What's the best way of dealing with menopause?

Menopause simply means the end of a woman's reproductive years.

It generally occurs around the age of 50, but every woman is different: it can happen any time between the age of 40 and 55. The biggest sign that menopause has arrived is when your periods stop for good: after 12 months of zero periods, you’re officially considered menopausal.

From around the age of 40, the hormones your ovaries have been producing since puberty begin to gradually drop off, until they stop altogether: oestrogen and progesterone are no longer secreted, meaning ovulation stops and your periods dry up. Although some may struggle with no longer having periods and what it means, this is a weight off some women’s shoulders, especially those who had intense PMS symptoms and painful periods.

Menopause is when you hit peak femininity. Now that you don’t have your periods and contraception to worry about, a new chapter can start!

Menopause isn’t an overnight thing. It’s a natural transition that can take a little time to set in. This intermediary period generally happens in your forties and spans several years: at this point, you’re what’s called ‘perimenopausal’.

The first warning signs disrupt your menstrual cycle: as oestrogen and progesterone levels plummet, your periods become irregular and may even stop for several months. You might also find your periods become more frequent. These hormonal changes can wreak havoc with what you're used to: suddenly, your flow might seem ultra-heavy, or barely-there light. The pains in your uterus might intensify, and your PMS might worsen: bloating, mood swings, headaches, and more.

Three out of every four women are likely to experience other symptoms, too: the dreaded ‘hot flashes', as well as night sweats, fatigue, disrupted sleep patterns, and irritability. The culprit behind all this? Hormones, as usual! Your body is undergoing major changes, and over the next few years, your oestrogen and progesterone rates will gradually drop off until they vanish completely. Women experience menopause differently, and symptoms can vary from one person to the next.

Some report zero symptoms, while others have a hard time with it - especially when it comes to hot flashes. If that sounds familiar, feel free to talk to your GP or gynecologist about it: menopause isn't off limits and shouldn’t be taboo. There are hormonal therapies you can draw on to relieve your symptoms, and don't forget that this too will pass: you’ll soon be back to normal and feeling better than ever.

Menopause is about so much more than periods and fertility. These hormonal shifts have repercussions on a woman’s body, causing it to progressively change.

Some disruptions triggered by menopause (hot flashes, insomnia, mood swings) fade with time: after a few months or years, depending on each woman, you’ll find these issues resolve themselves, leaving you able to relax again. Other changes are tied to cell aging: your metabolism slows down, weight gain is fairly frequent, skin dryness sets in and wrinkles deepen, hair becomes brittle, your libido may go into hibernation and you may have to deal with vaginal dryness, too. The best way of treating the various symptoms linked to menopause is to learn to listen to yourself and be patient. Clarins helps soften the passing of time and supports you in achieving beautiful skin whatever your age.

You might have changed, but you're not an entirely different person, either: you’ll need to learn about yourself all over again, and make peace with your new body. Yes, your body is aging. But it still has so much potential for you to tap into!

Free from periods, and free from the hassle that goes with them, too.

As your fertility winds down, your periods disappear, and your body changes, the upheavals that go hand in hand with menopause can sap your self-confidence and lust for life. Change is afoot, and you can feel age set in, sometimes bringing aches and pains with it. But you don't have to see menopause as a loss, or the end of something: it also marks the beginning of a new life stage, and a new approach to accepting your body and feeling a sense of self-fulfilment.

The kids have left home, and you have time to yourself again. You’re brimming with life experience and the wisdom of your years. Whether you're menopausal or not, you’ve grown into a woman to be proud of. Now more than ever before, you have everything you need to create, imagine, dream, explore your urges, start something new and live your life to the max, looking after yourself without remorse or regret. Now is the time to seize each moment to the fullest: what if this new-found maturity could unlock new possibilities?

Women's skin isn't spared during menopause, either.

As hormones plummet, the very fabric of your skin changes, too: cell turnover slows down, and the skin’s ability to regenerate itself is dampened. Skin cells start producing less collagen and elastin, the two key ingredients to ensuring firmness and elasticity. Hydration powerhouse hyaluronic acid occurs naturally in the skin, and this too drops off,

causing it to become thinner, drier, and more sensitive, as wrinkles deepen and become more pronounced, especially around the eyes and mouth. You might notice sagging and a loss of firmness and plumpness around the face. Women often dread this stage in the aging process, but there’s no need to panic! Clarins makes menopausal women a priority with its range of tailored anti-aging face creams.

Just think: all those lines and creases hold memories, mapping out the good times you’ve had. And don’t forget that only 30% of skin aging is actually age-related. The remaining 70% is down to external factors like sun, tobacco, alcohol, pollution, a lack of sleep, poor diet, and stress. To keep skin looking its best, its now more vital than ever before that you start practising self-care with a healthy, nurturing lifestyle. Thanks to Clarins’ skincare range specifically formulated to tackle these needs, your skin still has so much to look forward to! 

A new winning day-and-night duo for youthful skin.

Clarins has been researching mature skin’s specific needs for many years now, revealing what lies at the heart of the skin-slackening that occurs during menopause: hormonal changes that trigger a loss of collagen and elastin, lack of tone in fibroblasts (all-important cells for youthful-looking skin), and a slowing down of cell turnover rates.

The third-generation of our Super Restorative skincare range harnesses these 18 years of expertise and incorporates Clarins’ latest breakthrough innovations to tackle menopause-related skin-aging. Skincare specifically designed for women aged 50 and above, on hand to see them through the day and deep into the night. The new Super Restorative Day and Night duo is a powerful anti-aging tag team specifically formulated for skin left compromised by a drop in hormone levels. These deliciously rich, dense creams work day and night to tackle wrinkles and loss of density to protect and regenerate your epidermis. Skin is left taut, toned and immediately smoothed. Wrinkles are visibly blurred. The lines of the face appear lifted. Skin is replenished.  Revitalized. Regenerated. And radiant!

A powerful anti-aging active ingredient sourced from deep within nature.

The story of how our Super Restorative skincare was born is a fascinating one. In 2014, Clarins ethnobotanist  Jean-Pierre Nicolas travelled to Africa, where he discovered a tree with powerful regenerating properties: the haronga. In 2020, after six years of research, the Clarins Laboratories succeeded in tapping into this natural treasure trove to extract an organic active ingredient with powerful anti-aging effectiveness, capable of regenerating skin to reveal its youthful glow. Haronga emerged as being just as powerful as super-star molecule retinol.

In 2022, the Clarins experts discovered that by pairing haronga with gorse, another organic anti-sagging heavy-lifter, its powers were multiplied. The third-generation of our Super Restorative Day and Night Creams was born. Deep in the heart of their formulas, these two new plant-based active ingredients get to work to tackle the signs of aging. And because skin needs different care throughout the day, the Super Restorative line provides round-the-clock goodness: • The Super Restorative Day Cream, enriched with plant-based squalane to shield and protect. • The Super Restorative Night Cream, enriched with organic rowan buds to restore radiance and glow.

Day after day, night after night, skin is regenerated.

The years are mapped on your hands.

Hands are on the front-line when it comes to aging, yet women generally tend to focus more on their faces. But the sun, wind, cold and water all take their toll, bit by bit and day after day. At 50, the skin on your hands becomes thinner and looser, with brown spots appearing and nails becoming brittle. Time to get a handle on it! 

Enriched with replenishing, evening and fortifying plant-based extracts, the Super Restorative Anti-Age Spot Replenishing Hand Cream keeps hands and nails looking youthful and beautiful: day after day, skin is replenished, age spots fade, and nails are strengthened.

Your hands tell a story - and it’s a beautiful one!

People often skip their neck and décolleté in their beauty routines.

Yet the skin in these areas is very delicate and highly exposed. The signs of passing time crop up here and don’t let go: wrinkles, creasing, age spots, and sagging.

Why resign yourself to keeping your body under wraps, tucked away behind scarves and high necklines? The Super Restorative Décolleté and Neck Concentrate has been specifically formulated to keep skin here looking beautiful and youthful: from the chin down to the tops of your breasts, this comfortable, non-greasy concentrate gets to work on improving skin texture and quality thanks to the replenishing, evening and beautifying properties of its plant extracts. Skin is left replenished, firmed, smoothed, and brimming with all the radiance of youth.

Time marches steadily on... But so what? Wear what feels right!

Unlock your skin’s natural youthfulness in three easy steps, morning and night:

1 Start with the Super Restorative Remodelling Serum: an incredible anti-aging concentrate that lifts the contours of the face and helps replenish skin while blurring age spots and blemishes.  A few drops applied to your face and neck with your fingertips are all you need.

2 Next, it’s time to focus on the eye contour area. This part of the face is particularly delicate, and needs extra tender loving care: treat eyes to the intense and effective Total Eye Lift for expert skincare specifically designed to perfect the skin around your eyes, filling wrinkles, replenishing skin, and blurring dark circles. Eyes look rested and sparkling, as if younger than ever.

3 Finish off with the brand-new Super Restorative Cream both day and night: reach for the Day cream in the morning, and the Night cream before bed. Thanks to the organic haronga and gorse extracts, skin is revitalized and the signs of aging erased.

Get glowing with youthful radiance!

Once menopause hits, women tend to start losing muscle mass. Your metabolism slows down, your body shape changes, your waistline thickens and your tummy softens. Keeping in shape feels harder than ever. But it doesn't have to be! Post-50 weight gain isn't just about hormonal changes, it’s about sedentary lifestyle and poor diet, too.

The best way of tackling this is to adapt to your body’s emerging needs by keeping an eye on your health and embracing (or maintaining) good habits, a healthy lifestyle, and regular exercise. Don’t be put off by hot flashes or the fact that you’re out of practice. Listen to your body. Pay attention to your inner voice. Whip yourself back in shape with Clarins. Exfoliate your body once or twice a week. Massage our iconic tonic oil into your legs, thighs, stomach and arms. Turn your bathroom into your very own spa@home! Read up on improving your diet without going overboard or depriving yourself, either. Focus on healthy foods and well-balanced meals. Get moving, walk every day, swap the bus for your bike, meet up with friends at the pool: not only is all this good for the body, it’s good for the soul, too. Slim down and tone up!

Keep hold of everything you most love about yourself!

Menopause doesn’t mean a numbed libido. Far from it. 

So that's another load off your mind! However, it's true that this time in a woman’s life can trigger changes that might knock your sex drive off balance. Once again, it's all in the hormones: unexpected hot flashes, a libido that’s missing in action, and vaginal dryness paired with urinary trouble can often crop up. You might find it takes longer and more effort to feel aroused, but don’t give up! Connection with your partner will play an even bigger role within your relationship. Take your time, and work up to the big moment. You can rest assured that the same old pleasure is still within reach: menopause doesn’t have an impact on the quality of women's orgasms. Better yet, it can sometimes pave the way for a whole new honeymoon period with your partner. Now that the kids have left the nest and you don’t have to worry about contraception, menopause is the perfect time to focus on your own needs and desires!