Perimenopause, Menopause, and Dry Skin: Why It Happens and How to Keep Skin Comfortable

Then there are the smaller changes no one necessarily warned you about.

Like suddenly wondering why your skin is so dry.

Or why your legs itch after a shower.

Or why a sweater you have owned for years suddenly feels like it was woven from sandpaper.

Dry, itchy, more easily irritated skin can be a very real part of perimenopause and menopause. It can also be surprisingly uncomfortable. And while skincare cannot change the hormonal shifts behind it, understanding what is happening can make it much easier to give changing skin the extra support it needs.

Why Does Skin Get Drier During Perimenopause and Menopause?

Estrogen does much more than regulate the reproductive system. It also plays an important role in skin health.

Among other things, estrogen helps support skin hydration, collagen, elasticity, sebum production, and barrier function. As estrogen begins fluctuating during perimenopause and eventually declines through menopause, several of those systems can change along with it. Research has associated estrogen decline with decreased skin moisture, changes in sebum production, increased water loss, reduced collagen, and changes in the skin barrier.¹ ² ³

In simpler terms, skin can become less effective at holding onto the things that keep it soft, strong, and comfortable.

That is why a body lotion that worked perfectly well for years may suddenly seem to disappear five minutes after applying it.

And Then There's the Itching

Dryness and itching often go hand in hand.

The outermost layer of the skin acts as a barrier, helping hold water in while protecting the tissues underneath from the outside environment. When that barrier is not functioning as efficiently, skin loses moisture more easily and can become increasingly vulnerable to irritation. Dry skin, medically known as xerosis, and itching, or pruritus, are both associated with menopause.² ⁴

And sometimes it is not dramatic enough to look like anything is "wrong."

Your skin may look relatively normal but feel tight, prickly, itchy, or unusually sensitive.

Even clothing can become annoying. Wool feels woolier. Seams become more noticeable. Sheets that once felt perfectly comfortable can suddenly seem rough.

When skin is already dry and its protective barrier is struggling, everyday friction can simply become harder to ignore.

This Is About Comfort, Not Just Appearance

Menopausal skincare is often discussed almost entirely in terms of wrinkles, firmness, and other visible signs of aging.

Those concerns are completely valid, but there is another reason to care for skin during this transition: you have to live in it.

Healthy skin should feel comfortable.

Supporting hydration and the skin barrier can help dry skin feel softer, more supple, and less vulnerable to the everyday environmental factors that can make already uncomfortable skin feel worse.

And yes, well hydrated skin usually looks better too. But in this case, appearance is almost a bonus.

The first goal is helping your skin feel good again.

Try Applying Body Care Before Your Skin Is Completely Dry

One of the simplest changes you can make is also one of the easiest.

Don't wait until your skin is completely dry after a shower to moisturize.

Pat away excess water, but leave the skin slightly damp. Then apply your moisturizing products while some of that water is still present on the skin.

For particularly dry skin, we like a two layer approach:

oil first, moisturizer second.

The two products play different roles and work beautifully together.

Step 1: Hydrating Laminaria Oil

While skin is still damp, massage Hydrating Laminaria Oil over the body.

The formula begins with lightweight sunflower seed oil and Laminaria digitata extract, along with rosehip oil, bakuchiol and vitamin E. It absorbs quickly and helps replenish the oils that dry skin is increasingly lacking, leaving it supple without a heavy, greasy residue.

Laminaria is a brown seaweed containing a wide range of naturally occurring marine compounds, including minerals and polysaccharides. Brown algae have been studied for their moisturizing, antioxidant, and skin supportive properties.⁵

The formula also contains blue chamomile, lavender, ylang ylang and citrus oils, giving it a soft, comforting aroma that makes this step feel a little more like a ritual and a little less like maintenance.

Step 2: Body Hydration with Porphyra Red Algae

Follow the oil with Body Hydration with Porphyra Red Algae while the skin is still slightly damp.

Layering the two allows you to approach dryness from more than one direction. The oil helps soften and replenish the skin, while the moisturizer adds another layer of hydration and helps leave the skin feeling comfortable and conditioned.

For skin that suddenly seems to drink up moisturizer faster than you can apply it, that extra layer can make a simple body care routine feel much more substantial.

A Few Other Things Dry Menopausal Skin May Appreciate

More is not always better when skin is feeling sensitive.

Try keeping showers warm rather than extremely hot. Be thoughtful about over-exfoliating. Use cleansers that leave skin comfortable rather than squeaky clean. And moisturize consistently rather than waiting until skin already feels unbearably dry.

It can also help to pay attention to fabrics. There is no prize for forcing yourself to wear the itchy sweater. Softer, breathable fabrics may simply feel better during periods when your skin is particularly reactive.

Most importantly, pay attention when itching seems like more than ordinary dryness. Persistent, severe, unexplained, or widespread itching can have causes unrelated to menopause and deserves a conversation with a healthcare professional.

Changing Skin May Need a Changing Routine

The skincare routine that worked at 35 does not necessarily have to be the routine that works at 45, 55, or 65.

That is not a failure of your skin. Its needs have changed.

Perimenopause and menopause can affect how much moisture skin retains, how much oil it produces, and how resilient its barrier feels. Adjusting your routine to provide more consistent hydration and replenishment is simply a response to those changing needs.

For very dry body skin, try keeping Hydrating Laminaria Oil and Body Hydration with Porphyra Red Algae together near the shower. Apply both to slightly damp skin, first the oil and then the moisturizer.

It takes only a few minutes.

And when seemingly everything from your bath towel to your favorite pajamas has suddenly started feeling a little too rough, a few minutes spent making your skin feel soft and comfortable again can be very worthwhile.

References

1. Thornton, M. J. (2013). Estrogens and aging skin. Dermato-Endocrinology, 5(2), 264–270.
2. Menopause, skin and common dermatoses. Part 2: skin disorders. Clinical and Experimental Dermatology (2022).
3. Managing Menopausal Skin Changes: A Narrative Review of Skin Quality Changes, Their Aesthetic Impact, and the Actual Role of Hormone Replacement Therapy in Improvement. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology (2025).
4. Management of Itch in the Elderly: A Review. Dermatology and Therapy (2019).
5. Holdt, S. L., & Kraan, S. (2011). Bioactive compounds in seaweed: Functional food applications and legislation. Journal of Applied Phycology, 23, 543–597.