Moisture is your skin’s best friend, but sometimes it can feel like the enemy.
By your mid-30s, keeping your skin hydrated can seem like a losing battle. Your skin naturally begins to get a little drier. Your cell renewal slows down and your natural supply of key nutrients like hyaluronic acid and collagen tapers off.
But if you’ve tried countless moisturizers and anti-aging serums without relief, there could be another factor at work, too.
Did you know your hormones could be causing that dryness?
You probably already know that a drop in estrogen levels affects your bones, muscles, body temperature and urinary function. It can also cause vaginal dryness.
And just as overactive hormones might have given you oily skin as a teen…low hormone levels can give you dry skin as an adult.
Researchers at the University of California in San Francisco studied how estrogen and dry skin were related in postmenopausal women. It turns out that women with less estrogen were more likely to have dry skin – and more wrinkling.1
Over the years, many studies have shown that the skin is very receptive to estrogen, and suggest that the levels of estrogen and collagen are also related.2
There are a few natural ways to get more estrogen.
Soy is the first thing most people think of, because soybeans contain substances called isoflavones that mimic estrogen. However, I am very cautious about recommending soy, because most soy on the market is genetically modified.
The best way to eat soy is in a fermented form like tempeh, miso and natto. Be sure it’s made from organic soybeans. Products that use soy as a meat substitute, like soy-based hot dogs, for example, are not good alternatives.
At the clinic, I use several herbal options that contain phytoestrogens – estrogens that are found naturally in some plants. They work by occupying the estrogen receptors in your body.
One example is dong quai, an Asian herb that can also give your sex drive a boost. Black cohosh is also good, plus it can help with the hot flashes and mood swings that can happen with menopause.
I also use chaste berry, a gentle hormone balancer. It works by regulating pituitary hormones, which regulate estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.
Every woman’s hormone levels are different, and it’s impossible to guess. I recommend getting your levels checked if you are having problems with dryness or other symptoms.
Sincerely,
Kamila Fiore, ARNP, NP-C
1 Dunn LB, et al, “Does estrogen prevent skin aging? Results from the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I),” Arch Dermatol. 1997;133(3):339-42.
2 Brincat, MP, “Estrogens and the skin,” Climacteric. 2005;8(2):110-23.