Menopause may be best known for hot flashes and mood swings, but it can also come with many other less talked-about symptoms, including\u00a0skin changes.<\/p>\n
Studies have shown that a majority of women report skin problems as they age \u2014 in particular, one they might not have experienced since their teen years.<\/p>\n
Dr. Amy Wechsler, a dual board-certified dermatologist and psychiatrist in Manhattan, specializes in treating\u00a0perimenopausal <\/a>and menopausal\u00a0women who are battling acne \u2014 sometimes for the first time in their lives.<\/p>\n \u201cFor them, it\u2019s just horrible because they\u2019ve never had it \u2014 it\u2019s so foreign to them,\u201d she told Fox News Digital. \u201cThere\u2019s so much psychological overlap and effects of acne on people in terms of lowering self-esteem and self-confidence, and\u00a0causing anxiety\u00a0and sometimes depression.\u201d<\/p>\n Midlife paradox<\/strong><\/p>\n For most women, there are two \u201cpeaks of acne\u201d \u2014 one during adolescence and another at perimenopause and menopause, according to the doctor.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere are many women who have been clear of acne for 20 years, and then, starting at around 40-ish, they start to break out again,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd this time it\u2019s centered around their lower face, chin and jawline, which is where\u00a0hormonal acne\u00a0tends to occur.\u201d<\/p>\n Menopause brings unexpected skin changes like acne, even for women who haven\u2019t had it since their teens. deniskomarov \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n \u201cWomen often come to see me, at age 35 to 55, complaining about wrinkles and pimples \u2014 and they feel too young for their wrinkles and too old for their pimples,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n While men who have a genetic predisposition for acne may continue to break out into older adulthood, for women, \u201cthere\u2019s a particular hormonal component from the late 30s through the early 50s, around perimenopause and menopause.\u201d<\/p>\n The breakouts usually stop when menopause is finished, Wechsler said.<\/p>\n Some studies have suggested that taking GLP-1 weight loss and\u00a0diabetes medications\u00a0could increase acne prevalence, but others have not identified a link.<\/p>\n \u201cI see patients all day long who are taking GLP-1s, so I would imagine if there were a link, I probably would have picked up on something by now,\u201d Wechsler said.<\/p>\n