Just how much do hormones affect our skin?

This week I’ve done something slightly different and asked what you would like me to write about over on Instagram. There were over 700 votes in the poll and it’s safe to say this was the overwhelming favourite. And understandably so, it’s a subject that affects us women through every stage of life… Our hormones!

Although I embrace everything about being a woman, these pesky things can wreak havoc, particularly when it comes to our skin. So, this evening I’m going to cover how our hormones change throughout different times of the month, across our entire life span and what we can do to help. The good news is, everything is treatable.

So, let’s start with periods...

As if they weren’t challenging enough, our periods often bring with them a delightful blemish or two that sit proudly upon our face, almost announcing its arrival…Mine certainly did this month anyway!

These breakouts happen because our oestrogen and progesterone levels nosedive just before our period starts, which triggers our sebaceous glands to produce more oil. Excess oil causes our pores to clog so we end up with those large, red, ‘time of the month’ blemishes we’re all familiar with. Nice.

To relieve the pain and help draw the pus out (delightful, I know 😉) try applying a warm compress for 10-15 minutes, 2-3 times a day. I always use my Ultra-Soft Face Cloth for this and follow up with one tiny drop of our Exfoliating Cell Renewal Serum, directly on top of the spot. The serum will help to reduce the inflammation and redness, plus will significantly accelerate the healing process. So many of you write and tell me what a miracle worker this is!

Once we get past periods, pregnancy may be on the cards. The biggest skin concern clients talk about during this time is a skin condition called Melasma, which is often referred to as ‘pregnancy mask’. It poses no risk to you or your baby and is simply caused by an over production of your melanocytes (pigment cells) because of the hormonal fluctuations during this time.

It effects between 50-70% of all pregnancies and appears as darker patches of skin usually across the forehead, cheeks and chin becoming darker the further along you are, or the more time you spend in the sun.

The best thing you can do in terms of skincare, is apply your BASE Protection – SPF 50 daily to prevent the patches becoming darker. For an extra boost, layer our Super Serum underneath as the Vitamin C will help to significantly brighten your skin and the Hyaluronic Acid will keep your complexion soft and supple throughout. You will be happy to hear that once the baby arrives and your hormones settle, the pigmentation will begin to fade away.

You’d think once we’d finished creating tiny humans our bodies may give us a break, but no such luck. In comes the menopause. This is a hugely transitional time and again has a huge impact on our skin.

The lower levels of oestrogen impact our collagen production making our skin prone to thinning, sagging and wrinkling. It’s also common for the skin texture to change and for dryness to become more prevalent.

At this time, being at the top of our skincare game will have incredible impact and the Proactive Age Kit contains everything you need. It’s packed with Retinol to boost your collagen and elastin production, antioxidants to help reverse skin damage and nourishing formulations to keep your skin, glowing, balanced and fabulous.

It’s never too late to start and it’s never too early to prepare either and will make all the difference in the years to come.

You could say it’s ‘the joy of being a woman’, but I think it’s fascinating to learn what our bodies have to go through as it simply proves just how incredible and strong we truly are.

We’re all on the journey together and can revel in the delights of our skincare routines to ensure we look and feel our very best through every stage of life.

If you ever have any questions at all, please know my inbox is always open and I’m more than happy to help 🥰

Amy x