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How Your Hormones Are Affecting Your Skin

I don’t think it takes a rocket scientist to recognize that your skin today is nothing like the skin of your youth (and if you fought pimples like crazy, you may be ecstatic about that.) Our bodies are ever changing and for women especially, our hormones are in constant fluctuation. Even in a given month we have spikes and valleys in our hormones that wreak havoc on our faces. I get questions all the time about issues that show up on the face that are new and don’t make a lot of sense to us. I thought sharing some information about which different hormones create some of these issues and why would be helpful.

I Am __ (Input Any Age) Years Old And My Face Is Hairy And Acne Prone

pimplesHello face, meet your friend Testosterone! At some point in many women’s lives we have a rise in this hormone that begins to make us hairy and acneic. This is an awesome hormone that has many benefits for our bodies but can literally make our faces a mess. Vast amounts of peach fuzz or sometimes even full beards can crop up with the rise of testosterone, as well as crazy, cystic acne. This androgen hormone rises right before your period begins and gives you those pre-cycle pimples that we all love! Another side effect of higher testosterone is losing hair on your head. There is a great oral prescription that can help tame some of these beastly side effects, ask your Dermatologist about Spironolactone, it can significantly reduce them. But additionally I have many services available to tame these problems as well.

My Face Is Super Dry And Wrinkled, I Literally Can’t Get Enough Moisture In

If this is your major complaint odds are that you are in menopause or you have very low estrogen. Estrogen gives us that soft, supple skin of our youth. It also gives us long, luxurious hair. It drives the amount of Hylauronic Acid our body produces as well. This natural acid helps us hold that hydration in our skin and with less of it, your face becomes desert-like. Hormone replacement (either natural or not) is a very personal choice but handled by a smart doctor, it can really improve issues on this front with the skin.

I Have Pigment All Over My Face Even Though I Use SunscreenMelasma

While low estrogen gives us issues, high estrogens do as well, sometimes even worse problems. Melasma is one of them. For some women taking birth control or while pregnant, the rise in estrogen flips on this terrible battle with pigmentation on the face. It truly becomes a lifetime fight with your pigment. There are many options to taming this beast of Melasma. I will likely write a full article about it sometime in the future, but at this point there is no real “cure” to this issue that occurs when estrogen gets way too high in women. I would recommend if you have this issue to make sure you have the best sunscreens available, make sure you read my blog on sunscreen.

I Have Dark Hair All Over My Face And Neck And Lasering Doesn’t Permanently Remove It

face shaving womanPCOS (PolyCysticOvarianSyndrome) is a hormone disorder that is on the rise. As many as 1 in 10 women have it in the United States. It makes Laser Hair Removal nearly impossible. The laser gives temporary relief from the dark hair growth and for some people is completely worth the investment. But it can also be a frustrating battle of endless removal. This disorder can be tamed by working with a great OB/GYN doctor. There are varying levels of it too, some folks have mild symptoms that make it hard to diagnose and others have undeniable PCOS. Symptoms of PCOS include:

  • Infertility (not able to get pregnant) because of not ovulating. In fact, PCOS is the most common cause of female infertility.
  • Infrequent, absent, and/or irregular menstrual periods
  • Hirsutism (HER-suh-tiz-um) — increased hair growth on the face, chest, stomach, back, thumbs, or toes
  • Cysts on the ovaries
  • Acne, oily skin, or dandruff
  • Weight gain or obesity, usually with extra weight around the waist
  • Male-pattern baldness or thinning hair
  • Patches of skin on the neck, arms, breasts, or thighs that are thick and dark brown or black
  • Skin tags — excess flaps of skin in the armpits or neck area
  • Pelvic pain
  • Anxiety or depression
  • Sleep apnea — when breathing stops for short periods of time while asleep

 

The End Third Of My Eyebrow Is Missing Hair

If you find the tail of your eyebrows is missing significantly, it’s likely you are having a Thyroid issue. Our tiny little thyroid gland is a big player in all that goes right and wrong in our bodies. A properly balanced thyroid can be the difference between flushed, sweaty, hot skin (signs of too much thyroid) or dry, coarse, thick skin (signs of too little thyroid). Getting your thyroid balanced is critical to the health of your skin. There is much controversy these days about what properly balanced thyroid looks like, definitely find an expert when working to remedy thyroid issues.

There are many more issues that hormones effect. Overall, I recommend regularly having your numbers checked and working to keep them in balance as much as possible. I have several doctors that I recommend to help with these issues, please feel free to ask me and I’ll share their information with you! If you are better balanced it helps both you and I to make your skin look as good as it can.

 

Sources:

http://www.dermalinstitute.com/us/library/76_article_Hormones_and_Your_Skin.html

http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/polycystic-ovary-syndrome.html#a

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