The menopause connection to speed of aging “We discovered that menopause speeds up cellular aging by an average of 6 percent,” said Horvath, who is also a professor in the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. “That doesn't sound like much but it adds up over a woman's lifespan.”
A study by the University of California measured the changes in menopausal women's DNA and concluded that the cells of women who had experienced menopause speed up the ageing process by around 6%.
The menopausal transition most often begins between ages 45 and 55. It usually lasts about seven years but can be as long as 14 years.
For example, the team suggests that the biological aging process isn't steady and appears to accelerate periodically — with the greatest bursts coming, on average, around ages 34, 60, and 78.
Blame loss of collagen and elastin, which makes skin more brittle; a slower turnover of dead skin cells, causing dullness; less oil production and faster moisture loss; plus any acne scarring—and it's no wonder aging skin is no longer smooth and bright.
“Retinol and alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) can rejuvenate the skin and eliminate fine lines and wrinkles,” Dr. Patel says. “Hyaluronic acid helps your skin retain moisture, which gives it a smooth, glowing look.” Opt for serums and night creams with retinol and AHAs, and a daily face moisturizer with hyaluronic acid.
Postmenopause is a term to describe the time after someone has gone through menopause. When you're in postmenopause, your menstrual period has been gone for longer than 12 consecutive months. At this stage in life, your reproductive years are behind you and you're no longer ovulating (releasing eggs).
The Research. The study, which was conducted in the United States and published in July 2016, shows that women who start their period after the age of 12, go through menopause after the age of 50, and have more than 40 reproductive years, may have an increased chance of living past the age of 90.
Menopause-related hair loss can occur in other parts of the body as well. Many women notice hair growth slows or stops on their legs, arms, and armpits. Pubic hair can also begin to thin leaving bald spots. Even your eyelashes and eyebrows may thin out during menopause.
HRT is also known to help women maintain softer, smoother skin, resulting in a younger look. In addition to—and, often, as a result of—these physical changes, HRT often changes how you see yourself.
Women tend to become less physically active as they pass from their 40's into their 50's. A decrease in physical activity means less calories burned, which inevitably leads to increased weight and fat mass and muscle mass loss. Another culprit is not adjusting caloric intake to compensate for the reduced metabolism.
This suggests that menopause plays a role in many midlife women's transition from a pear-shaped body (wide hips and thighs, with more weight below the waist) to an apple-shaped body (wide waist and belly, with more weight above the waist) (see figure).
And between the ages of 50 and 60, the “aging trajectory” was up to three times faster. “Men and women age similarly up to the age of 50,” says Sonja Windhager, who led the research. “It's a linear progression. But at the age of 50, for women, it goes really fast.
Menopause is when a woman stops having her period permanently, for 12 months in a row. While most women reach menopause by 51 or 52, this is an average and varies. Late menopause can occur in a woman's upper 50s or early 60s. Genetics, lifestyle, menstrual cycle patterns, and medications are factors that affect timing.
“There's a window of about eight years in which women can feel those flashes and sweats,” Dr. Audlin says. Women who have reached menopause can expect menopause symptoms to become worse than they were during perimenopause, the 2- to 10-year stage leading up to the permanent end of menstruation.
Women who have early menopause have a shorter overall life expectancy and are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) earlier in life compared with women who have menopause at a typical or later age, according to a study published in Menopause.
Exposure to light is a top cause of premature aging: Sun exposure causes many skin problems. Ultraviolet (UV) light and exposure to sunlight age your skin more quickly than it would age naturally. The result is called photoaging, and it's responsible for 90% of visible changes to your skin.
Does short or long hair make you look younger? Long hair can enhance facial features by diverting attention away from wrinkles or age spots and adding volume to your hair. Short hair does not need to age you, though, as the style and texture of shorter hairstyles can add a youthful appearance.
Older ladies also tend to be emotionally mature, stable, confident, and independent. Attractive older women are less likely to be needy or jealous in a relationship. All of these great qualities mean that older women are often considered attractive women!
The sun plays a major role in prematurely aging our skin. Other things that we do also can age our skin more quickly than it naturally would. To help their patients prevent premature skin aging, dermatologists offer their patients the following tips. Protect your skin from the sun every day.
Clothes with gray undertones can wash you out and make you seem older, says Natalie Jobity, an image consultant and author of Frumpy to Fabulous. “This is especially true about the colors you wear closest to your face, like those in scarves,” she says.