How to Manage Menopause Skin, Hair, and Nail Changes

Most women associate hot flashes with menopause, but many are not aware that menopausal changes in skin, hair, and nails are not uncommon. These changes often appear in peri-menopause and continue through menopause as a result of declining levels of estrogen. Women experience skin sagging, itching, and dryness, slower hair growth and more shedding, and brittle nails. Estrogen regulates hydration, as well as keratin and collagen levels. Keratin is a protein that makes up nails, hair, and skin. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body and makes up approximately 70-80% of the dry weight of skin, according to the National Institutes of Health. In addition to skin, collagen is found in connective tissues, such as cartilage, tendons and fat, as well as bones, organs, eyeballs, hair, and nails. Collagen in joints is what helps us move smoothly without feeling bones grate against each other. As estrogen levels and, consequently, keratin and collagen levels decrease, and dehydration becomes more of a problem, women experience symptoms in all of these areas.

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