Galderma Tackles Menopause-related Skin Changes With Global Survey and Clinical Trial Inclusivity

Results from a global survey of over 4,300 women across five continents presented at IMCAS 2026 reveal a knowledge gap on the impact of menopause on the skin, despite women experiencing around three skin changes during menopause1 Galderma will also host a symposium delving into the challenges and science behind menopause-related skin changes and aesthetic solutions at the congress Galderma is committed to raising awareness of the impact of menopause on the skin, fostering meaningful dialogue between patients and healthcare professionals, and advancing science-backed solutions by incorporating menopausal status into all injectable aesthetics clinical trials

Galderma (SIX: GALD) has unveiled findings from a global survey of peri- and post-menopausal women from nine countries exploring the impact of menopause on the skin at the International Master Course on Aging Science (IMCAS) 2026 World Congress in Paris, France, from January 29-31, 2026. The survey found that over 50% of women learned about the effects of menopause on the skin by going through it themselves, with most finding out about it in their 40s.² However, over 30% would have liked to learn about this in their 30s and over 50% are at best neutral or dissatisfied with their knowledge on the topic.²

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To address this knowledge gap, Galderma will leverage its expertise in dermatology to advance awareness, understanding, education, and treatment approaches for menopause-related skin changes. With around 85% of aesthetic patients being female, it is important to understand how these treatments can support women at all stages of life, especially during the complex time of the menopause.³ To help advance this understanding, Galderma has made the pioneering decision to now include menopausal status in its clinical trials to provide critical insights into how its injectable aesthetic treatments can best serve this patient population.

Menopausal women experience a decline in estrogen, which supports many aspects of skin health, with fluctuations starting in the peri-menopausal stage.^4,5 Decreasing estrogen leads to an expedited decline in collagen and elastin, with a 30% reduction in collagen seen within the first five years post-menopause, causing the skin to lose firmness and be more prone to wrinkles.^4-6 It also decreases the hyaluronic acid levels in the skin, which can result in dehydration, dryness, and itchiness.⁴

Often not very well-known and understood, the effects of menopause on the skin are frequently overlooked but can negatively impact wellbeing.^2,7,8 Galderma’s survey found that women agreed or strongly agreed that menopause-related skin changes made them feel less attractive (60%), anxious (57%), less confident (55%), and want to socialize less (46%).¹ Aesthetic treatments can help to address this by targeting the root causes and correcting these skin changes for an enhanced look, and as a result, can boost confidence and positive self-perception.^4,5

Global findings highlight the unspoken struggles of skin changes during menopause
Galderma’s survey presented as a poster at IMCAS included more than 4,300 peri- and post-menopausal women aged 45-60 from the United States, Brazil, Germany, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, China, and Thailand, who have had or would be open to aesthetic treatments.¹ Results showed:

• The women surveyed experienced an average of three skin changes to the face and body since the start of menopause.² The main changes were lines and wrinkles (experienced by 59% of women on the face and 33% on the body), loss of firmness and elasticity (58% on the face and 54% on the body), increased dryness (56% on the face and 58% on the body) and a duller skin tone (40% on the face and 30% on the body).¹
• The overall impact of skin changes on the face and body was rated six out of ten in severity.²
• Of all the treatments or actions to help reduce the effects of menopause – such as cognitive behavioral therapy, exercise changes, food supplements and traditional medicine – aesthetic treatments had the highest level of satisfaction with results.²
• Many women said they would consider aesthetic treatments in the future to help with menopause-related skin changes: 47% would consider anti-wrinkle treatment, 41% hyaluronic acid treatment, 39% hyaluronic acid skin quality treatment, and 30% biostimulators.²
• Currently, women primarily use aesthetics as treatment for menopause related-skin changes (49%) rather than for prevention (26%), likely because many women learned about the impact on the skin when going through the menopause, restricting the window for preventative action.² Yet, over 60% of women would have acted differently if they had known earlier about the impact of menopause on the skin.²

At IMCAS, Galderma will also host a symposium with live demonstrations titled ‘Menopause in the Mirror: Challenges, Science and Aesthetic Solutions’ on Friday, January 30 at 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM CET in Grand Amphi - Level 1. This reinforces Galderma’s focus on community education on menopause-related skin changes, as part of its broader commitment to identifying and addressing real patient needs.

Science-backed solutions to help the skin thrive through menopause
Galderma, with its broad injectable aesthetics portfolio, deep expertise in dermatology, and close collaboration with the community, is well positioned to spearhead a drive in awareness around menopause-related skin changes, to ensure it becomes an integral part of patient-healthcare professional conversations and provide effective science-backed solutions.

Galderma’s complimentary portfolio can address the underlying causes of these skin changes. Sculptra^®, the first proven regenerative biostimulator, boosts elastin and collagen across the three layers of the skin, helping to gradually restore volume, firmness, radiance and skin quality, with results lasting for more than two years, and its indication in the European Union was recently expanded for use beyond the face on the body.^9-16 While Galderma’s Restylane^® portfolio of hyaluronic acid treatments, with a formulation that closely mimics the skin’s naturally occurring hyaluronic acid, is designed to help the skin stay hydrated and smooth.^17-23

About Galderma
Galderma (SIX: GALD) is the pure-play dermatology category leader, present in approximately 90 countries. We deliver an innovative, science-based portfolio of premium flagship brands and services that span the full spectrum of the fast-growing dermatology market through Injectable Aesthetics, Dermatological Skincare and Therapeutic Dermatology. Since our foundation in 1981, we have dedicated our focus and passion to the human body’s largest organ – the skin – meeting individual consumer and patient needs with superior outcomes in partnership with healthcare professionals. Because we understand that the skin we are in shapes our lives, we are advancing dermatology for every skin story. For more information: www.galderma.com.

References

1. Fabi G, et al. The potential role of biostimulators/dermal fillers to address menopause-related skin conditions. Poster presented at IMCAS; January 29-31, 2026; Paris, France.
2. Galderma. Data on file. Menopause Patient Survey.
3. Ashley E, Chadha P, and Watson L. Unveiling Gender Disparity: A Closer Look at Speaker Representation at International Aesthetic Medicine Conferences. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2024;17(9):25-27.
4. Viscomi B, Muniz M, Sattler S. Managing Menopausal Skin Changes: A Narrative Review of Skin Quality Changes, Their Aesthetic Impact, and the Actual Role of Hormone Replacement Therapy in Improvement. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2025;24(Suppl 4):e70393. doi: 10.1111/jocd.70393.
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9. Sculptra^®. EU Instructions for Use. 2025. Available online. Accessed January 2026.
10. Waibel J, et al. Bulk RNA-seq Analysis of Poly-L-Lactic Acid (PLLA-SCA) vs Calcium Hydroxyapatite (CaHA-R) Reveals a Novel, Adipocyte Mediated Regenerative Mechanism of Action Unique to PLLA. Poster presented at ASDS 2024 Annual Meeting; October 17-20, 2024; Orlando, Florida, United States.
11. Waibel J, et al. Gene Analysis of Biostimulators: PLLA-SCA Triggers Regenerative Morphogenesis while CaHA-R Induces Inflammation upon Facial Injection. Poster presented at ASDS 2024; October 17-20, 2024; Orlando, Florida, United States.
12. Huth S, et al. Molecular Insights into the effects of PLLA_SCA on Gene Expression and Collagen Synthesis in Human 3D Skin Models Containing Macrophages. J Drugs Dermatol. 2024;23(4):285–288. doi: 10.36849/JDD.7791.
13. Galderma. Data on File (MA-46589).
14. Vleggaar D, et al. Consensus recommendations on the use of injectable poly-L-lactic-acid for facial and nonfacial volumization. J Drugs Dermatol. 2014;13(4 Suppl):s44–s51.
15. Widgegrow J, et al. A randomized, comparative study describing the gene signatures of poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA-SCA) and Calcium Hydroxyapatite (CaHA) in the treatment of nasolabial folds. Poster presented at IMCAS World Congress; February 1-3, 2024. Paris, France.
16. Duracinsky M, et al. Safety of poly-L-lactic acid (New-Fill^®) in the treatment of facial lipoatrophy: a large observational study among HIV-positive patients. BMC Infect Dis. 2014;14(474). doi: 10.1186/1471-2334-14-474.
17. Edsman K, et al. Gel properties of hyaluronic acid dermal fillers. Dermatol Surg. 2012;38:1170–1179. doi: 10.1111/j.1524-4725.2012.02472.x.
18. Galderma. Data on file. MA-58650. Degree of modification of HA fillers.
19. Seo K. Facial volumization with fillers Springer. 2021;29–83. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-6212-3_2.
20. Kablik J et al. Comparative physical properties of hyaluronic acid dermal fillers. Dermatol Surg. 2009:35S(1):302–312. doi: 10.1111/j.1524-4725.2008.01046.x.
21. Di Gregorio C, Avelar L, Lam S, et al. 25+ years of experience with the Restylane portfolio of injectable HA fillers for facial aesthetic treatment. E-poster presented at AMWC; March 27-29, 2024; Monaco.
22. Solish N, et al. Dynamics of HA fillers formulated to maintain natural facial expression. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2019;18(3): 738-746. doi: 10.1111/jocd.12961.
23. Philipp‐Dormston WG, et al. Perceived naturalness of facial expression after HA filler injection in nasolabial folds and lower face. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2020;19(7):1600-1606. doi: 10.1111/jocd.13205.

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