Menopause signifies a critical phase in a woman’s life, marked by extensive physiological changes impacting health, well-being, and appearance. As the arsenal for treating menopause evolves, so do strategies for mitigating its symptoms and effects. At Cosmedicon, Dr. Gina Messiha, Dr. Agnes Warchalowski, and Dr. Kristy Kostalas, specialists in menopause management, shared their insights on counteracting the effects of oestrogen depletion. Their collective expertise covers collagen-depleted skin support, metabolic function disruptions, and physical changes, offering a holistic approach to menopause management that emphasises health and quality of life.
The Evolution of Menopause Management
Dr. Gina Messiha, Perth based Cosmetic Physician and Medical Director of Ocean Cosmetics, brings a comprehensive background in women’s health. She stresses that menopause is not a sudden occurrence but rather unfolds gradually, typically starting in the early ’40s. Advocating for informed and resourceful navigation through menopause, Dr. Messiha’s practice spans beyond Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), embodying her holistic perspective on care.
Dr. Messiha emphasises that menopause isn’t an abrupt change but a gradual process that often begins in the early ’40s, with up to a 30% loss of collagen in the initial three years. She champions regenerative aesthetics, specialised skincare, and innovative technology to address these challenges. Unlike the topical application of vaginal oestrogen, products like Empelle are tailored to activate oestrogen receptors in the face, enhancing collagen and elastin production, and thereby offering a leap forward in menopausal skincare.
Integrating Technology for Facial Rejuvenation
Expanding her holistic approach, Dr. Messiha integrates advanced technologies like the Emface device in her treatments. This needle-free, non-invasive technology combines radiofrequency with muscle stimulation, facilitating facial rejuvenation. When combined with other treatments, Emface can significantly improve muscle tone by 30% and reduce wrinkles by up to 37%.
Another key technology in Dr. Messiha’s arsenal is the Emsella Chair, designed to stimulate the pelvic floor—a common area affected by oestrogen depletion—helping to restore neuromuscular control and alleviate symptoms like urinary incontinence and sexual function depletion.
Nutritional Interventions with Dr. Agnes Warchalowski, Cosmetic & Nutritional Medicine Practitioner and founder Bio-Alai
Specialising in the gut-brain connection during menopause, Dr. Agnes Warchalowski emphasises the role of epigenetic expression optimisation to treat symptoms such as weight gain, memory loss, mood disorders, and inflammation. She underscores oestrogen’s protective role over the gut microbiome and its neuroprotective capabilities. According to Dr Agnes, Oestrogen reveals or accelerates underlying processes such as skin ageing, hirsutism, hair loss and post menopausal acne, rosacea and the exacerbation of rashes and psoriasis. Dr. Warchalowski incorporates optimised nutrition, an anti-inflammatory diet, and correct supplementation into her treatment protocols, advocating for a multifactorial approach that involves personalised nutrition and lifestyle adjustments.
“Regardless of your age, hormonal or health status, or whether you have tried and failed in the past, the body has an incredible capacity to heal itself given the right inputs. It’s very much a multifactorial process that involves personalised nutrition, nutrients to support basic cell functions and the repair mechanisms that decline with age, some lifestyle tweaks and the right mindset. These are the epigenetic inputs that beneficially modify the epigenome to guide the expression of our genes. The right inputs, switch on the right genes – and vice versa. It’s a simple solution with benefits that span beyond the physical to produce a positive impact on every aspect of your life.”
Merging Technology with Personalised Aesthetics by Dr. Kristy Kostalas
Dr. Kristy Kostalas, a GP and Aesthetic Practitioner based in Port Macquarie, utilises her expertise in aesthetic medicine to address menopause symptoms like weight gain. At the Port Medical Aesthetics Clinic, the treatment strategy involves a blend of technology and personalised care, using devices like the Venus Bliss machine to tackle fat distribution changes associated with menopause effectively.
Dr. Kostalas highlights the importance of adapting treatment strategies to the changing metabolism caused by decreasing oestrogen, employing body sculpting and laser fat lipolysis technologies to support patients through these transitions and restore their confidence.
“Often the patients are doing the same things, eating the same foods, exercising the same way, but they’re getting that slow weight gain over that timeframe, that five or eight years, from Perimenopause to post menopause, because they’re doing everything the same. But unfortunately, their metabolism is no longer capable of processing carbohydrates in the same way because of the decreasing oestrogen. So we need to be looking at how we can support these patients through that timeframe, without them changing the way they look too much in the body, because that has a really negative psychological effect on a lot of patients. So we actually do some body sculpting work in our clinic with one of the Venus devices to support the changes in their metabolism.”
The Importance of Tailored Approaches
Central to their practice, Drs. Messiha, Warchalowski, and Kostalas all stress the significance of understanding their patients deeply. This foundational rapport allows them to craft customised treatment plans that address the multifaceted impacts of menopause, demonstrating the value of a patient-centred approach in achieving optimal treatment outcomes.
Through their collaborative insights, these practitioners illuminate the path for women navigating menopause, showcasing the benefits of integrating advanced technology, nutritional science, and personalised care into comprehensive management strategies.