Welcome to The Perimenopausal Homeschooler series! Here I share with my readers some of my favorite tips for homeschooling and taking care of young children despite those lovely perimenopausal symptoms. At least when I remember. {wink, wink} If you're new to this series, you may want to start here.

 

 

Thinning skin. What does that mean anyway?!

I always read lists of perimenopause symptoms that list "thinning skin" as one of the things women will experience during this time. But I could never figure out how a woman could know if she had thinning skin.

Am I the only one?

 

 

One day I noticed that my skin felt super itchy. I felt itchy everywhere. Even my girly parts felt itchy. (I know you were thinking it, but too embarrassed to say it. Right?)

That's when it occured to me~ thinning skin is itchy!

My trusty book didn't really say that point blank, but I then seemed to recall that something the author did say alluded to the fact that as your skin gets thin it often will feel itchy. Why didn't I figure that out before?

Apparently the lose of estrogen brings about a loss in collagen. This brings about all the lovely changes in your skin. You may notice things like dryness, itching, more prone to rashes, new skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, or rosacea, and . . . fine lines and wrinkles. Oh, and don't fobodyrget the symptoms in the girly parts. Like dryness (which causes itchiness) , yeast infections, and urinary tract infections.

Yes. All because of a little lost estrogen.

 

 

So what's a girl to do?

 

• Don't smoke.

• Only drink alcohol in moderation.

• Eat enough fat and protein. Your skin needs fat and protein. Just make them healthy ones.

• Relax. Tension and stress are going to help you create those deep lines and wrinkles between your eyebrows that we all know we don't want.

• Workout. Exercise is like a facial massage for your skin~ good blood flow keeps you beautiful. I feel best when I do a T-Tapp workout every other day.

• Keep hydrated. We're talking water, ladies. Not coffee or soda.

• Moisturize. Lubricate. Moisturize. My favorite body lotion is Aveeno Baby Lotion. It's seriously better for me than any expensive lotion I have tried! The dimethicone in it seals moisture in extremely well. And if your girly bits feel dry and itchy, a water-soluble moisturizer (NOT lubricant) will do the trick. My favorite is Replens Long-lasting Moisturizer. Within an hour I feel normal again, and it lasts at least 3 days!

• Vitamins! Vitamins C and E are especially useful for your skin.

• Estrogen. I haven't tried this, but the book says that estrogen can help skin symptoms within 48 hours. Do your research and talk to your doctor.

 

So if you've been wondering why your skin is so itchy that it feels like you have creepy crawlies all over you, don't think you've gone crazy.

You may just be perimenopausal.

 

 

Have you been surprised by changes in your skin?

 

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If you have any questions about managing life or homeschooling in the midst of perimenopause, please leave your question in the comments.We can share with one another the things that we have found helpful, or not so helpful. There's power in numbers, ladies!

Come back in 4 weeks for the next Perimenopausal Homeschooler post, or subscribe and I'll send it straight to your inbox.

 

I learned all of this info from The Change Before the Change: Everything You Need to Know to Stay Healthy in the Decade Before Menopause. This book is worth its weight in gold. It has been a lifeline for me!

This post contains affiliate links. Purchasing an item through my affiliate links does not cost you extra. In fact, it doesn't change your price at all, and it doesn't make me rich. But it does help to support my family a bit. It's sort of like having a Pampered Chef party. Thanks for helping to keep my family afloat! Every little bit helps.

 

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