How to Relieve Dry Skin (including vaginal dryness) in Peri/menopause
This week, we continue on our experiences of perimenopause journey. As I dive deeper into the waters of midlife for women, I wish there were better words for perimenopause and menopause.
Many of us initially relate to the term “perimenopause” as just some physical stuff that happens, moving us away from fertility, when it is truly is an opportunity for initiation into a next phase of life. It’s SO much more than just the physical.
But alas, we also have to manage the physical! Today I’m going to talk about skin dryness, which is something that happens to all of us (men too) as we get older, but to women more dramatically when estrogen drops in our bodies.
If you missed the last few weeks, you can find them here:
From an Ayurveda standpoint, we’re moving from pitta time of life to vata time of life. Vata accumulation can happen because of big transitions or changes as well.
Vata is air + ether, so one of its qualities is DRYNESS.
For skin dryness, this translates to drying out of what is called the “rasa” tissue layer. Rasa translates loosely to sap, juice, or liquid. It’s the tissue layer that keeps us JUICY and has lymph as a part of it.
Some tips to keep that rasa juiced up:
🚰 Hydration
Obvious, but maybe not. Cold water, especially iced, is really hard for the body to digest and assimilate. Best to sip warm or hot water throughout the day. Aim to drink about half your body weight in ounces of water per day, or substitute in hydrating teas (see below) or coconut water in summer
🍵Rasa tea
My mentor Mary Thompson’s famous tea recipes to help juice up the rasa dhatu. You can find recipes here. It’s great to drink 3-4 cups of this per day
💆Self-oil massage (Abhyanga)
Keeps moisture in the skin, moves lymph, helps with suppleness, and generally calms vata
☕Eliminate caffeine
Both heating and drying, getting caffeine out of your daily life will give you benefits beyond simply more supple skin
🧈Add ghee
Ghee is magical. Add ½ tsp ghee to every meal or cook with it for more internal juiciness
By the way, these can all also help with vaginal dryness, which is simply an extension of skin dryness.
Vaginal dryness doesn’t just happen with sex; it can also start to occur in everyday life, even to the point of discomfort while walking. We want to avoid that if we can.
As always, if you need my help bringing any of these practices into your life, I’m here to help. Start by booking a free 20 minute clarity call with me to discuss if working together is a good fit for you. I do all consultations virtually.