This post contains affiliate links. When you click and shop the links, I may receive a commission. I'm an esthetician, not a doctor, and this is my experience, not medical advice.

It Started Around 40

Around 40, I noticed my skin looked a little off. I started Botox and it helped. Then, at 43, everything I put on my face suddenly burned and set my skin off.

That was new for me. I'd always been able to use whatever I wanted with ease. It sent me on a spiral, searching for perimenopause skincare routines and products that could get me through this stage of life.

If any of that sounds familiar, this one is for you.

What's Happening Under the Skin

The short version: hormones. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, falling hormone levels thin the skin and make it harder for it to hold water, and a shift in the skin's pH can leave it more sensitive and more prone to rashes. Breakouts and thinning hair can show up too.

So when a product you've loved for ten years suddenly stings, it may not be the product. It may be you, and that's not a bad thing to know.

What to Look Out For

These are the changes I had myself, or see in friends, colleagues, and clients.

• Frizzy hair and hair loss. Looking back, this was probably my first sign. Nutrafol and K18 treatments helped for a while. I alternate between having the K18 professionally done in the salon and just doing it myself in a long shower. Now I have a full 12-step routine, or my hair falls out in clumps and I look like the fourth sister from Hocus Pocus.
• Perioral dermatitis. This came next. It's a rash of small bumps around the mouth that can burn, and it hit me out of nowhere. It has been tough to keep under control. I wrote more about it here. 
• Sensitivity where it never existed before. Products, weather, even fabrics that never bothered you.
• Sudden dry skin, plus breakouts in new places. When a client sits down and tells me this, I know it's time to switch things up.
• Frozen shoulder. This was my biggest worry. It's common in my industry because of how much we use our bodies, and many of my friends and colleagues have suffered from it. It's also especially common in women between 40 and 60, and researchers are studying a possible link to falling estrogen. Great clinical and sports massages have helped me keep it away so far.
• Acne around the chin.  Hard cysts under the skin around the chin and jawline--even if you never suffered from acne as a teen!

The Biggest Mistake I See

Over-exfoliating and switching products every week. When skin starts acting up, the instinct is to throw something new at it. What it needs is the opposite: take it back to the basics and give your barrier time to recover.  You will make it worse by throwing more acids, and scrubs at it.  Clients come to me after months of trying to exfoliate away their new skin issues, only for me to tell them it's now medical and they need assistance.  Again, we scale back to a basic protective routine while we plan next steps.

My Product Switches

What I cut: harsh peels, strong actives and exfoliants.

What I use now:

• Cleanse: HydroPeptide Cashmere Cleanse in the morning and as my pre-cleanse at night, followed by the Face Reality Ultra Gentle Gel Cleanser.
• Treat: Plated Intense Serum and skinbetter science Mystro Revive.
• Eyes: Sunday Riley Auto Correct. Use code DORAN15 for 15% off.
• Moisturize: Marini Age Intervention Face Cream.
• Protect: Ourself SPF or the Face Reality Physical SPF.
• Before bed: I cleanse and apply this back-to-basics cream. Use code DORAN10.

That cream belongs in every woman's toolkit. Any time I feel the tingle of perioral dermatitis coming on or my skin starts feeling dry and rough, I apply it generously, like a mask, right before bed.

Sometimes I'll do a more intense routine at night. Like the Hydropeptide Exfoliating cleanser once or twice a week. For now, this is all my skin can handle.

Body: I used to use whatever. Now I'm very intentional. It's almost exclusively Epicuren Rosemary Lave and After Bath. Everything else irritates me at times. My skin and my mood!

Hair: A constant revolving door, but for the most part it's the Davines OI line and weekly K18 treatments.

In the Treatment Room

For this client, the Glo2Facial Protect and Hydrate treatments are amazing. Both hydrate deeply.

The exfoliation pod creates tiny CO2 bubbles on the skin, and your body answers by sending oxygen from the blood up to the surface. It's called the Bohr effect, and it means the skin is oxygenated from within, which is where that radiance comes from.

Protect has a calming effect that is great for perimenopause skin. It is the one I reach for the most throughout the day as an Esthetician. Pairing it with the Hydropeptide Rejuvenating Mask a calming blend of kaolin clay, peptides and plant-based stem cells to help with sensitivity in the skin.

When It's Time for a Doctor

When I suspect perimenopause, I encourage clients to see their doctor, run labs and find out where their hormone levels are. At the least, try Function Health. From there your doctor can guide you on supplements, and you and I can focus on the skincare.

Some skin needs to go medical, and most of the time I can tell at a glance. A rash around the mouth that won't clear, hair coming out in clumps, or shoulder pain and stiffness that keeps getting worse all deserve a doctor's eyes. Many clients resist it. I do my best to coach them toward a doctor while supporting their skin and building a strong, healthy barrier.  I've been know to pick up the phone and book an appointment with a Dr. if they resist too long!

What I Wish Someone Had Told Me

Pay attention. That flare-up wasn't just a bad foundation or the wrong product. Something else was happening under the skin.

I also wish I'd started supplements sooner, before I started feeling crummy. This creatine powder has been amazing for me. Check with your doctor before you add a supplement.

My Perimenopause Must-Have Tool Kit

This section contains affiliate links. When you click and shop the links, I may receive a commission.

Are you in it too? Tell me your first sign in the comments.