Something happens to the body during menopause – and beyond

Something changes in the body as we approach, move through, or come out of menopause.
Many women describe it as if the body no longer works the way it used to. Energy fluctuates. Digestion becomes more sensitive. Mood shifts. Joints feel stiffer. The body feels heavier.

Menopause is not one moment – it’s a long hormonal journey
Many women believe that menopause is one clear phase that begins when menstruation stops. In reality, it’s far more complex — and it starts much earlier than most of us realise. The female hormonal journey unfolds over several decades and can be broadly divided into four phases:

Perimenopause
An often unpredictable phase that can begin as early as the mid-30s.
Progesterone levels gradually decline, and symptoms such as mood swings, irregular cycles, sleep disturbances, anxiety, and hot flushes may appear — often in waves.

This is the phase where many women feel confused and frustrated.
They don’t recognise themselves anymore, yet don’t understand why — because no one has explained what’s happening.

Menopause
What we commonly call “menopause” is, medically speaking, just one single day:
the day marking 12 months since the last menstrual period.

Everything before that day is perimenopause.
Everything after is postmenopause.

Postmenopause
From the day after the 12-month mark — and for the rest of a woman’s life — estrogen levels remain low and stable. During this phase, the effects of hormonal change often become more noticeable in the skin, joints, brain, energy levels, and overall resilience. This phase doesn’t last for a few years. It lasts for decades.

SkinOpause – when the skin follows the hormones
As your body moves through all the stages of menopause, your skin changes too.
We call this process SkinOpause.

SkinOpause® is a term Linda uses to capture the many skin challenges women face as they transition through hormonal changes, from perimenopause to menopause and beyond. These shifts can bring about a variety of skin concerns, including dryness, sensitivity, sagging, dullness, pigmentation, and fine lines.

SkinOpause describes the visible and invisible shifts that happen in the skin as hormones decline: loss of collagen, reduced elasticity, dryness, thinning, slower regeneration, increased sensitivity, and changes in glow and firmness.

Skin aging after 40 is not just about time —it’s deeply connected to hormones. That’s why skincare, nutrition, and internal support must evolve along with the hormonal journey.
SkinOpause isn’t a problem to fix — it’s a phase to understand and support.