Nadia Sawalha opens up about a surprising menopause symptom - and how she cures it

Loose Women panellist Nadia Sawalha has revealed that her husband Mark Adderley has finally taken up her beauty advice after years of gentle prodding.

Posting a cheeky video on her Instagram account, the 53-year-old filmed her hubby of 16 years slathering his face in one of her menopausal go-to's - Cetraben cream.

Turning the camera on Mark as he applied the cream to his face, Nadia squealed: "Caught ya, we're using the cream now are we?", before knowingly adding, "How many times in 15 years have I told you to keep your face moisturised if you have eczema?".

Responding, Mark gingerly admitted that "it helps", much to his wife's satisfaction.

Nadia's battle with menopausal eczema

Earlier this year Nadia admitted that her eczema has become much worse since she went through the menopause – revealing that at one point, she had to rush to A&E for help.

Speaking to the Express, she admitted, “I seem to be having more eczema flare-ups since I’ve gone through the menopause.

“Just before Christmas I had a really bad episode. Sometimes my skin reacts badly to different sorts of make-up and this is what happened when I was doing a presenting job.”

Revealing the severity of her reactions, Nadia continued, “My skin flared up so badly I got eczema on my neck, jawline and then up around my eye.

“The eye swelled up too. It got so bad at one point that I had to go to A&E. It lasted for about a month before it finally cleared up.”

The mum-of-two went on to share that her eczema was much worse when she was younger, particularly around the birth of her first baby, Maddy. However, Nadia revealed that since then, she’s been pretty much eczema free – until she entered the menopause.

“Since the menopause, my skin has become much worse in general, things have not been so good.”

MORE: Eating oily fish and legumes could delay the menopause, new study claims

In fact, Nadia revealed that her dry skin isn’t confined to her face, and that she’s been suffering from skin problems all over her body since the menopause.

“My skin is now much drier overall in general and I am having to moisturise my hands, feet, neck and face twice daily,” explains Nadia.

“I’ve also found that my calves get very dry so I’m having to moisturise them too."

The Loose Women star also admitted that there also appears to be another component to her flare-ups, as she notices it appearing if she doesn’t look after herself properly.

“If I don’t look after my skin and my general health, then the eczema will appear. For instance, if I eat too much wheat or dairy produce, I will have an outbreak. Typically that is a little bit of redness on a knuckle which may then split.”

So how does Nadia combat the problem? Speaking to the Express, she revealed that she now relies on Cetraben cream, in order to help tackle the extreme dry skin. She shared that she has been using it for three years, twice daily, in order to soothe her skin.

Boots sell a range of different creams for extreme dry skin, including an all-over body cream for just £12.99. You can buy it here.

While menopausal eczema can be a common symptom of the life stage, it’s not one that is spoken about so often.

As your oestrogen levels decrease during the menopause, your skin retains less moisture, meaning it is more prone to eczema and extra dry skin. Your immune system is also lowered during this time, meaning your body is less able to fight irritants and allergens.

As well as moisturisers, eczema sufferers also use topical corticosteroids, specialist creams and ointments to help reduce swelling and redness.

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