Why Has My Skin Suddenly Become So Dry in My 40s?
If your skin has suddenly become dry in your 40s even though you haven't changed your skincare? There may be a surprisingly simple explanation.
Your skin is changing.
Perhaps the moisturiser you've happily used for years suddenly doesn't feel like enough. Your cheeks feel tight by lunchtime. Your skin feels rough or flaky. Makeup seems to settle differently. Products you've always used suddenly sting.
Or perhaps you look in the mirror and everything looks reasonably normal, but your skin just doesn't feel like your skin anymore.
For many women, these changes begin during perimenopause and become more noticeable around menopause.
And no, the answer isn't necessarily to throw everything away and buy an elaborate new skincare routine.
It may simply be time to understand what your skin needs now.
Why is my skin so dry in my 40s?
Two important things can be happening at the same time.
As we get older, our skin naturally produces less sebum - the oily substance that helps keep skin soft and protects it from losing moisture. Sebum production can drop significantly during our 40s.
At the same time, the hormonal changes associated with perimenopause and menopause can affect the skin's ability to retain water.
So your changing skin can find itself with less natural oil and less ability to hold onto moisture.
That can leave it feeling:
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dry or tight
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rough or flaky
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itchy or uncomfortable
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dull
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more sensitive
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less soft and supple than it once did
And it explains something many women find particularly confusing.
You can have spent years with normal, combination or even oily skin and suddenly find yourself dealing with dryness.
Can perimenopause cause dry skin?
Yes. Oestrogen plays an important role in the skin, including its hydration, collagen and barrier function.
As oestrogen fluctuates and eventually declines through perimenopause and menopause, skin can become drier, thinner and less able to retain moisture. For some women, the change is gradual. For others, it can seem remarkably sudden.
One day your usual skincare routine is doing its job. Then suddenly you're wondering why you're applying moisturiser in the morning only for your skin to feel dry again a few hours later.
If you've found yourself Googling:
Why has my skin suddenly become so dry?
Why is my skin so dry in my 40s?
Does perimenopause cause dry skin?
Why is my face dry even when I moisturise?
You're asking exactly the questions many other women are asking too.
Why isn't my moisturiser working anymore?
It might not be that your moisturiser has stopped working. Your skin has changed. Think of the outer layer of your skin as a protective barrier. One of its jobs is to keep moisture from escaping. When skin becomes drier and produces less of its own natural oil, a light moisturiser that was perfectly adequate in your 30s may simply no longer feel like enough.
There is also a difference between hydrating dry skin and helping it stay soft and nourished. Ingredients such as glycerine and hyaluronic acid are humectants, which help attract and hold water. Emollient and oil-rich products have a different role: they help soften and smooth the skin and support that comfortable, supple feeling dry skin can lose.
For particularly dry midlife skin, the answer may therefore be layering rather than endlessly reapplying the same lightweight moisturiser.
Could your skincare routine actually be making dryness worse?
Possibly. When our skin changes, we don't always change our habits with it. You may still be cleansing, exfoliating and treating your skin exactly as you did five or ten years ago.
Hot showers, harsh soaps and cleansers, frequent exfoliation and some active skincare products can all make already-dry skin feel even more uncomfortable. And this is where I think midlife skincare sometimes gets it wrong. We're constantly encouraged to do more as we get older.
More acids. More treatments. More exfoliation. More ingredients promising to correct every visible sign of ageing. But sometimes changing skin is asking us for the opposite.
Less fighting. More nurturing.
What actually helps dry skin in your 40s?
Start with the basics. Choose a gentle cleanser and avoid leaving your skin feeling squeaky-clean or tight. Use lukewarm rather than very hot water.
Apply moisturiser after washing, while there is still some moisture on your skin. If your skin is particularly dry, consider a richer cream rather than a very light lotion.
Wear broad-spectrum SPF 30 or above every day to help protect changing skin from further sun damage. And pay attention to how your skin responds to exfoliants and active ingredients. Something your skin tolerated beautifully five years ago may feel very different today. Then, if your skin still feels as though it has lost that lovely softness it once had, you might want to introduce a facial oil.
Should I use a face oil on dry skin?
A facial oil doesn't replace water, so think of it as a nourishing step rather than your only source of hydration.
You can apply a few drops after your moisturiser, or use it as part of an evening skincare ritual, depending on what suits your skin. For dry midlife skin, a well-formulated facial oil can help the skin feel softer, smoother and more comfortable.
But there's another reason I love this step. It makes you use your hands. Instead of quickly applying another product and rushing on to the next thing, warm a few drops between your palms. Press them gently over your face. Massage slowly. Notice your jaw. Your forehead. Your cheeks. The places you've been unconsciously holding tension all day.
Suddenly skincare isn't just something you're putting on yourself. It's a moment you're giving to yourself.
What if my skin is suddenly extremely dry or itchy?
Although dry skin is common as we get older and around menopause, hormones aren't the only possible cause. Weather, central heating, hot showers, certain medicines and skin conditions can all contribute to dryness.
If your skin has changed dramatically, is persistently itchy, cracked, painful, inflamed or doesn't improve with gentle skincare and regular moisturising, it's worth speaking to your GP or a dermatologist rather than simply assuming it's menopause. Your skin deserves to be listened to.
Bring back the softness
The experience of changing skin was part of the thinking behind the Herbelara Face & Body Oil.
Herbelara is skincare created with women in midlife and beyond in mind, when skin can start asking for something different. Not because there's anything wrong with getting older. And not because we're trying to make our skin look 25 again. But because dry, changing skin deserves to feel comfortable, cared for and beautifully nourished.
After moisturising, warm a few drops of Face & Body Oil between your hands and gently press and massage it into your skin. Don't rush. Take a few breaths. Let your shoulders drop. And give your skin and yourself a little of the softness that can disappear from everyday life. Because perhaps the question isn't:
“How do I get my old skin back?”
Perhaps it's:
“What does my skin need from me now?”
Your skin has changed.
You don't need to fight it.
You can learn to care for it differently.
Bring back the softness.
My Skin. My Self.