Hormones definitely play a role in aging, particularly when it comes to signs of aging in your skin. A woman’s endocrine system produces and regulates female hormones. As women age and go through menopause, these hormones definitely decline—sometimes drastically.
Factors like pollution and UV radiation are external factors that age your skin, but changes in hormones age your skin from the inside. Scientists are just now discovering all the ways that hormone decline ages your skin. Here’s what they’ve discovered.
Estrogens are actually a group of incredibly important female hormones. Estrogens help the body make cholesterol, which helps the skin stay thick and wrinkle free. Estrogens also increase levels of important substances like hyaluronic acid which keeps skin moist and helps skin’s structure, too. When estrogen levels drop, skin can become thin and wrinkles start to appear. Skin moisture is affected too, and skin starts to become dry. It is amazing how dry your skin can be after menopause. Most importantly, estrogens stimulate collagen production, so when they drop, skin loses collagen and becomes saggy. Estrogens do the same things for your hair, so without them, your hair may be dull and brittle.
Many women experience thyroid issues caused by an underproduction or overproduction of thyroid hormones. These hormones affect body temperature and metabolism. With too much hormone, your skin can often be flushed and sweaty. With too little hormone, skin can become very dry and can even thicken. Thyroid hormones also affect your hair, leading to thinner hair or even hair loss.
Contrary to popular belief, testosterone is not just a male hormone. Females have it too, and an increase in testosterone can mean skin aging and even female pattern baldness. In fact, increased testosterone is the most common cause of hair loss in women. It’s not so much that you’re producing more testosterone, it is just that your estrogen drops and the ratio becomes imbalanced. Many women experience oilier skin or even acne because of the testosterone prevalence.
Many women have turned to topical treatments that replace hormones. This is a very new area of skin care and much more research is needed, but the treatments are showing promise where hormones are the single cause of skin changes. Patients are seeing improved moisture and elasticity. Preliminary data is showing that these treatments are not effective in reversing aging caused by external factors like sun damage. Talk to your skin care specialist to see if this new treatment is right for you.