Has it ever felt like you’ve tried to do everything under the sun to achieve radiant skin? I know how frustrating it can be to try everything and not see results. It takes a big toll on our self-confidence and how we feel about ourselves.
Modern-day marketing can make it feel like skin issues have a one-size-fits all solution. Try this magic cream, try this miracle serum – it’s easy to be tempted by the ease of it all. However, the solution to clean skin goes a lot deeper than a quick fix or marketing promise.
For many people struggling with skin issues that seem impossible to solve, the issue is hormones. There are two hormones that play a large role in skin health – and they might surprise you: estrogen and progesterone.
When Estrogen Levels Decline
Most people know estrogen as the hormone that gives women beautiful curves and fertility. However, it also plays a role in protecting the brain, bones, skin, and heart. We make estrogen in our ovaries, adrenals, fat cells, and other tissues.
Like other hormones, estrogen levels decline as we age – especially after forty and as we approach menopause. These levels also decline before puberty and right after pregnancy. In addition, women who have had their ovaries removed experience what is called “surgical menopause.” Estrogen levels also dip during certain times throughout the menstrual cycle. Even the time of year plays a role in your estrogen levels.
Estrogen and Your Skin
Although estrogen has natural fluctuations, when it’s too high or too low, it can impact your skin. For women over 40, declining estrogen levels are the leading cause of dry, sagging skin.
Low estrogen also makes the skin less elastic and more fragile. Low estrogen can also cause bone loss, hot flashes, insomnia, mood changes, night sweats, infertility, and vaginal dryness.
On the other hand, high estrogen also creates skin problems – most notably issues with hyperpigmentation (melasma). This is something Amber skin types can experience. The benefits of estrogen for skin include enhancing the skin’s ability to retain moisture and maintaining skin thickness. Estrogen also stimulates the production of collagen, a protein that gives skin structure and firmness.
Women who are pregnant or on birth control pills generally have higher estrogen levels. There are also many women who experience what is often called estrogen dominance. This means estrogen is not metabolized properly. It can also happen when progesterone starts to decline around age 35. The key with estrogen – as with all hormones – is balance.
When Progesterone Levels Decline
Progesterone is mostly produced in the ovaries. It plays an important role in many functions – everything from fertility, appetite, fat storage, and mood. It also provides protective effects for our skin, bones, breasts, and uterus.
When balanced, progesterone helps us feel calm. When it’s low, we can feel irritable and experience sleep trouble.
Progesterone helps counterbalance estrogen to support a healthy menstrual cycle. So when
our progesterone levels are low, unpleasant period symptoms such as irregular and/or heavy
bleeding, hot flashes, and night sweats can occur.
Other signs of low progesterone include irregular and/or heavy bleeding, fibroids, endometriosis, anxiousness, sadness, hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, difficulty conceiving, and a history of multiple miscarriages.
Progesterone and Your Skin
Perimenopausal symptoms, such as irregular cycles, insomnia and night sweats, can start around age 35 when progesterone begins to drop. Knowing when your mom went through menopause can help you plan ahead for hormonal changes.
Signs of progesterone imbalance can also show up on your skin. Excess progesterone can increase sebum production, which may lead to build-up and breakouts. Low progesterone can cause dry, brittle, and dull hair, skin, and nails. Sage skin types may experience these types of skin issues.
There are progesterone skin benefits. For example, progesterone and skin elasticity are closely linked. As progesterone levels naturally decline, the skin may lose some of its elasticity, leading to sagging and wrinkles. This is one reason to keep your levels balanced.
Optimizing progesterone levels will mean a brighter mood, better sleep, and possibly improved fertility, and more radiant skin, among other results.
Balancing Estrogen and Progesterone
Balancing estrogen and progesterone naturally can help you relieve or minimize uncomfortable challenges that come from being out of balance.
Getting enough vitamin C daily can support progesterone levels. Maca may also help balance estrogen and progesterone, especially in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.
When we are free of symptoms like hot flashes, irregular cycles, and vaginal dryness, as well as signs on our skin of melasma to premature aging, we can feel more beautiful inside and out. Everyone deserves to feel vibrant and healthy at every stage of their lives.
A Note About Birth Control
Birth control has changed our lives as women in a very profound way. It helps many women plan families around their productive lives. However, many girls and women are put on birth control pills for reasons other than birth control, including acne as well as menstrual irregularities and pain.
Unfortunately, hormonal birth control pills contain synthetic forms of estrogen and progesterone and suppress our testosterone levels, deplete us of certain nutrients, and disrupt our gut microbiome.
They also come with a number of potential side effects, including an increased risk for blood clots, stroke, certain types of cancer, and hormonal imbalances — including low testosterone and low thyroid hormones. This is why it’s important to not use birth control as a Band-Aid approach for hormonal imbalances.
I know the subject of hormones can be intimidating and even confusing. There’s a lot to learn and understand. However, it’s important to know that balancing hormones isn’t a one-time pill, cream, or action. It’s a series of consistent actions that you may need to shift at different points throughout your life.
For example, certain lifestyle habits can make a big difference. Use natural beauty products and skin care with organic ingredients such as the 4-Step Age-Defying Skincare System.
Buy organic foods and when something seems off, keep track of what you’re feeling. That way you can present your symptoms to a healthcare professional.
Want to learn more about hormones? Watch episode 1 of Hormones, Health & Harmony for FREE!
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