Are you talking about menopause in consultations with your clients? If not, you could be missing a fantastic opportunity to support your clients, boost your reputation and build your business.
In this article, we look at the benefits of starting a conversation about menopause during skin consultations. And we get valuable advice from Dr Nichola Maasdorp from No. 4 clinic in Elgin about how to raise the topic naturally.
Why talk about menopause?
It’s estimated that over 13 million women in the UK are either perimenopausal, or post-menopausal.
The average age of menopause is 51. But while menopause usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, it can begin as early as the late 30s – or as late as the 60s. And with perimenopause often starting several years before menopause, many of the women you see will have been, or are about to be, affected by menopause.
During menopause, oestrogen levels drop dramatically, causing a whole host of menopausal symptoms from hot flushes to irritability. Oestrogen also plays an important role in maintaining skin health which means menopause is likely to be affecting the skin health of a large proportion of your female clients. The skin changes which cause accelerated skin ageing during menopause can last for several years, as many women are post-menopausal for one third to half of their lives.
When asked about their experience of menopause, around 80% of women report experiencing symptoms during menopause and of these, 96% have noticed changes to their skin such as dryness, dull skin, sagging, wrinkles and uneven texture.
So, no matter what skin concerns your client comes to you with, it’s important to consider how menopause could be affecting their skin. And whatever treatments or products you recommend; your suggestions should always be based on the knowledge of how menopausal skin ages. For example, if a woman is disappointed that she’s not seeing the results she hoped for from a treatment, it could be because the treatment isn’t addressing the impact of declining oestrogen levels which can cause a loss of up to 30% of dermal collagen.
By talking about how menopause affects the skin, you can not only recommend the right treatments and products – but you’ll also inspire confidence in your clients. They’ll see you as a knowledgeable source of information and someone who really understands the particular menopause-related skin changes they’re experiencing such as increased dryness, sagging and wrinkles.
Introducing menopause into consultations
We chatted with Dr Nichola Maasdorp from No. 4 clinic in Elgin about how she begins a conversation about menopause during consultations.
Here are four things to consider:
Women are often unaware of the affect menopause has on their skin
Many women don’t realise the huge impact that menopause has on the skin. So, when they visit you with a skin concern, they perhaps haven’t considered that menopause could be the cause.
Nichola told us “Many of my clients come to me because they feel they’ve aged suddenly and don’t know why. They might say ‘I have fine lines and wrinkles that I’ve never had before’, ‘It’s because I’ve turned 50’ or ‘I’ve been through a stressful time recently’.
“They might try to address the concerns by introducing lots of new products into their routine, often layering five or six products to try tackle the signs of ageing. The problem is this approach simply won’t work because they are not tackling the root cause of the ageing – the decline in oestrogen during menopause.”
It’s useful to raise the topic of menopause indirectly
When bringing up the subject of menopause, Nichola finds it’s best to raise the topic while completing a medical history questionnaire.
She says: “If a woman hasn’t previously thought about menopause, she might be sceptical if you mention it out of the blue. I find it’s better to introduce it during a medical history questionnaire. For example, you can ask if she’s been experiencing other menopause symptoms such as night sweats or mood changes. If she says ‘yes’, it allows you to chat about the effects of declining oestrogen levels in relation to overall health and specifically skin health.”
It’s important to develop your own knowledge
If you want to chat confidently with your clients about menopause, it’s important to develop your own knowledge of the subject. In particular, make sure you understand how falling oestrogen levels during menopause impact the skin.
Nichola tells us: “It’s useful to read articles in the media about menopause. Being able to refer to celebrities who are open about their own menopause such as Davina McCall and Lorraine Kelly can be a great way to open up a conversation.
“It’s also important to train your front-of-house staff, such as your reception team, in menopause awareness so they can support the information you provide to clients.”
Talking about menopause has positive benefits for your business
With such a large proportion of your client base affected by menopause, it makes great business sense to introduce the subject during consultations.
As Nichola says: “When your client sees that you know what you’re talking about, they’ll put their trust in you.”
She adds: “At our clinic, we often host menopause evenings where we can introduce specific treatments and products. Most women want to talk about menopause and if you capture their attention at the right time, you can use menopause in your diagnosis to effectively manage their skin ageing over the years to come.”
Using Emepelle to talk about menopause
If you’re looking for a product you can confidently recommend to women who are perimenopausal or menopausal, Emepelle is a great option.
Featuring revolutionary MEP Technology®, Emepelle is clinically proven to significantly improve the visible signs of skin ageing caused by menopause. With a day serum and a rich night cream, the Emepelle range offers a great return on investment for your clinic.
MEP Technology is a new class of cosmeceutical ingredient. It works on the skin cells fibroblasts and keratinocytes, to promote and activate new oestrogen receptors. This helps restore collagen, hyaluronic acid and epidermal thickness in skin affected by menopause, without systemic effect.
Nichola’s experience of using Emepelle
Nichola regularly recommends Emepelle to her own clients who want to address the signs of ageing caused by menopause.
She told us: “I was a little sceptical at first so my staff and I tried Emepelle ourselves and were all very impressed by it. Since using Emepelle, my skin doesn’t seem to break out in dry patches anymore.
“As for my patients, I have seen excellent results, especially when Emepelle is used in combination with other treatments. One of my patients was so impressed she made me feel how smooth the skin on her chin had become. This had been a real problem area for her and she had tried everything but Emepelle has been the only thing that worked.”
You can find out more about the breakthrough innovation for menopausal skin here.
