Dermatologist Explains: Skincare in Your 50s - Menopause Changes Everything
Note: Everyone ages at a difference pace. The changes described here are generalizations about what commonly happens in this decade, but for some these shifts begin earlier, and for others they happen later. Use this as a guide to anticipate changes, not as a strict timeline.
Your 50s brings a whole new chapter for your skin. Menopause marks the end of estrogen’s protective effects, and the shifts are dramatic: thinner skin, less elasticity, more dryness, and slower healing. Wrinkles deepen, jowls and a slack neckline are expected, and hooded eyes become more noticeable.
This is the decade to support your skin as it loses estrogen, work to slow collagen breakdown as much as possible, and protect your skin barrier with every step. The goal isn’t to erase aging, but to help your skin stay strong, moisturized, and resilient.
What’s Happening in Your Skin in Your 50s and What to Do About It
Estrogen Drops and Skin Becomes Thinner and Drier
Estrogen decline during and after menopause is the single biggest driver of skin changes in your 50s. Skin loses thickness, hydration, and elasticity. Oil production decreases further, the barrier weakens, and rosacea often worsens.
What to do:
1. Add topical estrogen (if appropriate). A pea-sized amount applied nightly around the eyes and neck before your moisturizer can improve skin’s thickness and hydration (discuss with your doctor if it is safe for you).
2. Moisturize generously. Continue with rich moisturizers (formulated with squalane, shea butter, plant oils, glycerin) applied generously morning and night. My Doctor Rogers Face Cream is a great option for skin that needs more, but tolerates less.
3. Slug more often. Layer Vaseline or better, my Doctor Rogers Restore Healing Balm at night over your moisturizer to reduce water loss, especially in winter or whenever skin feels depleted.
Collagen Decline Accelerates While Wrinkles and Sagging Progresses
Without estrogen, collagen breakdown outpaces production more than ever. Wrinkles deepen, eyelids droop, jowls become more pronounced, and the neck and jawline slacken.
What to do:
1. Stay consistent. Keep up Vitamin C, sunscreen (I use Pavise, The Outset or Dermaquest most commonly), turnover products (retinol or bakuchiol), and moisturizers. Your skin may not respond as robustly, but stopping accelerates decline.
2. Continue collagen builders. Sculptra, EMFace, and at-home red light therapy (my personal favorites are Omnilux and Celluma), still stimulate collagen, though results may be slower.
3. Add Volume. When injected sparingly (no more than 3 syringes in year) by a skilled provider, hyaluronic acid fillers can provide a subtle plumpness to aging skin without making you look strange.
4. Consider surgery. Non-surgical options help, but won’t erase hooded eyelid skin, jowls or a slack neckline. Accept gracefully, or pursue surgery if it bothers you enough to go under the knife.
Healing Slows Meaning More Downtime, Slower Results
In your 50s, the skin barrier is thinner and repair mechanisms are slower. Cuts, scrapes, and procedures take longer to heal, and results from treatments are less dramatic than in earlier decades.
What to do:
1. Plan for longer downtime after procedures like lasers or surgery. Your skin needs more recovery time.
2. Expect slower, subtler results from both in-office treatments and at-home actives. They still work, but progress is gradual.
3. Protect healing skin with consistent moisture and barrier support (slugging is especially helpful during the healing process). I recently contributed to a piece in Marie Claire about how to protect and repair your skin barrier, if you’re interested in learning more.
Crepey Body Skin Needs Turnover and Support
Menopause doesn’t just change the face, it affects the entire body. The skin on arms, legs, and torso becomes thinner, drier, and develops a crepey appearance from slowed turnover and collagen loss.
What to do:
1. Alternate body turnover and barrier support. Use my Doctor Rogers Body Repair Treatment a few nights a week to stimulate cell renewal, then alternate with my Body Cream, a rich, supportive body moisturizer to strengthen the barrier.
2. Stay consistent. This combination, renewal plus hydration, gives the best possible results for smoother, firmer-looking body skin.
3. Don’t skip sunscreen on exposed areas. Shoulders, forearms, and legs also show sun damage.
Sun Damage Surfaces Equate to a Higher Risk of Skin Cancer
By your 50s, decades of UV exposure add up. Pigmentation, actinic keratoses, and skin cancers are common.
What to do:
1. Daily zinc sunscreen is non-negotiable.
2. Dermatologist visits at least annually, more if you’ve had prior skin cancers.
Hair and Brows Thin as Density Drops
Menopause also slows hair growth, leaving scalp hair thinner and brows and lashes sparse.
What to do:
1. Stay on supplements. Continue Viviscal or Xtresse.
2. Consider topical or oral minoxidil
3. Eyelid conditioner like Revitalash or Sweed (prostagladin-free) to maintain lush lashes and brows.
What You Should Be Doing Every Day
Morning (AM): Treat face, neck, chest, and hands the same
- Optional Cleanser (only if oily; over-washing can dry your skin)
- Vitamin C Serum with Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (better tolerated than L-ascorbic acid with excellent penetration)
- Rich Moisturizer (squalane, shea butter, plant oils, glycerin)
-
Zinc Sunscreen
Evening (PM): Treat face, eyes, neck, chest, and hands the same
- Cleanser
- Night Turnover Treatment (retinol or bakuchiol, as tolerated; buffer with moisturizer)
- Topical estrogen (for eyes or neck) before moisturizer, if prescribed/appropriate)
- Rich Moisturizer
- Slugging with Healing Balm (nightly if skin feels dry or irritated)
Takeaway: Skincare in Your 50s Is About Support, Not Perfection
Menopause transforms skin—thinner, drier, less elastic, slower to heal. Your routine in this decade should focus on slowing collagen loss, maintaining hydration, and protecting against further damage. Continue your collagen-building strategies, but adjust expectations—they still help, but results come slower. Add topical estrogen if appropriate, moisturize and slug more often, and use sunscreen every day. Treat crepey body skin with the same consistency as your face: alternate turnover with barrier support. Surgical options may become the only way to reverse sagging, but with the right support, your skin can stay healthy, strong, and resilient through this transition.