Skin and Hair Changes in Menopause: What Helps

Q: Why does skin become drier and thinner during menopause?

Oestrogen drives collagen and helps your skin make its own natural hydrators. When it falls during menopause and stays low, your skin makes less collagen and holds onto less moisture. Your skin can feel drier, grow thinner over time, and take longer to recover from minor damage.

Q: Is hair thinning in menopause the same as permanent hair loss?

Hair thinning in menopause comes from hormonal shifts that slow the growth cycle, so your hair grows more slowly and feels finer. One pattern, Female Pattern Hair Loss (FPHL), shows up as thinning across the crown and sides, linked to androgens becoming relatively more dominant as oestrogen falls. How much your hair settles or returns varies from person to person. If hair loss is worrying you, speak to your GP, as there are other causes worth ruling out.

Q: Which foods may help support skin and hair during menopause?

Protein-rich foods like fish, eggs and tofu supply the amino acids your body uses to make collagen. Omega-3 fats, found in oily fish, walnuts, flaxseeds and chia seeds, may help your skin stay hydrated and support healthy hair follicles. These are supportive choices rather than treatments, and how much they help varies. A GP or registered dietitian can offer guidance tailored to you.

Q: What skincare ingredients are worth knowing about for menopausal skin?

Gentle, non-foaming cleansers and regular moisturising make a practical base. Vitamin C often features in skincare routines for its part in supporting collagen. Retinol (vitamin A) is another ingredient that comes up for this stage of life. Over-the-counter retinol is the place to begin, while prescription-strength versions call for a conversation with your GP or a dermatologist. Daily sun protection is worth keeping up too.

Q: When should you speak to a GP about skin or hair changes in menopause?

If your hair loss is fast, patchy, or comes with other symptoms like fatigue or weight changes, it is worth seeing your GP soon, as these can point to a separate cause such as a thyroid problem or low nutrient levels. For your skin, if anything worries you, including new lesions, ongoing irritation or a marked change in texture, a GP or dermatologist can take a look. More general menopause changes can be raised with your GP alongside the rest of your menopause care.

A woman with short hair and fair skin using her hands to comb through it.

The information in this article is for general informational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical or dietary advice, particularly during pregnancy. If you are outside the UK, please consult your local doctor, midwife, or healthcare provider for guidance that reflects your country's recommendations.

Your skin may feel drier than it used to. A blemish or a scratch takes longer to settle. The texture has shifted, and it catches the light differently. Your hair might feel finer, or you notice more of it coming away when you brush. During menopause, falling oestrogen affects your skin and hair in direct ways, and understanding what is happening can help you make sense of what your body is doing.

How falling oestrogen changes your skin

When your skin feels drier, itchier or more easily irritated, oestrogen is often part of the story. It drives collagen production, which gives your skin its strength and stretch, and it helps your skin make its own natural hydrators, including hyaluronic acid. When oestrogen falls and stays low, both of those jobs slow down. Your skin can become drier, thinner, more sensitive, and slower to repair.³

Collagen loss tends to speed up in the early years after menopause, then continues more slowly after that. Over time, your skin becomes thinner and less springy. How fast this happens, and how much you notice it, varies from person to person, though the direction of the change is fairly consistent.¹

What causes hair thinning?

If you are noticing more hair in your brush or less volume than you are used to, this is a common part of menopause. As oestrogen and progesterone fall, your hair tends to grow more slowly and feel finer.⁴

One particular pattern becomes more common around menopause: a gradual thinning across the crown and sides rather than a single area or sudden change. One particular pattern becomes more common around menopause: a gradual thinning across the crown and sides rather than a single area or sudden change. It happens because as oestrogen falls, other hormones that have always been present become relatively more dominant, and that can shorten the active growing phase of each hair. If you notice this kind of thinning it is worth mentioning to your GP, partly because hair loss can come from other causes too, thyroid changes and low nutrient levels among them, and knowing what is behind it makes a difference to what helps.⁵

Nutrition that supports skin and hair

What you eat gives your skin and hair the materials they are built from. Protein supplies the building blocks for collagen, and foods like fish, eggs and tofu carry the amino acids your body uses to make it. Omega-3 fats, found in oily fish, walnuts, flaxseeds and chia seeds, may help your skin hold onto moisture and support healthy hair follicles. Eating these regularly, as part of a varied diet, keeps the raw materials coming.²

This kind of eating works alongside the rest of your health rather than standing in for medical advice. If you have specific concerns about nutrition during menopause, your GP is a good place to start.

Woman looking at her reflection in the mirror.

Skincare approaches for menopausal skin

If your skin feels drier and more easily irritated, a few small changes to your routine can help. A gentle, non-foaming cleanser is less likely to strip your skin's natural oils. Moisturising morning and evening supports the skin barrier. Daily sun protection is worth adding to your mornings if it is not already there.⁶

A few ingredients come up often when people talk about supporting collagen. Vitamin C appears in many skincare products for this reason. Retinol, a form of vitamin A, is another that often features in skincare guidance for this stage of life. If you want to try retinol, over-the-counter products are the sensible place to begin. If you are pregnant or trying to conceive, it is best to avoid topical vitamin A products. Prescription-strength vitamin A is a separate category, and that one calls for a chat with your GP or a dermatologist.

What you can expect over time

The changes you see and feel in your skin and hair during menopause are real, and they have a clear basis in your body. They come from what steadily lower oestrogen does to the structures that rely on it. Your collagen density, skin hydration and hair growth cycles all shift. How visible or noticeable this is varies a lot from one person to the next, and there is a fair range of things you can do to support your skin and hair through it.

Skincare, food and daily habits can all help, though they work slowly and results vary. The aim is steady, consistent support for your skin and hair, rather than reversing a natural process.

If skin or hair changes are affecting you and you want to look at your options, including what is available through your GP, menopause guidance at nhs.uk is a useful place to start.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does skin become drier and thinner during menopause?

Is hair thinning in menopause the same as permanent hair loss?

Which foods may help support skin and hair during menopause?

What skincare ingredients are worth knowing about for menopausal skin?

When should you speak to a GP about skin or hair changes in menopause?

Sources

[1] What is collagen?

Research suggests that collagen loss accelerates significantly in the early postmenopausal years, with more gradual losses continuing after that, contributing to skin that is thinner and less elastic.
[2] What to eat for healthy hair

Protein-rich foods including fish, eggs, and tofu provide the building blocks for collagen, while omega-3 fatty acids from oily fish, nuts, and seeds help hydrate skin and nourish hair follicles.
[3] What is happening to your skin and hair during the change?

Oestrogen plays a significant role in stimulating collagen production, which gives skin its strength and elasticity. It also supports the skin's ability to produce natural hydrators, including hyaluronic acid.
[4] newvictoria.co.uk

As oestrogen and progesterone fall, hair tends to grow more slowly and become finer.
[5] Menopausal hair loss — Women's Health Concern factsheet

Female Pattern Hair Loss (FPHL), also known as androgenetic alopecia, involves thinning at the crown and sides and is caused by the relative increase in androgens as oestrogen levels fall, which shortens the hair's active growth phase.
[6] Looking After Your Skin, Nails and Hair during the Perimenopause and Menopause

Using gentle, non-foaming cleansers, moisturising twice daily, and using daily sun protection are recommended approaches for managing menopausal skin. Skincare ingredients like vitamin C and retinols (vitamin A) can help slow collagen loss.