Hormones & Your Skin

Hello Beauties! 

Hair loss, hot flashes, wrinkles, acne … from our weight, to our mood to our physical appearance, it seems like hormones get blamed for just about everything!

As most of us know, hormones have the reputation of wreaking havoc on many aspects of our physiological lives. Unlike skin-damaging external factors, such as UV damage and lifestyle choices, hormonal changes are intrinsic and mostly out of our control. These chemical messengers are just doing their jobs, by sending signals from one cell to another to regulate functions, but it seems like our skin is on the receiving end of all that hard work. 

Hormones affect our skin in a variety of ways starting at adolescence. As our monthly cycle surges and dips, acne can manifest in all sorts of nasty ways, causing skin to become unbalanced. Some women even choose to take hormonal birth control solely to help regulate their acne. As women mature and reach perimenopause, the body begins to slow the production of estrogen. That lack of estrogen can cause all sorts of changes, including a reduction in collagen that causes our skin to thin out. As a result, less collagen in our skin can make wrinkles appear more prominent. Even during pregnancy, a flood of hormones can create all kinds of changes in the skin, most notably dark spots, or the mask of pregnancy (melasma). 

While biology is a fact of life, there are still ways to help combat the natural hormonal signs of aging. Collagen and antioxidants are essential to helping skin to look its best, and choosing skincare products formulated with these ingredients is key. Moisturizers and serums formulated with retinol are ideal for hormonal skin that needs a collagen boost, and skincare products with antioxidant formulations can help to protect skin from any further oxidative damage. 

Paired with a diet rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, daily sun protection and a healthy lifestyle, professional-grade skincare products can help you to slow and repair the signs of hormonal skin care changes. Using inferior products, or not addressing all of the factors that are contributing to hormonal skin care imbalances can leave you with disappointing results. By creating a complete skincare regimen designs specifically for your type of skin, whether it's acne-prone adolescent skin or mature skin that needs a collagen boost, high-quality moisturizers, serums and cleansers are a must for hormonal skin. 

What kind of hormonal skin care questions do you have? We want to help you fight back! Comment below and tell us your hormonal skin care concerns, and we’ll help you find the answer. With just a few lifestyle tweaks, and some skin care upgrades, you could be on your way to providing the self-care your changing skin needs. 

Until next time, don’t let your hormones get you down … embrace the natural process and fight back for the skin you deserve to be in!

Love, Natalie