One of the things that women of a certain age likely have to contend with is menopause dryness. This is caused due to the hormonal upheavals that the body undergoes at the time, which causes dry skin, dry eyes, vaginal dryness etc.
Estrogen is the key to maintaining youth and elasticity of the skin. The production of estrogen is impacted during menopause, which results in a general lessening of the lubrication in the body that leads to this menopause dryness.
This dryness can include –
Drying of the hair and skin. The skin becomes thinner and drier during the onset of menopause, with a result that it looks flaky and lifeless and feels coarser too. Even the hair quality and texture appears to change and a dry flaky or itchy scalp may become a problem. In addition, menopause dryness can include dryness of the lips, throat and mouth.
- Vaginal dryness is one of the most common menopause symptoms. There is a loss of lubrication and lessening of the elasticity of the muscles in the area. Menopause dryness can make sex difficult and painful and may further diminish an already flagging female libido.The skin and appearance of the area could change due to dryness with the skin appearing thinner and more saggy. One more reason why sex becomes painful is the fact that a woman may find it difficult to become aroused and hence the lubrication in that area is insufficient, which contributes to the problem.
- Dry eyes are another kind of menopause dryness that happens due to the reduction of the natural lubrication of the eyes.
Ways to combat menopause dryness are –
- Many doctors recommend that to combat vaginal dryness, a woman should have more and not less sex. The rationale behind this is that the more sex a woman has, the better stimulated the mucus glands there will be and will be able to combat the problem of menopause dryness better.On the other hand if she refrains from sex, the problem may just get worse. Various topical creams and gels can help to increase the lubrication of the area and can be applied a couple of hours before intercourse. Certain prescription medications in the form of tablets, trans-dermal or topical applications, may also be used.
- For dry eyes, artificial tear drops and ointments can help rectify the situation of menopause dryness. Many different kinds of artificial tears are available and a suitable one can be found and used. The prescription eye drop Restasis can help the eyes increase their tear production.Procedures called Temporary Punctal Occlusion or Permanente Punctal Occlusion could be used to close the ducts that drain tears out o f the eyes to increase the amount of eye moisture. Other medications including topical steroids may sometimes be used as well.
- For dry skin and hair, appropriate changes may have to be made in the sort of products that you use, changing over to more intense moisture products to combat menopause dryness. Also use gentler products that are less harsh on the skin and hair, helping to retain natural moisture.
