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Menopause Products Page These items are also seen on our other product pages, this is just a more consolidated view of them for easier selection.    Skip to Menopause Products - on Sale! Specialty Make Up Product Seen on The Doctors See The Exfoliators Collection SPF 101 For Facials in Portland    Some of you have heard that sun protection is causing Vitamin D defeciencies in Americans.  Here's the bottom line on that:  your skin only needs 15 minutes of unprotected exposure to the sun, before 10:00 am and just a small area of skin, like your elbow, to get what the whole body requires in Vitamin D a day.  Liquid Vitamin D drops in 1000mg dose per drop is superior anyway and pretty inexpensive.  Do not risk deadly skin cancer when the alternatives are easy and cheap.    Sun screen products are not the place to save money in your cosmetic budget - this is health care.  Just be sure to read labels and not purchase any with hazardous ingredients like the parabens group, fragrance/parfum, and others listed at the Environmental Working Group online.    JMP 7/2010

Hormonal  Challenges Are A Major Issue 

     Over one third of American women (about 50 million!) are in 1 of the 3 stages of menopause (peri-menopause, cessation of menses and post menopause) - the largest group in our history.  No longer shrouded in mystery, the Boomer Generation speaks out and wants answers and many of us want natural, non-invasive remedies to relieve the discomfort as our bodies go through this cycle of life! With the decline of estrogen and other hormones, the skin goes through many changes, some of them can be very uncomfortable for many women.  We find the cosmetics we have used for many years just don't seem to work as well, or perhaps they seem to irritate our skin.  Dr. Howard Murad, dermatologist-researcher-pharmacist in Los Angeles, remarks " As a dermatologist, I frequently see patients concerned about maturing skin and the unwanted signs associated with the aging process.  After careful evaluation, I discovered that there are 3 key components that affect the skin's aging process in women: Intrinsic Aging (genetics), Environmental Aging (sun damage, pollution, stress, poor diet, alcohol...) and Hormonal Aging (decline in estrogen).  I've developed the first comprehensive skin care regimen targeted to the specific needs of the menopausal woman - featuring topical products using a combination of plant derived phyto-estrogens".  (Scroll down for more information on these products.)

    If you are over 35 and experiencing any of these symptoms, you may want to consult a specialist for hormone testing to see if you are peri-menopausal: dry, itching skin perhaps feeling like "ants are crawling under the skin!"; hair loss; rosacea-like redness and bumps;  migraines; weight gain; mood swings and irritability; problems concentrating and "fuzzy"  thinking; memory loss; PMS; irregular menses; heavier or lighter flow during or between  menses; vaginal dryness and infections; urinary tract infections; incontinence; irritable bowel; heart palpitations; fatigue and insomnia.

    If these symptoms are not related to menopause, but you have a history of them, research "Estrogen Dominance"  and experiment with natural progesterone body creams, eat soy based foods, flax seeds, fish  and try other dietary changes. Many women are voiding red meat, dairy, wheat and caffeine to see if there is any relief.  Read Dr. John Lee's book:  "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause", and Dr. Christiane Northrup's book "The Wisdom of Menopause". Ask your doctor about taking a blood test to determine if your hormone levels are out of balance because one new fact we've discovered:  many doctors treat obese women as "estrogen dominant" based on a theory that fat cells produce estrogen.  However, new findings show that these women may in fact have low levels of estrogen!  Women we have talked to at Joie de Vie over the years confirm this.

   If your skin exhibits multiple symptoms like extreme dryness, scaling, loss of elasticity, poor healing from bruises, scrapes, cuts or surgery, plus,  if you are very easily tired and have low blood pressure, if your pigment is changing from head to toe, if you are losing hair - ask your doctor to test you for Adrenal or Thyroid problems.

     Many women have been misdiagnosed so seek a second opinion if you feel your doctor "doesn't get it"!  One doctor (a woman!) told me my symptoms were Angina, a serious heart problem, when in fact I was just having my first hot flashes - at 42!!  She prescribed Nitro Glycerin to "take at onset of symptoms", after she sends me to a heart specialist for several expensive, time consuming tests - by the way, the heart specialist didn't get it either -  he said "why did she send you here - you're in great health?!".  Even Oprah Winfrey was misdiagnosed - 5 times!  Get pro-active with your health care now!  Get regular check ups and talk to your doctor about even the most innocent seeming symptoms you experience.  Also, go to your appointments with no make up on:  your face exhibits important clues to your health!

To view products for hormone issues

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June 21, 2009: Women and young girls who experience delays in diagnosing a premature, menopause-like condition face increased risk of low bone density. This according to new research by scientists at the National Institutes of Health. A delay in diagnosing the condition, called primary ovarian insufficiency, may make women more susceptible to osteoporosis and fractures later in life, the researchers concluded. Delays in diagnosis are common because the main symptom, irregular or stopped menstrual periods, is often disregarded by women and their doctors, the researchers said. The researchers also found that the beginning of menstrual irregularity before age 20 was a strong risk factor for lower bone density. The teen years are a critical period for developing healthy bones. The minority patients in the study were more likely to have low bone density than were white patients in the study. African-American women were less likely to consume sufficient calcium than were white women and more likely to have low vitamin D levels. Asian women were less likely than white women to take the replacement hormones prescribed as a treatment for the condition. "For years, primary ovarian insufficiency has been known to put women at risk of low bone density," said Duane Alexander, M.D., director of NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). "The new study helps explain why some women with the condition are more likely to develop low bone density. It also provides strong evidence that by diagnosing the condition early, replacing deficient estrogen, and getting adequate calcium and vitamin D, these women can protect their bones from weakness and fractures." Primary ovarian insufficiency occurs in girls and women younger than 40 when their ovaries stop working normally. Because their ovaries no longer release eggs or produce estrogen, girls and women with primary ovarian insufficiency experience infertility and develop symptoms similar to those of menopause, including loss of regular menstrual periods, and hot flashes. The symptoms may be lessened or relieved by replacing estrogen. Estrogen also helps the bones to absorb calcium. Women who enter normal menopause after age 40 experience some degree of bone loss. However, the bone loss may be much worse for women who stop producing estrogen at much younger ages, especially if they do not take replacement estrogen. The condition occurs in 1 out of 100 women by age 40. In 90 percent of the cases, the cause is unknown. Lawrence Nelson, M.D., head of NICHD's Unit on Integrative Reproductive Medicine, is the senior author on the study, which appears on line in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Dr. Nelson and his coworkers sought to determine which factors put girls and women with primary ovarian insufficiency at greatest risk of low bone density.  "Bone density is like a woman's bank account of bone," he said. "The more women build up and maintain their bone density when they're young, the better off they will be when they're older." The scientists compared 442 patients to 70 volunteers with normally functioning ovaries, as well as to the records of 353 women who had participated in a large study called the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The researchers found that women who had primary ovarian insufficiency had 2 to 3 percent lower bone density than did women without the condition. "Later in life these women could be at increased risk of osteoporosis or fractures beyond the risk posed by normal menopause," Dr. Nelson said. The researchers looked at factors that predisposed the women to low bone density. These factors included low vitamin D levels, not taking estrogen, low intake of calcium, and not getting regular exercise.  The researchers found that the women with low bone density tended to experience a delay of more than a year between their first irregular menstrual period and receiving a diagnosis of primary ovarian insufficiency. The patients' average time between first irregular period and diagnosis was around 4 years. "Our research has shown that the menstrual cycle actually is a marker of general health in women," Dr. Nelson said. "A delay in diagnosis may be causing women harm."

 

  The American Cancer Society reports that it expects over 1.2 million new cases of skin cancer to be diagnosed this year in the USA.  Most people own sunscreen products but simply forget to carry them with them all day to reapply.  Its important to reapply the product to all exposed skin every 2 hours during exposure, including driving.  A report on July 28, 2006 revealed scientists findings that the majority of people do not apply their sun screens properly and therefore do not get the anticipated protection from Ultra Violet light.  In July of 2009 I find this is still true.  Despite all the media offering sound information about skin cancer prevention, most Americans are not using sunscreen regularly or properly.  Apply your first daily sunscreen a full 30 minutes before you head outside so the ingredients are fully ready to protect you.  Then, watch the clock so every time you go out again you can reapply. Sunscreen ingredients do not survive on the skin more than 2 hours.  Don't rub sunscreen into the skin like a moisturizer: leave a film on the skin to help deflect sun rays. Wear sun hats with large brims that cast shade over the neck and shoulders to increase sun protection.  A report published February 2007 announced how studies show people who spend a lot of time in the car not only have more sun damaged skin than previously thought, but significantly more skin cancers on the window side of the driver's body - including exposed ears, arms, hands and knees.

   Tanning and burning actually weakens your body's immune system, so not only are you at risk for cancers but your body's defense system cannot fight infections and disease as well as possible.  Cigarette smokers are at even higher risk as their immune system is already compromised.  Those with Lupus, Rosacea and other "broken capillaries" problems need to heed this news in particular.  Menopausal skin is thinning out due to loss of collagen cell production.   Ultra Violet light, wind, heat and cold damage the skin's blood vessels over time leading to serious vascular problems.  Ask your pharmacist if your medication increases your risk for skin problems related to UV damage (melasma, hyper pigmenation, actinic keratosis).

Read About Sun and Skin Cancer

Read about pigment disorders due to sun

Editor's note:  if you spot a bump on your skin with a crater in it GO SEE A DERMATOLOGIST!  It might be "Contagious Molluscum."  Commonly spread through using unsanitary towels and gym equipment, sharing clothes, linens or cosmetics, it will spread on your body if you pick or rub the bumps.  

Other skin symptoms to watch for

If you need make up to withstand hot flashes or to conceal puffy eyes or dark circles, look at our make up pages by clicking here.  In the Portland or Clackamas area, phone  to schedule a private consultation to try on new products and get professional advice. 

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