A cream you didn't know you needed, for menopausal skin

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It is no secret that anti-aging creams are one of the most profitable fields in beauty, and recently, there has been a surge in 'preventive' ranges for women in their 20s. But a cream to help with menopausal skin? Vichy thinks it's an issue.

At the risk of making a not-so-popular statement, the beauty brand claims that mood swings and heat waves aren't the only things women have to worry about during menopause: apparently, that period in your life makes your skin sag, too.

"The decrease in estrogen levels in your body can cause your skin to become thinner and sag," explained lab workers researching for the brand. Less density of the skin then results in less-defined features, aging the face. "Skin naturally loses 6% of its thickness every 10 years, and this rate doubles after menopause," they said.

Dr. Brandith Irwin, working at the Madison Skin & Laser Center in Seattle (her site: http://www.skintour.com) confirms that women's skin indeed drastically changes during menopause but that there are several ways this can be prevented or treated.

"Anything that builds collagen in your skin will help to maintain that youthful thickness, glow, and reflectivity," she explains. "Renova/Tazorac/Retin-A/tretinon are all names for prescription vitamin-A creams." Estrogen creams can also work wonders on your skin, but Irwin strongly advises to see a doctor before applying, even though these creams are widely available.

Also, scrubs are good because they "send a signal to the deeper layers of the skin to become more active." Irwin recommends Bobbi Brown's Skin Refining Cream but says any of your favorite gentle scrubs should do the trick.

And there's also an upside to menopausal skin: "Oil production is less after menopause, which gets rid of acne (eventually) and helps to shrink pore size," says Irwin. "Your skin is more consistent and not subject to pre-menopausal fluctuation."

Vichy's Neovadiol GF, which has been available on selected markets for a while now and is being launched in the US, retails from $48.

http://www.vichyusa.com