Perimenopause is one of the most significant shifts a woman’s skin will go through—and it often arrives subtly before clients even realize what’s happening. As hormones fluctuate, skin becomes drier, more reactive, and slower to heal. But the real undercurrent behind many of these changes? Chronic inflammation.
May 2025 L+A Report
Why Feminine Health Matters to Medical + Spa Aesthetic Professionals
For decades, menopause was spoken about in hushed tones—if at all. Referred to simply as “the change,” it often carried a vague, almost mysterious connotation. We grew up hearing about hot flashes on sitcoms, where menopause was portrayed as a punchline or a dreaded life event. I can still remember episodes where characters treated it like the end of youth, the end of beauty, or even the end of relevance.
But things are changing.
Thanks to mainstream advocates—yes, even Oprah—the conversation around menopause and feminine health is shifting into the spotlight. We’re finally seeing more open, honest discussions about how hormonal transitions impact the entire body, not just fertility.
Estheticians are on the frontlines of helping women navigate this hormonal transition. With the right perimenopause skin care tips, you can calm inflammation, support the skin barrier, and build routines that improve not only how skin looks—but how it functions and ages.
Perimenopause Skin Care Tips to Calm Chronic Inflammation
Estrogen has a naturally calming effect on the skin. As levels decline, skin loses that buffer, becoming more sensitive and reactive. Clients may start to report persistent redness, dryness, flakiness, or a burning sensation from products they’ve used for years. On a deeper level, this chronic low-grade inflammation also accelerates collagen breakdown, slows healing, and increases the risk of skin cancers.
The Fix: Reduce inflammation and rebuild the skin barrier. Focus on ingredients that are anti-inflammatory and barrier supportive: omega-rich oils like chia seed, meadowfoam, and sea buckthorn; calming antioxidants like white tea, mushroom extract, and fermented botanicals; and postbiotics to support the skin’s microbiome and immune function. Gentleness is key. In perimenopausal skin, the goal is to restore—not overwhelm.
Contribution by Lindsay Flint, Co-Founder + CEO of lilac + flint
Lindsay Flint is a Licensed Esthetician, Skincare Educator, and the CEO and Co-Founder of indie beauty brand lilac + flint. With nearly two decades of experience in luxury spas and a lifelong journey with problem skin, Lindsay brings deep expertise and a passion for results-driven skincare. She focuses on calming inflammation with innovative, acne-safe ingredients—formulating products where the proof is in the pudding (or the glow). She lives in Sacramento with her husband, two kids, and way too many skincare products.
Smart Skin Care Tips for Oxidative Stress During Perimenopause
Clients in their 40s and 50s often say things like, “I feel like my skin just looks tired all the time,” or “I never used to have dark spots—now they’re everywhere.” That’s oxidative stress at work. With estrogen decline, skin becomes thinner and less resilient. Free radical damage from UV rays, pollution, stress, and blue light builds up faster, contributing to dullness, pigment changes, fine lines, and impaired healing.
The Fix: Daily antioxidant protection is non-negotiable. A stabilized Vitamin C serum is one of the most effective tools we have—especially when layered under SPF. Vitamin C neutralizes free radicals before they can damage skin DNA, brightens uneven skin tone, boosts collagen synthesis, and helps calm inflammation when paired with soothing botanicals. Look for formulas that combine multiple forms of Vitamin C with ingredients like white mushroom or peptides to increase efficacy without triggering sensitivity.
Perimenopause Skin Care Tips for Gentle Cell Turnover
Estrogen plays a big role in cell regeneration. As levels fall, skin turnover slows down. That means pigmentation, rough texture, and damaged cells stay on the surface longer than they should. Worse, this “cellular stagnation” can lead to more pre-cancerous lesions, especially in sun-damaged skin.
The Fix: Introduce a gentle, effective Vitamin A product 1–2 times a week. Many perimenopausal clients can’t tolerate prescription-strength retinoids, but that doesn’t mean they should skip Vitamin A entirely. Look for Retinyl Propionate, a less irritating form of retinol that still boosts cell turnover and repairs damage. Peptides can reinforce elasticity and collagen synthesis, while soothing oils and hydrators buffer the retinol and reduce inflammation. Used consistently, this can help “clear out” damaged cells, stimulate renewal, and thicken the dermal-epidermal junction over time.
Rebuilding the Skin Barrier: Essential Skin Care for Perimenopausal Clients
As estrogen and lipid production decline, the skin barrier becomes compromised. This not only leads to dryness and irritation—it also weakens the skin’s ability to defend itself against allergens, bacteria, UV damage, and pollution.
The Fix: Barrier repair should be a central focus in every perimenopausal skincare plan. That means applying lipid-rich facial oils at night to mimic the skin’s natural barrier, using ingredients that support the microbiome like pre-, pro-, and postbiotics, and avoiding over-exfoliation or too many active ingredients that strip the skin further. Educate clients about the signs of barrier dysfunction—tightness, persistent redness, increased sensitivity—and how rebuilding that barrier will lead to more comfortable, glowing skin in the long run.
PRO TIP: The Best Perimenopause Skin Care Tips Are Simple + Effective
This life stage is often packed with career demands, caregiving, and sleep disruption. Most clients don’t want a 10-step skincare routine—they want results in 5 minutes or less. Estheticians can simplify their advice by focusing on quality over quantity.
Morning Routine:
- Gentle cleanser
- Vitamin C serum
- Moisturizer
- Broad-spectrum SPF
Night Routine (2–3x/week):
- Cleanser
- Vitamin A serum
- Barrier-repairing oil
Night Routine (non-retinol nights):
- Cleanser
- Hydrating toner or mist
- Barrier Repairing Oil
Perimenopause is a time of transformation—and skin is often one of the first places that shift shows up. With the right perimenopause skin care tips, estheticians can help reduce inflammation, protect the skin barrier, and encourage gentle cell renewal. You’re not just improving skin—you’re offering support during one of the most vulnerable and empowering chapters of a woman’s life.