"In my 30’s I noticed that I had more acne than when I did as a teenager. I never understood this. Then in my late 30’s my body really started to change quite a bit. I had a miscarriage at age 38 and from there much on the body started going downhill. As I slowly crept into my 40’s (I was moving a bit slower by then; not real sure I was going to enjoy these “40’s”!), I noticed a tremendous un-evenness to my skin texture, tone and color. Dry patches on jowls and temples, dry and oily at the same time on the chin and nose, thinning skin, color no longer even.
Replacement hormones used from the earliest stage of menopause reduces the development of wrinkles and skin rigidity.
Menopause affects women differently. Some women notice very little difference in their bodies or moods, while others find the change extremely bothersome and disruptive. Estrogen, testosterone, progesterone and thyroid hormones all affect virtually all the tissues in the body, but everyone is influenced by them differently.
Hormones are mostly to blame for skin changes as we age. Hormones are chemical messengers produced in organs such as the ovaries, adrenal glands, and thyroid glands, and all have an effect on other tissues.
Much of the reason why our skin begins to suffer is primarily due to hormones — and there is a massive industry manufacturing products to try to alleviate the results of these hormonal changes, notably as women reach menopause in their 40s and 50s.
As menopause occurs, estrogen is reduced as is progesterone and testosterone, and while it has a direct effect on thinning bones, it also creates significant changes in the skin.
Another hormone we have is thyroxin, produced by the thyroid gland, which influences skin appearance. Too much thyroxin shows a warm, smooth, sweaty, flushed skin. Under-activity of thyroxin produces a dry, coarse thickening of skin with reduced ability to sweat.
The oil glands of the skin are in part controlled by the level and activity of the hormone testosterone in the skin. Testosterone is required to produce acne.
This outcome can be seen in conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome, which produce some elevation in testosterone and in turn causes increased facial hair, irregular periods and acne. The imbalance of Estrogen to Progesterone, with the estrogen being higher and the progesterone being lower can also cause oily skin and much acne problems experienced in peri-menopause and actual menopause."
What can you do about the effect of loss of hormones and what happens to your skin as you grow older? You can not only take care of your skin from the inside-out with a healthy diet, drinking lots of water and exercising, but you can also use a good skincare regimen consisting of a quality moisturizing cream, preferabbly anti-aging and organic, without the chemicals.
