Hormones and your Skin
Hormonal Imbalance impacts us ladies!
Hormonal acne, PMS, mood swings. These are just a few of the things most women experience sometime during their life. Lifestyle factors like stress, diet and not getting enough sleep can worsen them all together. Hormonal imbalance is a problem affecting many women across all ages. And if acne and mood swings are not enough, an imbalance in your hormones accelerates skin aging too. So, what’s a girl to do?
The good news is that there are natural ways you can correct your hormonal imbalance. If you start focusing on including superfoods in your diet that promote hormonal balance and foods that are anti aging, you will start to see the change in your skin within weeks.
Hormones and your skin
A perfect hormone balance means that your levels of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone are all peaking and dipping within the natural limits of your cycle. Other endocrine hormones, like thyroid hormones, stress hormones and insulin, are also within their natural ranges and not causing you any health issues. Hormonal imbalance occurs when a hormone is either too much or too little, triggering a whole cycle of symptoms.
Estrogens are the main player when it comes to a glowing and smooth skin. By the time we reach the end of our twenties, our estrogen levels are at their highest. From here on they take a steady decline until we reach menopause. Physiologically estrogen increases the skin’s collagen and elastin production, keeping our skins plump, thick and wrinkle free. By maintaining skin structure, estrogen keeps the skin from sagging and helps to maintain fluid balance by protecting skin barrier function. Estrogen is seen as the hormone that keeps us youthful. When our estrogen levels are imbalanced, or start to decline naturally, we will see the effects on our skin in the form of dryness, pigmentation, dullness, wrinkles, and skin texture.
Testosterone is known as the “male” hormone, but women have testosterone too, just at lower levels. Testosterone increases sebum production and when the levels are imbalanced, it can lead to an oily skin. The sebum begins to clog pores and attracts bacteria to the skin’s surface. This creates and inflammatory environment and causes acne breakouts. Women who are going through perimenopause may suddenly experience acne breakouts because of lower estrogen levels and higher androgen (male hormone) levels. Imbalanced androgen levels can also cause facial hair growth, hair loss and irregular periods.
Progesterone works with estrogen to maintain our menstrual cycle. An imbalance may lead to hormonal acne breakouts, fatigue, and mood problems. Progesterone is influenced by stress and high levels of cortisol, and this can worsen hormonal imbalance symptoms even further.
Thyroid hormones can also affect your skin. Hypothyroidism (low levels) can lead to dry skin, weight gain, low mood and brittle hair and nails.
The effects of hormonal imbalance on skin aging
Changing hormone levels, either because of stress and lifestyle, or menopause can have cascading effects on us. Stress increases inflammation throughout the body and can worsen acne breakouts. Hormonal imbalances where estrogen and progesterone are affected can leave us with mood swings, fatigue, and low energy levels. Here’s how your skin will be affected:
Dry skin
Sagging skin
Acne breakouts
Dullness
Increased appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
Reduced skin rejuvenation because of decreased collagen and elastin production
Pigmentation (high estrogen levels)
Increased facial hair growth
Visible signs of aging
Inflammatory skin problems like eczema, psoriasis
How to boost your hormonal health
You can get your hormonal balance back by making a few simple lifestyle changes. Getting enough sleep (eight hours), doing exercise, drinking water, cutting out alcohol and smoking will all help to get you back towards a natural balance. Reducing your stress is another key factor. Stress can literally stop our cells from regenerating, and this will show on your skin first.
Invest in nutritional beauty by changing your diet and including foods that are hormone balancing and anti-aging. Processed and sugary foods, and foods high in gluten increases inflammation and contributes to acne breakouts and hormonal imbalance. Try cutting these foods from your diet and replacing them with anti-aging foods, and foods high in magnesium, healthy fats, antioxidants, and vitamins.
Healthy fats from avocado, olive oil, wild-caught fish
Dark leafy greens like kale, spinach, beets
Nuts like almonds, walnuts
Flax seeds, chia seeds
Berries like blueberries, strawberries, raspberries
Pomegranate
Dark chocolate and raw cocoa products
Maca root is a Peruvian superfood that is high in minerals, essential fatty acids, plant sterols, fiber, protein, antioxidants, and amino acids. It contains nutrients that help to balance hormones by supporting our hormonal master regulator, the hypothalamus. Maca is an adaptogen and will help the body build resistance to stress and promotes calming effects. This in turn supports a healthy hormone balance and boosts mood. Maca has an earthy taste and the powder can easily be mixed into smoothies.
Shatavari is another superfood you can add to your diet to help restore hormonal balance. It is part of the asparagus family and has adaptogenic properties. Shatavari is used in Ayurvedic traditional medicine to help women balance their hormones and build resistance to stress. It is packed with antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory and muscle-relaxing properties that can really help if you suffer from PMS or heavy painful periods.
When we support our hormonal health, we support our skin health. It is possible to retain our youthful looks if we take care to look after our bodies on the inside and outside.
Always remember: if you are experiencing severe symptoms of hormonal imbalance, talk to your doctor first.
References:
https://neolifeclinic.com/blog/the-role-of-hormones-in-skin-aging-and-female-attractiveness/?lang=en
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2685269/
https://www.sweetlife.com.au/n/maca-root-helping-hormones/387