What You Need To Know About Hormones And How They Affect Your Skin

If you’ve ever had a breakout pop up overnight the day before your cycle starts, you know the crazy effects hormones can have on our skin. Hormones are chemicals that send messages to many parts of the body, including our skin. Certain hormones are key players in skin health, so when hormone levels change, our skin changes too. Let’s take a look at three key hormones that affect the skin, and what you can do to manage their effects.

Estrogen

What Is It?

Estrogen is one of the body’s main sex hormones. Estrogen helps mediate the menstrual cycle and reproductive system, but it also affects both mood and brain health. Estrogen levels naturally begin to fall in most women in their mid to late 40s as they approach menopause, but can also get thrown out of whack when we experience periods of high stress, poor sleep, or emotional distress.

How Does It Affect Skin?

Estrogen helps skin stay moist by boosting the body’s production of hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring hydrator that lubricates the joints and keeps skin plump, firm and smooth. Estrogen also impacts the production of collagen and elastin. During menopause, lower levels of estrogen have a big impact on your skin— as estrogen levels fall, collagen and elastin production fall, too. This makes skin thinner and less elastic, which results in normal signs of aging like wrinkling.

HOW TO TREAT ITS EFFECTS: SKIN AGING REPAIR STACK

Our SKIN AGING REPAIR STACK helps boost skin regeneration that slows as we age. Packed with epidermal growth factors, EGF ACTIVATING SERUM triggers repair and supports healthy collagen, while our MICRONEEDLING SKIN REFINING TOOL gently micro-exfoliates to refine uneven texture and promote plumper, smoother skin.

Testosterone

What Is It?

Although primarily thought of as a male sex hormone, testosterone is a key player in women’s health as well. Testosterone regulates mood, controls sex drive, and stimulates hair growth.

How Does it Affect Skin?

Testosterone affects the production of sebum, the oily substance that keeps our skin moisturized. When testosterone levels spike, it can trigger an overproduction of sebum, creating the perfect environment for acne-causing bacteria to thrive and cause breakouts.

HOW TO TREAT ITS EFFECTS: OUR ACNE STACK

Battle breakouts with our ACNE STACK: the TCA LACTIC + GLYCOLIC FACE PEEL helps dissolve pore congestion, control oil production and neutralize acne-causing bacteria, while the EGF ACTIVATING SERUM boosts cellular turnover to speed blemish healing. Boost the benefits of the topical treatments with our HIGH FREQUENCY ACNE DEVICE, a gentle tool that generates oxygen in the skin to minimize redness, kill bacteria, and soothe inflammation. Our stack also includes our HA HYDRATING SERUM to balance oil and quench dry areas.

Progesterone

What Is It?

In women, progesterone is released by the ovaries to prepare the lining of the uterus for a fertilized egg and help maintain early pregnancy. Fluctuating progesterone levels can contribute to changes in menstrual periods and menopausal symptoms.

How Does It Affect Skin?

Progesterone is essential for skin elasticity, pigmentation and circulation. Levels often begin to decline in women in their late 30s, which can trigger problems like dullness, dry skin and hyperpigmentation.

TREAT: OUR DARK SPOT CORRECTOR STACK

Defend against dark spots and help brighten skin with our DARK SPOT CORRECTOR STACK. Our DERMAPLANING TOOL physically removes a layer of dead, dry skin so that the brightening actives in our TCA LACTIC & GLYCOLIC ACID PEEL can work more effectively to visibly lift hyperpigmentation. Our EGF ACTIVATING SERUM speeds up the skin’s own repair processes so that deeply pigmented cells come to the surface faster.