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Hormones and Skin Health: What You Need to Know

A woman with smooth and clear skin
As your hormones fluctuate, you may experience changes to the texture, health, and overall appearance of your skin. The skin on your scalp, face, arms, legs, and everywhere else may develop changes that affect your comfort and self-esteem. At WildBerryMD, we can help you determine the root cause of your skin concerns and determine if fluctuating hormones are playing a role. We can then design a personalized wellness and treatment plan that restores health and beauty to your skin. Here is your guide to better understanding the connection between hormones and skin health.  

Hormones 101: What They Are and How They Affect Skin Health

Hormones are your body’s chemical messengers. They help your body regulate functions like growth, metabolism, reproduction, mood, and sexual function. Hormones are produced by your body’s endocrine glands, or the pituitary, thyroid, and adrenal glands, and the ovaries. They are responsible for a wide range of functions, and an imbalance can lead to physical and mental symptoms and health issues.   Estrogen is vital to maintaining the thickness of your skin and preventing dry, crepey, or thin skin. It also regulates collagen production and hydration, both of which keep your skin plump, supple, and youthful-looking. Reduced estrogen levels can cause dry, thinning skin, fine lines, and wrinkles. Progesterone is responsible for oil production in the skin, which can cause acne. Excess progesterone can lead to bacterial growth on the skin, clogged pores, shiny skin, and acne. Testosterone also stimulates oil production, and excess testosterone levels can contribute to unwanted hair growth and acne. Elevated cortisol levels can break down the skin barrier, contributing to inflammation, irritation, dry skin, rashes, and sensitivity.  

Common Causes of Hormonal Changes and Skin Conditions

Your hormones can become imbalanced due to aging, environmental factors, and physical or mental health conditions. The most common causes of hormonal changes that lead to skin conditions are:  
  • Puberty – Your body increases production of certain hormones during puberty, which can lead to acne, oily skin, and skin redness or inflammation.
  • Menstrual Cycles – During your menstrual cycle, certain hormone levels increase, decrease, or fluctuate. This can lead to dry or dull skin, oily skin or scalp, skin sensitivity, and acne.
  • Pregnancy – Increased estrogen and progesterone levels during pregnancy can cause hyperpigmentation, rosacea, changes in skin texture, rashes, melasma, increased oil production, and acne.
  • Perimenopause – During perimenopause, you have fluctuating or declining estrogen levels. This can lead to increased skin sensitivity, rashes, inflammation, itchy skin, dry and thinning skin, wrinkles and fine lines, loss of skin elasticity, rosacea and eczema flare-ups, dermatitis, acne, and hyperpigmentation.
  • Menopause – During menopause, you have reduced estrogen levels, which can lead to reduced collagen production, hollows around the eyes or in the cheeks, thin or dry skin, increased bruising or melasma, hyperpigmentation, skin irritation and rashes, itchy skin, fine lines and wrinkles, acne, and slow wound healing.
  • Health Conditions – Certain health conditions cause hormone fluctuations, including PCOS, thyroid disorders, adrenal gland disorders, eating disorders, diabetes, cancer, and conditions that affect the pituitary gland.
  • Environment and Lifestyle – Your environment and lifestyle can also contribute to your hormone levels. Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, pollution, plastics, and toxins can disrupt hormone production or cause fluctuating hormone levels. Poor diet, malnutrition, chronic or extreme stress, lack of sleep, alcohol or substance overuse, and obesity can also cause hormone fluctuations.
 

How WildBerryMD Can Help You Manage Hormonal Skin Changes

At WildBerryMD, we offer targeted, highly personalized wellness services. Our hormone replacement therapies are carefully designed to meet each patient’s individual needs and goals as well as address the specific underlying reason for a hormone imbalance. We’ll begin by evaluating your medical history, symptoms, health, environment, and lifestyle. We will give you lab orders for hormone testing to determine exactly what is going on.   You will then meet with our skilled team of diet and nutrition experts, doctors, health coaches, and aestheticians to determine the best treatment plan. Your treatment will be highly individualized, and may include bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, changes in diet and lifestyle, and the use of cosmetic products, injectables like Botox and fillers, and nutritional supplements. To get started on improving your skin health in Tucson, AZ, call us now at (520) 762-1557 or contact us online to schedule a consultation.