Apart from dry skin being a common side effect of menopause, there are other more challenging skin conditions that you might be experiencing. Among my midlife friends, rosacea is a skin concern that crops up time and again and being that April is Rosacea Awareness Month, I figured it was the perfect time to get the low-down on it – and I knew exactly who to call upon for the most reliable information.

Perimenopausal herself, Kate Kerr is an award-winning facialist and skin expert who has suffered from acne in her teens and rosacea in her 30s, so she understands exactly what it can be like to lack skin confidence as we age. And as she now specialises in treating rosacea, I asked Kate whether she could shine a light on this common skin condition and give us some practical tips and advice on how best to manage it during menopause.

What is rosacea?

Rosacea is a common skin condition characterised by facial flushing, skin hyper-sensitivity, persistent redness, broken capillaries and pimples. In more advanced rosacea, symptoms can extend to tissue distortion and it can even affect the eyes. It predominantly affects the nose, cheeks, forehead, and chin.

Is rosacea more common in perimenopause and menopause?

Kate explains that even though we may think that our rosacea has only developed since peri or menopause, we could have had it way before then but just not severely enough to cause us any concern.  She says, “Menopause is the second time in a woman’s life when hormones go awry. Problems might arise not just because our bodies are producing less oestrogen and progesterone, often it’s the imbalance between the hormones that can upset skin the most – particularly with rosacea.

Rosacea is an oily skin condition and when you have an imbalance of androgens (sex hormones) combined with hot flushes, the heat in the skin can exacerbate oil production, causing more inflammation, leading to breakouts. Add to this the fact that we have less collagen in menopause which makes the skin thinner and less able to camouflage the redness caused by broken capillaries, they will naturally appear more visible.

With the capillaries nearer the surface of the skin, they lack protection from the outside elements such as fluctuations of temperature and so are more susceptible to damage. Menopausal skin is also less hydrated which impairs the skin’s protective barrier and can lead to irritation and inflammation.”

Kate reassures me that it’s not all bad news for rosacea sufferers and there are simple lifestyle changes and skincare solutions which can help manage rosacea prone skin.

Common rosacea triggers

Anything that is consistently making the skin flush means you have a higher chance of capillary damage and the more the capillaries dilate and constrict, the more they will weaken, so try to avoid the following:

• Alcohol has the double whammy of dilating blood vessels and affecting the imbalance of hormones which can wreak havoc on the skin.
• Spicy food often contains the heat-producing compound capsaicin, which makes hot flushes worse.
• Caffeine can increase blood-flow to the skin and make you feel flushed so consider swapping your morning coffee for a healthy herbal tea.
• Steam rooms, saunas, and cold plunge pools promote extremes of temperature which is one of the most common ways to cause a rosacea flare-up.

Rosacea and wellbeing

It is understandable that a severe rosacea breakout might make you feel insecure about your looks, so the following feel-good, skin-loving tools are beneficial for a healthy mind and complexion:

• Exercise has been shown to increase collagen production for a plumper complexion, and can also improve sleep, which encourages the skin to self-repair. Avoid over exertion to prevent the face from reddening too much and try brisk walking, gentle weight-training, Pilates and yoga which are all great for menopause health.
• Mindful habits such as daily meditation, journaling and listening to calming music can help soothe an over-active nervous system which might trigger skin flare-ups.

Rosacea myths debunked

Myth: Rosacea needs to be treated like dry skin.

Truth: As Kate explained, rosacea stems from an overactive oily skin rather than dry skin, so getting a handle on it by choosing the right skincare regime will help.

Myth: White skins, particularly Celtic are more prone to rosacea.

Truth: While it’s true that rosacea can look more dramatic on paler skins, it doesn’t mean black or brown skin doesn’t also suffer, it’s just that it often goes undiagnosed. Kate says that black skins show rosacea with sebaceous hyperplasia (enlarged and clogged, bumpy pores). Lighter brown skin may look quite pretty and have what looks like a light flush across the cheeks, but it is actually capillary damage.

Myth: Having rosacea means you have sensitive skin.

Truth: Kate says, “People with rosacea have skin that has become sensitised – it is not in itself sensitive – and it can still be strengthened and improved back to its former health.”

Skincare tips to combat rosacea

Kate recommends:

• If you want to try a clinic facial, look for one that includes LED light therapy which I love for my clients. It is a safe, non-invasive, effective treatment for rosacea, using specific wavelengths of light to reduce inflammation and redness.
• Vitamin C should be added to your daily skincare regime – it’s good for strengthening capillaries.
• Invest in a sulphur-based mask which as well as being anti-inflammatory, also helps with oil flow. Sulphur supresses sebum production and has an anti-inflammatory, antibacterial effect as well.
• Go for water-based rather than oil-based serums as you want to avoid anything heavy and oily.
• Retinol will help to strengthen skin and thicken the collagen, providing cushioning and protection of the blood vessels underneath. Retinol also activates angiogenesis which produces new, healthy blood vessels and clears out old, damaged vessels. Start off with a 0.5% formulation and build up.
• Contrary to popular belief, not all acids in skincare are bad for rosacea. When cleansing, look for salicylic acid which helps to control oil. It’s anti-inflammatory and exfoliates the debris in the pores. Azelaic Acid boosts skin turnover to unclog pores and reduce inflammation. Glycolic Acid is one to avoid as it is more active and can be irritating on irritated skin.
• Never, ever go without sun protection. Wear it daily, even when the weather is rainy and cloudy.

Rosacea-friendly skincare

Here are my top product choices designed for optimal performance on rosacea-prone skin:

• A high-quality sunscreen is essential! Alpha-H Daily Essential Moisturiser SPF50+ is good. This formula is super lightweight and is rich in vitamin E, known for its skin soothing and anti-inflammatory properties.
• The delicate eye area needs hydrating and comforting. Bloom Effects Black Tulip Eye Cream contains azelaic acid, niacinamide, aloe and chamomile, all known to be beneficial for rosacea.
• To help control excessive oil, reduce inflammation and redness, add a little Sunday Riley B3 Nice 10% Niacinamide Serum every other day to help control excess oil and reduce inflammation and redness.

For more stories, advice and interviews, head to the Menopause Your Way Stories hub. To browse and shop a curated edit of menopause products, visit the Menopause Your Way page on QVC.

The content of the QVC website is for information only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the QVC website.

We understand there’s a lot of information out there on the menopause. You can read through the NICE guidance on menopause management, as well as the NHS overview on the menopause.

Initially, I thought this was simply the result of stress. As part of the sandwich generation – with young children and ageing parents to look after – life was giving me a bit of a kicking: I lost my job, my husband lost his job, my mother got breast cancer and a close friend died suddenly within the space of six months.

I stumbled around clueless for a couple of years, surrounded by a deafening wall of silence, convinced I had an auto- immune disease. Then, my periods started to behave oddly. Now, this was a change I understood and some further research brought up the word “perimenopause”. Once I realised everything was down to my waxing and waning oestrogen, rather than anything sinister, I decided to try out every natural product and approach available out there. And some that were really out there!

I started detailing my experiments on Instagram as ‘The Menopause Guinea Pig’. The list of things I have tried is extremely long but here are a few examples: distance reflexology, hormone yoga, earthing, sound baths, cacao ceremonies, acupuncture, numerous supplements, hot flush magnets, liquid fibre, probiotics, alternate nostril breathing, flatulence filtering underwear, collagen, cranial osteopathy, tapping, mouth taping, turmeric and tabasco to name but a few.

I am sure you have neither the time, money, nor the inclination, to give all of these a try. I have, therefore, picked out my most successful ventures to date to help ease a myriad of symptoms.

Cold water swimming

First up is cold water swimming. Stressing the body with cold water boosts your immune system, calms feeling of stress and anxiety, improves circulation, reduces inflammation and gives you a natural high. Now, I have braved the North Sea, but I prefer to get the benefits of cold water in a more conducive manner, namely in the shower. I “simply” turn the shower bit by bit to cold, thereby activating my parasympathetic nervous system (tend and befriend) and calming my sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight). Give it a go. It’s fairly hard going initially. You should be aiming for anywhere between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. I count to myself as I go and can still only manage 60 seconds, despite doing it every morning for years.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is my second suggestion. Initially, I was a little skeptical to try this. I was encouraged to fully engage with a domestic task (I chose ironing) and not to let my mind wander. If it did, I was to bring it back to listening to the sounds of the iron, noticing the creases leaving the material, feeling the fabric, and my grip on the iron. I went for it and spent the first five minutes giggling, which never happens when I am ironing. When I stopped being silly, and concentrated on the task, I realised that every time my mind was distracted, I was tightening my jaw and frowning, my shoulders were up by my ears and I was also clenching my buttocks. No wonder I’d had so many mysterious aches and pains for years! So, check in with your body from time to time. See if you are actively holding yourself together without noticing. Try to let go and relax.

Nutrition

Next up, take a closer look at what you eat. Consider adopting a healthier diet in midlife. Think the Mediterranean diet, without the pizza and the pasta. Foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, fish, beans, nuts and olive oil. Such a diet can help to ease many symptoms including brain fog and hot flushes. On the flip side it also makes sense to avoid inflammatory foods, such as fried foods, processed foods, refined carbs and sugary drinks.

Start moving

Get active. Give Pilates or yoga a try. Both strengthen your core and aid flexibility, postural alignment, balance and flexibility. They also help to activate your parasympathetic nervous system and calm everything down. A less low impact workout, but just as important in midlife, is strength training. Now, I’m not suggesting you rush out and buy a unitard and bag of chalk and start dead lifting thrice your bodyweight. A few simple exercises with resistance bands and hand held weights (or a tin of beans) will help to build bone and increase muscle strength. Hugely important as lower levels of oestrogen can increase the risk of osteoporosis.

Sexual discovery

Last, and most certainly not least – orgasms. Yes, really! Orgasms positively impact all peri/menopause symptoms. They help you sleep, strengthen and tone your pelvic floor, increase blood flow to the brain, release natural painkillers, lower levels of cortisol (stress hormone), stimulate the production of collagen and aid the body’s natural detoxification process. So there’s some homework for you to do – on your own or with a partner.

Let’s end on a high. You may be feeling, as I did, like a galloping catastrophe at the moment but that is not the end of the story. Oestrogen is often referred to as the “caring hormone” and I suspect, whether you have children and ageing parents or not, you will be devoting much of your time caring for those around you. As oestrogen starts to exit stage left, you may well find that you start to care less. Not in a negative way. You may find that you start to put yourself first. You might start to wonder what you will do with your second act. Could it be your best yet?

For more stories, advice and interviews, head to the Menopause Your Way Stories hub. To browse and shop a curated edit of menopause products, visit the Menopause Your Way page on QVC.

The content of the QVC website is for information only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the QVC website.

We understand there’s a lot of information out there on the menopause. You can read through the NICE guidance on menopause management, as well as the NHS overview on the menopause.

What’s a chronotype?

We’re all familiar with our circadian rhythm, the inner clock which regulates functions like sleep and appetite. However, chronotypes are another significant driver governing our body’s personal patterns. While our circadian rhythm and chronotypes work in tandem, they are completely separate.

Circadian rhythms are influenced by external factors like sunlight, but can be re-trained if needed, whereas chronotypes are genetic and almost impossible to influence or retrain.

According to Dr Michael Breus, clinical psychologist and sleep expert, “A chronotype is a genetically predetermined schedule of body function.” This means that each of us is genetically inclined to perform certain types of activities at certain times of the day.  Dr Breus asserts that scheduling your daily activities according to your chronotype “can lead to better sleep quality and overall well-being.”

What are the chronotype categories?

There are four chronotype categories, each represented by an animal: Bear, Lion, Wolf and Dolphin. Dr Breus suggests that by leaning into the natural tendencies of our ‘sleep animal’, we can schedule our daily tasks to align with when we are most productive. “You get to take advantage of when your hormones are naturally on the rise or at their peak and when you need them for any particular activity like exercise, sex, or even talking to your kids.”

According to the Sleep Doctor quiz, I’m a Bear, the most common chronotype. Our sleeping patterns follow the sun’s cycle and our peak productivity hours are between 10am and 2pm, which explains my 3pm energy crash and my natural aptitude for napping!

Figuring out your chronotype

Learning that I was officially a morning person was no great surprise to me, but learning when to schedule in each type of exercise to best effect was transformative.  I love running but had been squeezing those vigorous workouts in at lunchtime or after work, when I struggled to find the motivation or energy.

According to Dr Breus “If Bears don’t do their vigorous workout before noon, it’s not gonna happen”. In fact, the best time to schedule a run is around 7.30am.

Not feeling enthused by the thought of a walk to the gym on dark mornings, I cancelled my gym membership and hired a treadmill.  This has been a gamechanger for me – I can work out when it suits me, there’s no judgement, and its mere physical presence is a psychological nudge to get some steps in.

Now I set my alarm half an hour early and jump out of bed with enthusiasm (ok, on most days I jump out of bed!). I always listen to my body; some days I plug in Sia and run like a Pitbull is chasing me. If I’m feeling jaded, I catch up on my favourite podcast while walking briskly at a steep incline.  That way I feel like my body and my brain get a workout. At the end of my session, I feel exhausted but invigorated.  It’s a good kind of tired, not a weary kind.

According to Dr Breus, 12pm is the other sweet spot for runs, but I generally find I’ve lost my va va voom by then, so I sometimes take an early lunch and go for a brisk stomp around the park.

Making it work for you 

If I’m practicing yoga, I’ll do that immediately after work.  Sunset is an ideal ‘bear time’ for yoga, and by leaning into that, I find it much easier to wind down and ease myself into the evening. It acts as a mental and physical reset after a challenging day at work.  With the lighter nights coming in, I might switch Yoga for Pilates, as between 4pm and 7pm is the ideal window for strength training.  For me, Pilates combines the benefits of strength training with the wind-down vibes of yoga.

Studies have suggested that the act of co-ordinating our physical activity with our chronotypes can be a significant ally in our wellness journey. A recent study on sports performance and chronotypes suggested that “Sports trainers and coaches should take into account the influence of both the time of day and chronotype effect when scheduling training sessions” and there is further research linking chronotypes, sleep quality, exercise and diet with the importance of “personalized interventions to effectively address specific health behaviors”.

In midlife, more than ever, we need to be kind to ourselves and listen to our bodies.  Like many women my age, I’m juggling the demands of a busy life with the physical and psychological impacts of perimenopause.  With that in mind, I’m open to any new ideas that help support my fitness and wellbeing.  If that means leaning into my Bear tendencies and body’s natural rhythms, then I’m all for it.

Source

Michael Breus, Ph.D is a Diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine and a Fellow of The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and one of only 168 psychologists to pass the Sleep Medical Specialty Board without going to medical school. He holds a BA in Psychology from Skidmore College, and PhD in Clinical Psychology from The University of Georgia. Dr. Breus has been in private practice as a sleep doctor for nearly 25 years. Dr. Breus is a sought-after lecturer and his knowledge is shared daily in major national media worldwide including Today, Dr. Oz, Oprah, and for fourteen years as the sleep expert on WebMD. Dr. Breus is also the bestselling author of The Power of When, The Sleep Doctor’s Diet Plan, Good Night!, and Energize.

For more stories, advice and interviews, head to the Menopause Your Way Stories hub. To browse and shop a curated edit of menopause products, visit the Menopause Your Way page on QVC.

The content of the QVC website is for information only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the QVC website.

We understand there’s a lot of information out there on the menopause. You can read through the NICE guidance on menopause management, as well as the NHS overview on the menopause.

How did the brand get started and what inspired the name FEWE?

The last few years have seen a really positive increase in female wellness brands, tackling everything from incontinence to cycle care. It’s a really exciting space and we wanted to be a part of it as it aligned so strongly with our passions.

We saw a real opportunity for a range of products that supported women throughout their cycles, from puberty and menstruation through to menopause. The name FEWE literally stands for FEmale WEllness, and that’s what we are; a wellness brand for women, founded and led by women.

Tell us about FEWE formulas

Our products are formulated with our consumers in mind, and are enriched with botanical extracts like turmeric, lavender and rosemary. Additionally, products like Don’t Cramp My Style Oil are fortified with science-backed essential nutrients to help support your overall wellbeing.

For example, we include Vitamin A which contributes to the maintenance of normal skin and a normal functioning immune system. Zinc contributes to normal cognitive function, the maintenance of normal bones, hair, skin and nails as well as contributing to the maintenance of normal testosterone levels in the blood. Magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness, fatigue and maintain a normal energy-yielding metabolism. It’s important for us to use these kinds of ingredients to ensure our products are truly efficacious.

What are your hero products that put you on the map?

The Vulva Serum is definitely a hero product of ours. While there are many products to support the symptoms of menopause, there is perhaps still a bit of nervousness around launching products quite as intimate as this one. We haven’t shied away from it. While it may be a relatively novel kind of intimate care, it has such a clear use with such a tangible benefit that it’s one of the bestselling, most asked about and most reviewed products.

Calm Balm is another hero product because of its range of benefits and uses. We have women of all ages using this one throughout menstruation through to menopause. It’s a fantastic multi-purpose product and is purposely a very convenient size so you can carry it about with you discreetly.

The kits are just brilliant too. While each product individually has its own unique use and purpose, combining them together for targeted support is what we find our consumers really benefit from.

There are between 40-70 symptoms of menopause and every woman’s journey is different. Some may struggle particularly with sleep, while for others it may be mood fluctuations. Having a couple of products in your arsenal to target these things specifically, whenever they strike, can really make a difference. The kits also make great gifts; we often have women purchasing for their daughters as they reach puberty and similarly younger women purchasing for their mothers, another great indicator for the improvement in education around menopause.

Shop the full FEWE range.

For more stories, advice and interviews, head to the Menopause Your Way Stories hub. To browse and shop a curated edit of menopause products, visit the Menopause Your Way page on QVC.

The content of the QVC website is for information only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the QVC website.

We understand there’s a lot of information out there on the menopause. You can read through the NICE guidance on menopause management, as well as the NHS overview on the menopause.