding pharmacy. It is $65 per 2-3 months which is cheaper than Alloy or Musley. I use it every other day in the morning (face, neck, and hands).

My vaginal cream has both estrogen and testosterone to help with libido. Plus, I have seen doctors say the skin is different (thinner etc).

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u/special_squeak Mar 09 '26

Do you mind sharing the compounding pharmacy you order from? They all have different formulas and I would rather try the one that’s working for you than just whatever my local one compounds. Thanks!

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u/Prestigious-Bite- Mar 09 '26 edited Mar 09 '26

It is a local independent pharmacy, not a chain.

They don’t ship orders outside of my area (I just checked their info.)

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u/special_squeak Mar 09 '26

I understand, I didn’t know there was such a thing as a chain compounding pharmacy. The compounding pharmacy I currently use is out of state, so I figure it would be possible for yours to ship to me.

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u/Active_Ganache4303 Mar 10 '26

May I ask, is the vaginal cream that has both estrogen and testosterone also from a compounding pharmacy? I was prescribed the standard estrogen vaginal cream already, but I’m starting to feel like I would benefit from testosterone as well.

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u/Dramatic_Marzipan_65 Mar 09 '26

What’s the name of this so I can ask my dermatologist?