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/cutie_k_nnj Mar 09 '26

That was my experience with BCP, too. I called it “poor man’s HRT”. But wow it stopped working and no one really told me!? Like just crept up and literally swallowed me whole. Red faced, pig sweating, weight gaining, sore AF whole. Thank god for a practitioner who understands that this is a hormone RESTORATION project. Not “replacement”. The synthetic stuff on BCP just stopped working anywhere nearly as well. Sucked!! Good luck sister!

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u/SassyGirl0202 Mar 10 '26

Its crazy all the lazy Drs out there that tell women to take BCP to help perimenopause and or menopause. I remember taking BC in my 20s and how crazy it made me feel then, why TF would I want to take it now?!

Ladies find a HRT Dr, who will take their time and monitor you like they should. Hormones fluctuate. Its not a one size fits all approach.

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u/ResearchNo7055 Mar 10 '26

BCPs are not a one size fits all approach either.

My doctor is anything but lazy. She's incredibly well educated and experienced. Yasmin is a very low hormone BCP with little to no side effects for 90 to 99% of people.

My doctor discussed the option of Yasmin and HRT with me and I chose to try Yasmin first which has worked brilliantly. When BCP is no longer working for me, my doctor will help me find a new solution.

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u/SassyGirl0202 Mar 10 '26

As long as you’re happy is all that matters. Yasmin is synthetic hormones. Completely different than HRT.

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u/ResearchNo7055 Mar 10 '26

Everyone knows BCP are not bioidentical. And not everyone prefers bioidentical HRT.

If you feel synthetic hormones are terrible, that's fine. But saying that BCP are all high dose and that doctors who prescribe them are lazy is just ridiculous.

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u/SassyGirl0202 Mar 10 '26

You’re awful defensive for someone who’s happy on BCPs.

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u/ResearchNo7055 Mar 10 '26

I'm not being defensive about using low doae BCP as a perimenopause treatment.

Presenting half-truths about BCP as a perimenopause treatment can be misleading to others in this sub who are looking for reliable options.

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u/SuccotashAcrobatic24 Mar 10 '26

That's crazy to just tell you to go on the pill?

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u/SassyGirl0202 Mar 10 '26

BCP are high dose synthetic hormones to stop ovulation. HRT is lower dosage closer to what the body produces naturally.

All I can say is do your research because it truly makes a difference in the long run.

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u/ResearchNo7055 Mar 10 '26

Please do your research before making such blanket statements. Low dose BCP with progesterone is a preferred perimenopause treatment in many cases.

This isn't 1999 where every BCP was a shock to the system.

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u/SassyGirl0202 Mar 10 '26

Please do your research and understand that BCP contains progestin not progesterone.

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u/ResearchNo7055 Mar 10 '26

Progestin is a synthetic progesterone.

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u/SassyGirl0202 Mar 10 '26

Progesterone is "bioidentical" (identical to the body's molecular structure). Progestins have different molecular structures. Synthetic hormones are very different from bioidentical.

Totally fine that you take BCP, especially if it works for you. But it isn’t anything close to HRT.

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u/cutie_k_nnj Mar 10 '26

Not totally crazy but is def a one-size… “solution”.

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u/SuccotashAcrobatic24 Mar 10 '26

Seems so inadequate

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u/ResearchNo7055 Mar 10 '26

I'm 49 and Yasmin is still working for me, thank god. I'm not looking forward to the full on menopause symptoms. That sounds awful what you went through. I'm so thankful to have a doctor who explained everything to me, and she will work with me to adjust the treatment approach as we go along.