Spa Skin and Beauty | Skincare After 40 | Hormones, Skin Health, and Aging Well

After nearly 300 episodes, this is the one I never planned to record. Spa Skin and Beauty is going on a permanent pause. Not a never. A pause. I may pop back on for a seasonal appearance or to announce something big, but for right now, this is goodbye. In this final episode, I'm sharing the moment on a church playground that made the decision for me. I'm 49, I have a toddler, and I realized I don't want to miss this season with him. I still see clients every Tuesday and Friday as a licensed esthetician and thermographer, so something had to give. It was never going to be my family or my clients. In this episode: Why I'm pausing the podcast and what "permanent pause" really means The playground moment that changed everything Where you can still find me every single week A thank you to my listeners and guests over the years Where we go next: I'm still writing every week. Come join me: Substack: Skin Scholar Society — my weekly writing and where this week's post is already waiting for you Newsletter: lindseyholder.com — subscribe for weekly updates Courses and live challenges: lindseyholder.com And remember, there are just under 300 episodes in this feed covering nearly every skin challenge out there. They're not going anywhere. Search your topic. It's probably here. Thank you for these years. I've had a blast. Stay glowing naturally, Lindsey

Your face doesn't have a heart pushing fluid through it. Your blood has a pump. The lymph in your face does not. So how does it move? Partly by the muscles around your eyes squeezing the vessels every time you blink, wringing fluid out like a hand on a sponge and sending it toward the drainage points at your jaw and ears overnight. Here's the part nobody mentions before the needle. The muscle numbed for crow's feet is the exact same muscle that drains your eyelids and upper cheeks all day. Soften the frown, and in some faces, you soften the drainage right along with it. Fluid that used to clear by morning starts to sit. That's the puffiness. The little bags on the cheekbone. The tired look sleep and concealer never quite fix. In this episode, Lindsey Holder, Menopause Skin Specialist and Master Esthetician, breaks down what Botox is actually made of, the 2024 lab study on lymphatic cells, the documented case of a 59-year-old whose swelling vanished on half the dose, and what a heat camera can and can't see. Then she gives you the needle-free structure: barrier first, the paper patch made the same way since 1889, and the two-minute drainage step almost everyone skips. Whether you're deciding to start Botox or wondering if you can stop, this one changes how you read your own mirror. The full written breakdown lives in this week's Skin Scholar Society on Substack. This episode is educational and does not replace an individual consultation with a qualified medical professional. Resources Join the Skin Scholar Society: HERE Download my Free 7 Day Skincare Guide: HERE Listen to exclusive podcast content + download my FREE esthetician-led skincare app Apple iOS: HERE Google Play: HERE Favorite Skincare Products HERE

You said no to filler. Now what? In this episode, I break down why some of the most respected facial plastic surgeons moved past hyaluronic acid filler years ago and what they reach for instead: your own living fat. This is not a push toward surgery. It is a shift in how you think about volume loss in menopause, because once you understand what your face actually lost, the entire search changes. Filler is a gel. A spacer. What menopause takes from your mid-face is living tissue. Fat that signals, collagen that holds, cells that keep structure firm from the inside. You cannot replace living tissue with gel and expect it to behave like living tissue. That one sentence explains every disappointing syringe. In this episode: Why filler disappoints on a menopause face, and why the material was the problem all along What fat transfer (autologous fat grafting) actually is, in plain language Why the surgeon's choice matters even if you never book surgery The collagen scaffold that holds your facial fat in place, and what happens when it loosens Why microneedling and strong actives backfire on inflamed, hormonally shifting skin The barrier-first sequence that makes the same tools produce a completely different result The full breakdown lives inside Skin Scholar Society on Substack this week, including what I personally use for volume loss in my own face, the clinical research behind it, and the exact stage-specific sequencing. Lindsey Holder is a Menopause Skin Specialist and Master Esthetician with 16+ years of hands-on esthetic practice. She helps women in menopause recalibrate their skincare to restore firmness, clarity, and glow without Botox or fillers. Topics covered: menopause volume loss, filler alternatives, fat transfer vs filler, facial fat grafting, mid-face volume loss, sagging jawline menopause, collagen loss after menopause, microneedling at home safety, barrier-first skincare, non-surgical facial lift Resources Join the Skin Scholar Society: HERE Download my Free 7 Day Skincare Guide: HERE Listen to exclusive podcast content + download my FREE esthetician-led skincare app Apple iOS: HERE Google Play: HERE Favorite Skincare Products HERE

Filler keeps making menopause skin heavier, not younger. Master Esthetician Lindsey Holder breaks down the hidden loop: how filler presses on your lymphatic drainage, why the puffiness gets misread as lost volume, and why more filler feeds the problem. Hormone-aware, structural, built on 16+ years of hands-on practice. No Botox. No fillers. No hype. Listen to the podcast, then come get the full clinical breakdown on the Skin Scholar Society Substack. Resources Join the Skin Scholar Society: HERE Download my Free 7 Day Skincare Guide: HERE Listen to exclusive podcast content + download my FREE esthetician-led skincare app Apple iOS: HERE Google Play: HERE Favorite Skincare Products HERE

Last week was your face. This week, the rest of you. That thick, heavy, puffy feeling when you're getting dressed in the morning is fluid, not weight you gained overnight, and you can move most of it before you walk out the door. Your lymphatic system has no pump of its own, so when you lie flat all night and then sit all morning, fluid just settles wherever your tissue is softest. In this episode I cover: Why your whole body, not just your face, pools fluid overnight and when you sit Why your calves matter more than any gadget you can buy The honest truth about dry brushing and rebounding How moving this fluid supports your skin over time A preview of the Big 6, the three-minute whole-body reset that moves fluid in the right order Want the full routine? The complete write-up, with the Big 6 step by step and what truly moves body lymph in order of importance, is on my Substack: HERE Missed Part 1? Start with the face episode, on why you wake up puffy and how to de-puff before work: [link] I'm Lindsey Holder, master esthetician and menopause skin specialist. I help women recalibrate their skin without Botox or fillers. lindseyholder.com Resources Join the Skin Scholar Society: HERE Download my Free 7 Day Skincare Guide: HERE Listen to exclusive podcast content + download my FREE esthetician-led skincare app Apple iOS: HERE Google Play: HERE Favorite Skincare Products HERE

That softer jaw and heavier under-eye you meet in the mirror most mornings usually isn't new fat, and it isn't only sagging. A lot of it is fluid that pooled overnight in a system that only really moves when you do. In this episode, I break down why your face puffs while you sleep, what menopause has to do with it, and the honest truth about what facial massage can and can't do. Then I give you the one move most people get backwards, so the rest of your routine finally works. In this episode: Why your lymphatic system has no central pump like your heart, and what that means for your morning face The difference between a real morning depuff and the "facelift" claims that oversell it Where to start, and it isn't your face, so fluid actually has somewhere to drain The full step-by-step routine, plus a diagram of the actual moves, is in this week's article inside the Skin Scholar Society. Listen above, then go grab the guide. I'm a Menopause Skin Specialist and Master Esthetician with 16+ years of hands-on practice, helping women recalibrate their skincare to restore firmness, clarity, and glow without Botox or fillers.

You catch your jawline in a photo and it stops you. Softer than it used to be. A little less defined. And no cream you own has touched it. That's not your imagination. And it's not just your skin. There's a structural shift happening in menopause that almost nobody is talking about, and it changes how you should treat your entire face. Today we get into exactly what it is, why fillers so often miss it, and the one free habit that fights back. We cover: Why your facial bones change shape after menopause, and what's actually behind those jowls Is it bone loss or just sagging skin? Here's how to tell. The 3 places your face loses bone first, and the daily habit that signals it to rebuild Resources Join the Skin Scholar Society: HERE Download my Free 7 Day Skincare Guide: HERE Listen to exclusive podcast content + download my FREE esthetician-led skincare app Apple iOS: HERE Google Play: HERE Favorite Skincare Products HERE

This episode started with a question I get constantly. Why is my routine not working anymore? The products are good. The consistency is there. But the skin is not responding the way it used to. More dullness. More puffiness. More fine lines despite the retinol. Here is what most of the skincare conversation is missing: your skin is not a surface problem. It is an output. A real-time signal of what is happening inside your hormonal system. And your bloodwork is the decoder. In this episode, I walk through four specific lab markers that directly control what your menopause skin does: estrogen, free T3, cortisol, and ferritin. Each one maps to a skin symptom you are probably already seeing in the mirror. Dryness and collagen loss. Estrogen. Stubborn dullness that no exfoliant fixes. Free T3. Fine lines that retinol cannot hold. Cortisol. Dark circles that no eye cream touches. Ferritin. These are not random. They are specific. And once you know what to look for, you stop blaming your products and start asking better questions. Your hormones are the primer. Your products are the paint. Paint on an unprimed surface looks beautiful for a day and then lifts. That is exactly what is happening for a lot of women in menopause, and it has nothing to do with the products they chose. This episode is the overview. The in-depth version, with the specific markers to request, what optimal ranges look like for skin health, and how to build a recalibration protocol around your results, lives inside the Skin Scholar Society on Substack. The Skin Scholar Society is where I publish the research, the protocols, and the education that goes deeper than a single episode can hold. If you are ready to stop guessing and start working with your biology, that is the place to be. Lindsey Holder is a Menopause Skin Specialist and Master Esthetician with 16+ years of clinical experience. She helps women in menopause recalibrate their skincare to restore firmness, clarity, and glow without Botox or fillers. Find her at lindseyholder.com and on Instagram @lindseyrholder. Meta Description (150 characters): Your skincare is not failing. Your bloodwork might be. Menopause skin specialist Lindsey Holder breaks down what your labs are telling your skin. Slug: /bloodwork-menopause-skin-podcast Focus Keyword: menopause skin and bloodwork Tags: menopause skin, bloodwork, hormones and skin, menopause esthetician, Skin Scholar Society Resources Join the Skin Scholar Society: HERE Download my Free 7 Day Skincare Guide: HERE Listen to exclusive podcast content + download my FREE esthetician-led skincare app Apple iOS: HERE Google Play: HERE Favorite Skincare Products HERE

She said: "You're my last shot before I do fillers." She's 62. Hollow under eyes. She has spent thousands on skincare, tried everything, and is done being patient. I told her: give me 45 days. In this episode I sat down with Ivan Galanin, founder of Adipeau, to talk about what Adipeau is actually doing inside the skin, the science behind it, how to apply it, what to layer with it and what to avoid, and why so much of what the skincare industry calls clinical proof is not what it appears to be. This is not a sponsored product review. It's a real conversation with a founder who has been treating only one side of his face for seven years and can show you the difference. What we cover: What Adipeau is and how it was discovered accidentally The two products: Strength Gel vs Volume Cream and when you need each How dermal fat cells drive skin strength, volume, and inflammation Why inflammation from bloated fat cells is blocking every product you're already using Adipeau vs estrogen cream: different mechanisms, not interchangeable The retinol debate and the 80 percent melanin reduction most people don't know about How to read a clinical study and the one question that exposes most brand research Upcoming studies on post-GLP-1 skin, breast laxity, crepey legs, and non-responders How to layer Adipeau with your current routine Resources mentioned: Shop Adipeau: https://shop.adipeau.com/?sca_ref=10953034.pVt3nHogXj Download my Free 7 Day Skincare Guide: https://lindseyholder.com/guide/ Listen to exclusive podcast content + download my FREE esthetician-led skincare app Apple iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/lapree-beauty/id6473450143 Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lapreebeauty.lapreebeauty&pcampaignid=web_share Favorite Skincare Products :https://shopmy.us/shop/lindseyr

If your skincare routine suddenly stings, burns, or triggers redness you've never dealt with before, menopause is likely the reason — and it has nothing to do with finding the wrong product. In this episode of Spa Skin & Beauty, Menopause Skin Specialist and Master Esthetician Lindsey Holder breaks down the biology behind reactive menopausal skin: why the barrier becomes more fragile during hormonal decline, what's driving rosacea-like symptoms in perimenopause, and why the standard advice to add more actually makes things worse. In this episode: Why ceramide production slows when estrogen declines and what that does to skin structure How tight junction integrity affects product penetration and why your serum suddenly stings The vasomotor connection between hot flashes and facial flushing Why menopausal redness is often misidentified as rosacea — and why that distinction changes everything What barrier stabilization actually looks like before reintroducing actives If your skin has become unpredictable, reactive, or harder to manage in your 40s or 50s, this episode gives you the structural explanation no one else is providing. Lindsey Holder is a Menopause Skin Specialist and Master Esthetician with 16+ years of hands-on practice. She helps women in perimenopause and menopause recalibrate their skincare to restore firmness, clarity, and glow without Botox or fillers. Resources Download my Free 7 Day Skincare Guide: HERE Listen to exclusive podcast content + download my FREE esthetician-led skincare app Apple iOS: HERE Google Play: HERE Favorite Skincare Products HERE

Today's episode is one I've been sitting on for a while because it felt almost too personal to share. We're talking about progesterone: what it does, who might need it, and a moment that honestly made me look at everything I was putting in my body a little differently. I'll tell you about the day I flipped over a bottle at CVS and felt my stomach drop. Oh — and we're also getting into something nobody talks about enough: what progesterone has to do with your skin. That's where we're starting. See you in the episode. Subscribe to Skin Intelligence HERE Resources Download my Free 7 Day Skincare Guide: HERE Listen to exclusive podcast content + download my FREE esthetician-led skincare app Apple iOS: HERE Google Play: HERE Favorite Skincare Products HERE

Collagen isn't just a skincare buzzword - it's a living protein your body is constantly breaking down and rebuilding. And in your 40s and 50s, that process needs real support. In this episode, Lindsey breaks down what actually happens to collagen during perimenopause (hint: up to 30% loss in the first five years), why topical skincare alone can't fix it, and the dead-simple morning habit that makes internal collagen support something you'll actually stick to. You'll learn: The amino acids and nutrients your body needs to build collagen How sugar degrades collagen through a process called glycation Why bone broth protein differs from standard collagen peptides The three-layer framework for supporting your skin from the inside out Resources More at Skin Intelligence on Substack Download my Free 7 Day Skincare Guide: HERE Listen to exclusive podcast content + download my FREE esthetician-led skincare app Apple iOS: HERE Google Play: HERE Favorite Skincare Products HERE

This Thursday I turn 49. And this episode is not a celebration in the traditional sense. It is a declaration. After 16 years of practice as a Master Esthetician and Menopause Skin Specialist, I have sat across from hundreds of women who are doing everything right and still feeling like their skin is betraying them. I have watched the conversation end the moment the session did. That changes now. In this episode I cover what menopause actually does to your collagen, why the skincare industry keeps getting it wrong, and why I finally built a space to say everything a treatment room session never has time for. I also share the birthday gift I'm giving myself and you: Skin Intelligence, my new Substack where the full hormone-skin conversation finally has room to breathe. What we cover: What estrogen decline does to collagen and why it is a structural problem not a surface one Why collagen does not rebuild in a stressed body Where the skincare industry lacks context for women in menopause Why menopause skin needs stabilization not more stimulation What Skin Intelligence is and what you will find there Subscribe to Skin Intelligence HERE Resources Download my Free 7 Day Skincare Guide: HERE Listen to exclusive podcast content + download my FREE esthetician-led skincare app Apple iOS: HERE Google Play: HERE Favorite Skincare Products HERE

There's a moment a lot of women reach in their 40s where the skin routine that used to work just quietly stops delivering. So you add something new. Stay more consistent. Try harder. And your skin keeps pushing back. Here's what I want you to consider: the problem usually isn't the products. It's the strategy. And strategy has to be built for your skin, where it is right now. Two women can come to me with the exact same concerns and need completely opposite approaches. Same tools. Same categories. Completely different prescriptions. What helps one woman move forward will stall or worsen another. That's the part no one is explaining. It's not about what works in general. It's about what your skin can respond to right now. And during perimenopause and menopause, that can shift faster than most people realize. When you miss that, you end up stacking the wrong things. Your skin keeps pushing back. And you call it failure. It's not failure. It's feedback. If your skin feels inconsistent and you're tired of guessing, go to lindseyholder.com and choose where you want to start. I'll help you see exactly what your skin is responding to and what to do next. — Lindsey Download my Free 7 Day Skincare Guide: https://lindseyholder.com/guide/ Listen to exclusive podcast content + download my FREE esthetician-led skincare app Apple iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/lapree-beauty/id6473450143 Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lapreebeauty.lapreebeauty&pcampaignid=web_share Favorite Skincare Products :https://shopmy.us/shop/lindseyr

Two women reached out to me recently with almost the exact same question. Different skin histories, different budgets, different routines. But they both wanted to know the same thing: is my LED mask even worth it? They both had a clear answer in less than 48 hours. And it was not the same answer. In this episode I'm talking about what actually happened, why price had nothing to do with it, and why so many women in menopause are making decisions based on information that was never designed for where they are right now. Hit play above to listen. LISBYN/Wordpress: Learn more about Menopause Skin Support HERE Resources Download my Free 7 Day Skincare Guide: HERE Listen to exclusive podcast content + download my FREE esthetician-led skincare app Apple iOS: HERE Google Play: HERE Favorite Skincare Products HERE

Most Mother's Day gift guides look the same. Candles. Flowers. A robe. Something pretty that gets opened, appreciated, and quietly forgotten. This episode is different. If you are buying for someone in her forties, fifties, or sixties, or if you are in that season yourself, the standard gift guide is not going to cut it. Her skin has changed. Her body has changed. What used to work does not hit the same anymore. And most women are still guessing, still buying things that are not moving the needle, and quietly blaming themselves for it. That is what I wanted to change with this episode. I am walking through ten gifts plus two bonuses that actually support her right now. Not things that look good on a shelf. Things she reaches for. Things that make her feel more like herself. We talk about what is really happening to the skin and body at this stage, why volume loss is the piece the industry keeps skipping, how sleep connects to skin recovery in ways most people do not realize, and why the internal picture matters just as much as anything she is putting on her face. We also get into lymphatic support, clean beauty swaps that actually make a difference, the electrolyte and hydration conversation done properly, and why a blood test might be the most genuinely useful thing on this entire list. And I am sharing something personal. My skin assessment is open right now for just $27. It is a limited offering and not yet on my website, but the link is below. If she has been doing all the things and still not seeing results, this is where I would start. Real clarity, a real plan, no more guessing. Plus two bonuses at the end that I think pair beautifully together, one practical, one emotional, and both exactly right for where she is in this chapter. Link to the skin assessment and everything mentioned in this episode is below $27 Skin Assessment HERE Resources Download my Free 7 Day Skincare Guide: HERE Listen to exclusive podcast content + download my FREE esthetician-led skincare app Apple iOS: HERE Google Play: HERE Favorite Skincare Products HERE Geviti Bloodwork HERE (code lapree)

Let me ask you something. When you look in the mirror in the morning, does your face feel like yours? Because so many women I talk to describe the same thing. Puffier. Heavier. Softer in places that used to feel defined. And they have tried everything to fix it. Different products. Better serums. More steps. Nothing works. And here is why. They are trying to fix a systems problem with a skincare solution. In this episode, I am getting into what is actually happening underneath your skin during menopause. The lymphatic slowdown, the cortisol connection, the sleep piece nobody talks about. And why understanding this changes everything about how you approach your face. This is not about adding more. It is about finally understanding what your body is trying to tell you. Resources Download my Free 7 Day Skincare Guide: HERE Listen to exclusive podcast content + download my FREE esthetician-led skincare app Apple iOS: HERE Google Play: HERE Favorite Skincare Products HERE

What happens when you take a real skincare question and run it through AI to see how it does? Some of the answers were actually impressive. But what it got wrong, what it missed entirely, and where it fell completely short tells you everything about why information is not the same as strategy. In this episode I walk through exactly where AI succeeds with skin questions and where it breaks down, including getting protocol order wrong, misidentifying specific ingredients, and missing tools that can make a significant difference in how skin actually heals and responds. If you have ever followed advice that made sense on paper but did not move the needle on your skin, this episode will show you why. And more importantly, what a real strategy for menopausal skin actually looks like. Hit play and let's talk about what AI cannot tell you. Resources Download my Free 7 Day Skincare Guide: HERE Listen to exclusive podcast content + download my FREE esthetician-led skincare app Apple iOS: HERE Google Play: HERE Favorite Skincare Products HERE

If you have been noticing bruises appearing out of nowhere and wondering why your skin suddenly feels more fragile, this episode is for you. Most women assume easier bruising is just a normal part of getting older. But what is actually happening goes much deeper than that, and understanding it changes everything about how you care for your skin during this stage of life. In this episode you will learn why collagen decline, slower lymphatic circulation, and a thinning dermis are all connected to the bruising you are seeing, why your skin and your skincare routine may have started feeling different at the exact same time, and what your skin actually needs now versus what worked before. This is not about doing more. It is about understanding what is happening so you can support your skin in a way that makes sense for where you are right now. Hit play and let's talk about what your skin is really trying to tell you. Resources Download my Free 7 Day Skincare Guide: HERE Listen to exclusive podcast content + download my FREE esthetician-led skincare app Apple iOS: HERE Google Play: HERE Favorite Skincare Products HERE

If your face has been looking puffy, less defined, or more stagnant lately, this episode is for you. This is not an anti-Botox conversation. But it is a conversation that almost never happens in the skincare world, and once you hear it, you will not be able to unhear it. In this episode I am breaking down the connection between Botox, lymphatic flow, and menopausal skin. Because when hormones shift, the skin is already working with a smaller healing budget. And there are things we may be doing, completely unknowingly, that slow down the skin's natural drainage and recovery even further. We cover: What your lymphatic system actually does for your skin and why it matters more in menopause than most people realize How facial muscle movement supports lymphatic circulation and what happens when that movement is reduced Why midlife skin often looks puffy, stagnant, or less defined and why adding more products is rarely the answer The four-pillar framework I built the Menopause Skin Recalibration Method around, and why structure always comes before stimulation If your skin has been feeling confusing or unpredictable, this episode will help you understand what is actually happening and what to do about it. Resources Download my Free 7 Day Skincare Guide: HERE Listen to exclusive podcast content + download my FREE esthetician-led skincare app Apple iOS: HERE Google Play: HERE Favorite Skincare Products HERE