Your Skin Changed in Perimenopause — Estrogen, Glycation & Melasma Explained | Dr. Mamina Turegano

Why It Matters

Understanding estrogen loss, oxidative stress, glycation and melasma clarifies why skin changes accelerate in midlife and underscores the need for targeted prevention (sun protection, antioxidants, glycation management) and medical treatment to limit aging and pigmentary disorders.

Summary

Dr. Mamina Turegano explains that perimenopause and menopause bring a roughly 30–40% drop in estrogen, which reduces skin thickness, hyaluronic acid, and collagen, producing dryness, fine lines, and the ‘crepey’ texture especially around eyes and thin-skinned areas. She highlights that aging also depletes antioxidant defenses, accelerating oxidative damage and glycation (AGEs) that stiffen and break down collagen and promote brown spots. Cumulative DNA damage from UV exposure further impairs repair mechanisms, raising risks of accelerated aging and skin cancer. Turegano also describes melasma—hormone- and sun-triggered hyperpigmented patches common in women in their 30s–50s.

Original Description

If your skin has gotten drier, thinner, or less plump since your 40s, this isn't your skincare routine failing you. It's your hormones — and understanding what's actually happening is the first step to doing something about it.

Triple board-certified dermatologist Dr. Mamina Turegano breaks down exactly what estrogen loss does to skin in perimenopause: the drop in hyaluronic acid, the loss of collagen thickness, the crepe texture on arms and under eyes. She also explains glycation — the way blood sugar quietly accelerates collagen breakdown — and defines melasma: what drives it, who gets it, and why hormonal shifts are almost always involved.

This is the skin science most women in midlife were never taught.

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/EqnYY8X9dho