Our skin reflects what’s happening inside. It is more than just a barrier against the external environment. The skin is connected to the hypothalamus, a gland in the brain responsible for producing hormones, sending critical signals to every corner of our bodies. Every skin issue that causes us to lose sleep is a sign that something could be wrong internally — so that we pay attention to our bodies and navigate the problems with better knowledge.
Hormonal triggers that impact our skin are many. It is a combination of issues that could manifest in the form of skin troubles. The most notable hormones that affect your skin health are estrogen, progesterone, androgens, cortisol, insulin, and melatonin.
Hormonal changes impact all, but women experience it to a greater degree because of their menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause that cause hormones to go haywire. Yes, these crucial stages of a woman’s life can impact their skin health! You would be surprised to know that certain lifestyle habits and age-related body changes can trigger hormones to mess with your skin. Wondering which of them could exacerbate skin conditions or perhaps worsen them? Scroll along to learn more:
Can A Hormonal Imbalance Cause Skin Problems?
The skin has an important endocrine function to play — as the largest organ that produces and releases hormones, the development, and health of the skin are affected by hormones. The skin plays a significant role in metabolism, activation, inactivation, and elimination of hormones, primarily through its interaction with receptors, such as peptide proteins. The effects of growth hormones, neuropeptides, melatonin, serotonin, prolactin, retinoids, steroids are distinct. They have essential skin functions and regulate the growth, development, and maintenance of cells and tissues in our bodies.
Therefore, hormonal imbalances can mean drastic changes in your bodily functions, its effects being evident on the skin. Hormonal imbalances could be triggered by a sedentary lifestyle, toxins, or even medical conditions. Hormonal fluctuations that mainly occur during certain stages of life have notable effects on one’s skin condition.
Here are three surprising hormonal triggers which can wreak havoc on your skin (which you probably didn’t know of):
- Birth Control Pills
Breakouts generally occur as a result of an excess or deficit of hormonal levels. For women who also suffer from PCOS, hyper or hypothyroidism, or consume birth control pills, the result is an imbalance of the androgen, testosterone. As birth control pills increase estrogen and progesterone, the androgens are suppressed. Low testosterone levels have been associated with melanoma (brownish skin pigmentation), skin dryness, and aging in both males and females.
- Changes In The Menstrual Cycle
The menstrual cycle fluctuates throughout a woman’s life. Some reasons that there may be an imbalance of estrogen production are anorexia, damage of ovaries, excessive exercise, thyroid or pituitary gland dysfunction.
Acne is a result of a decrease in estrogen and progesterone and an increase in testosterone. A high testosterone level can cause a flare-up of acne on your skin as it triggers excess sebum production from the oil-secreting sebaceous glands. This is common during puberty and throughout your menstrual cycle. As testosterone levels increase before your periods, it stimulates the sebaceous glands to secrete more sebum, increasing the severity or frequency of acne. Since sebum clogs pores and leads to inflammations, it causes breakouts on your face, back, or chest.
An excessive estrogen and progesterone production (especially during pregnancy) can trigger an increase in melanin production. This could lead to dark skin patches, mainly on the face, commonly known as “pregnancy mask”.
Also, a decrease in estrogen levels is a common side-effect of menopause. Aging is both a cause and a result of hormonal fluctuations. Yes, as you age, your hormone levels can take a hit. Estrogen prevents the decrease in collagen production which helps maintain its thickness. Along with this, it also manages skin hydration by increasing the hyaluronic acid content, keeping it taut, thereby, slowing the process of aging. An imbalance of the estrogen hormone can result in dry and itchy skin, skin sagging, fine lines, wrinkles, and poor wound healing.
- Stress
Stress and anxiety can also throw your hormonal levels off balance. Stress causes the secretion of cortisol which is known to make skin more oily. It also results in the loss of skin moisture, inhibits your skin’s natural ability to heal itself, results in hair fall, and causes nails to become more brittle.
Stress leads to an imbalance of many hormones, namely, thyroid hormones, growth hormones, insulin, progesterone, and estrogen, among a few others. As glucose and insulin hormone balance is compromised under the impact of stress, it could form skin tags around the eyelids or neck or cause pale skin. Other messy effects of psychological stress include hyperthyroidism that could lead to under-eye dark circles (as a result of tiredness and lack of sleep).
Can You Prevent Hormone-Related Skin Issues?
Writing off hormone-related skin issues entirely is not a possibility. But a few alterations to your daily routine may help manage them.
Avoid sugary foods like crackers, pasta, wheat bread, rice and substitute with whole grains. Also, consume lean proteins like poultry or fish or plant-based foods like tofu or legumes over red meat. A plate full of green vegetables and fruits low in sugar is excellent for your overall health. Keep a watch on your weight. Being underweight and overweight are both risky. So, aiming for a healthy body mass index (BMI) to manage hormonal fluctuations.
Your skincare ritual should be clean, minimal, but potent to do its job. Women, especially those in their adolescence and 20s, can use facial cleansers containing salicylic acid to keep off acne. Older women who have dry and mature skin can include retinoids in their skin regime. It can be beneficial in improving skin texture and promoting cell regeneration. Most importantly, drink enough water to flush out toxins and relax to manage your cortisol levels.
Listen to your skin and make adjustments to your routine. Also, don’t be disheartened if you don’t see visible results right away. Your skin needs time to keep pace with all the changes — both internal and external. Just give it the love it deserves, and it’ll love you back!
Author Bio
Email: baghadia.nisha@gmail.com
Nisha is passionate about writing and loves to share her thoughts with the world. She has written many articles on yoga, fitness, wellness, remedies, and beauty. She keeps herself updated by going through interesting blogs every day. This fuels her passion and motivates her to write appealing and engaging articles. She is a regular contributor to StyleCraze.com and a few other websites.
