It All Starts Here…

I've taught women for years, that the skin is NOT just a shell covering the internal, squishy organs of the body.

It is instead, the body's largest organ; comprising approximately 5% of a person's overall body weight.  It also serves as the body's second bowel, third lung and third kidney; absorbing molecularly from one degree to another what is applied to it.

Today we’re going to discuss in-depth the skin- how it ages- and how menopausal hormone shifts can wreak havoc with it.

I’ve said it before- and I’ll say it again: Aging happens- if we're lucky!

It's a normal -and necessary- part of being alive.

Three Classifications of Aging

From a cellular point of view, aging takes place via three classifications:

Intrinsic Aging (cellular aging that happens normally through metabolism/cellular lifespans)
Photo Aging (aging that happens due to sun exposure)
Environmental Aging (aging that happens because of the toxins found in our environment and lifestyle ie: cigarettes, alcohol, extreme weather conditions, pollution, etc.)

Much of the changes seen in a woman's skin as she ages are actually due to oxidative processes- the internal 'rusting' that takes place as the body becomes long on toxic overload and short on antioxidants.

Hormones have a huge role to play in the maintenance of beautiful, healthy skin, hair and nails- and as menopause sets in, hormone imbalances begin to take their toll; hair growth slows and the hair thins, the skin becomes less elastic and there is noticeable loss of elastin and collagen, the skin becomes dry and prone to damage- even acne can occur in women who have never had this issue.

Most of the skin changes that occur during menopause can be traced back to estrogen deficiency. Estrogen plays a very crucial role in skin health- and in maintaining that 'youthful' appearance we all know, love and crave. It's known that decreasing estrogen can bring with it thinning and drying of the skin-which in turn produces bagging, sagging and wrinkling.

Estrogen works to maintain the fatty structural layer of the skin (the subcutaneous layer) - and it is this layer that is responsible for keeping wrinkles at bay- and the skin moist appearing.

Collagen’s Role in Healthy Skin

Collagen is the primary building block of the subcutaneous layer- and estrogen keeps collagen happy.
This hormone also impacts breast health and appearance, as well as being responsible for vaginal dryness and painful intercourse, when lacking.

During menopause, estrogen levels can drop off rapidly, causing as much as 2% of collagen -per year in some studies- to be lost. The loss of this collagen causes the skin's elastic fibers to segment, leaving sagging in it's wake. Sagging skin is a chief complaint cited by women in menopause- and unfortunately menopause accelerates and advances numerous skin changes.

The Most Common Menopause-Related Changes in Skin

Decreased skin strength and integrity
Poor wound healing
Discolorations
Excessive dryness
Decreased skin plumpness
Decreased elasticity
Excessive facial hair
Acne development

It's proven that a woman's cells have estrogen receptors, and these cells hold the ability to respond to estrogen by maintaining and repairing cells according to the messages they receive.
Once estrogen declines, the cells lose a large part of their ability to communicate -and respond- accordingly. Simply put, they cease repairing and maintaining as they did in younger, more estrogen-flushed days.

All is not doom and gloom however- and over the course of the next few weeks we will be specifically addressing what can be done to assist the skin to repair and maintain during the menopause journey!

Next we'll take a closer look at estrogen studies and their findings as pertains to skin and skin health- and we will then chart a course for how you can maximize your skin care routine to work with menopausal skin- not against it.

Until Then-

Carrie