How Hormones Impact Your Skin
It can be easy to make the connection between hormones and fertility issues, but it’s rare for many to make the connection between other health issues and hormone imbalances. Most people think of hormones as things that regulate sexual function and fertility. That’s why I love teaching this topic, when you break it down you uncover the numerous and immense effects hormones have on you, from your energy, mood, weight, beauty, appetite, genes, sleep, and of course libido and fertility, you really can understand how important hormones are.
Once you get good recognizing them, hormonal symptoms can be pretty easy to spot, you just need to be aware, open, and record what your body is doing. You may then start to discover a pattern; a worsening of symptoms and then miraculously a clearing up of symptoms, at which point you think “Hurray my skin has cleared up, it must be the new cream” but then, as by clockwork, the exact same cycle begins again. And so it goes on like this, with little windows of relief, but never actually resolving for good.
Over almost ten years of working with clients, and thousands of women later, I have seen a number of skin conditions made much worse by out of balance hormones, the following are the most common, which after a little hormone adjustment get better over time and often disappear.
Dermatitis (Eczema)
This is a condition which is triggered by inflammation locally and systemically, resulting in areas of the skin which are flakey, red, itchy, and sometimes weeping and sore. When it gets bad, it’s embarrassing and a very uncomfortable condition. Currently the medical world is still unsure of the cause and will prescribe cortisone cream, which helps the visual inflammation subside, but what many of my clients experience is that as soon as they cease using the cream the condition flares back up. The cream is just a band-aid, and treatment needs to go deeper to resolve the issues. I have noticed everyone is different and the causative factor can be stress, diet, nutritional deficiency, and/or hormone imbalance.
Estrogen in particular is an inflammatory hormone in high amounts, which can flare up cyclically. The typical pattern is that during the month, some women will notice a worsening leading up to their menstrual cycle, and for others symptoms will be worse mid-cycle around ovulation. Results from a hormone saliva test show that these women had elevated Estrone and low Progesterone. The estrogen has a few different effects, but one is inflammatory and it is a trigger for growth. But the circulating estrogens also have an effect on your immune function, (2) causing a heightening in the allergic response, which can lead to a worsening in allergy symptoms.
If you find you get dermatitis (eczema) on a monthly basis and you have identified a cycle, then my advice would be to get your hormones checked out. A hormone saliva test through a clinician will give you the best and most accurate result for your hormone ratios.
Melasma
This is an interesting condition, which flares up after being put on oral contraceptive pills (OCP) and also during pregnancy. Again, this is an inflammatory skin condition, which is exacerbated by sun exposure. What’s interesting is that after pregnancy, or when women stop taking the OCP, most find that the condition improves. Studies are now concluding that the activity of estrogens (more likely estrone) have a stimulating effect on the melanocytes; therefore, once this stimulation is removed the skin’s production can once again normalize. Once study also suggested that skin care products and low thyroid function can contribute to the worsening effects.
Yeast & Fungal Infections
Thrush, in particular, is a condition which flares up due to elevated estrogen, and OCP, pregnancy, and sex can all exacerbate this condition. But, besides thrush flare ups (which is a vaginal yeast infection), I have also seen fungal infections flare up on the body and scalp. Estrogen not only causes proliferation of the yeast cells, but also alters your immune system response; meaning you will be more prone to infections. This is why using over the counter creams, such as Canestan, can be counterproductive; because these antifungals will kill the yeast locally, but might exacerbate discomfort and won’t actually get to the cause of the infection. A better approach is to use probiotics and good bacteria vaginal pessaries; these help to rebalance the bacteria to help your body deal with the assault.
Top Tips to Balance out Estrogen
If you suspect you have a cyclic condition, which flares up either around your menstrual cycle or ovulation, track it first. See when your symptoms get worse and when they improve.
1. Remove Soy
Most soy products these days are highly processed and also genetically modified. Soy isn’t the health food many think, and in high doses it can be damaging to your hormonal system. First, by causing estrogen dominance, and secondly, the phytates in soy can block the thyroid. A small amount of fermented soy, such as Nato, can be ok, but this is an occasional food and you don’t need much. Definitely ditch the highly processed soy milk and tofu.
2. Add in Fermented Foods
Fermented foods are a great way to cleanse and balance hormones. They work locally in the gut to help synthesize the correct hormones, plus they work at removing excess hormones and toxins from the bowel. I recommend sauerkraut or kefir, just a little bit daily does the trick. I tend to steer clear of Kombucha, as a daily drink, just due to the high amount of sugar some Kombucha drinks have.
3. Add 2 Cups of Brassica Vegetables Daily
Brassica vegetables include broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and kale. These vegetables contain sulfur compounds, and Diindolylmethane (DIM), which help to cleanse the liver of excess hormones to help keep them balanced in your body.
4. Remove Chemicals from Your Environment
Chemicals and certain compounds can be estrogenic, so go with natural options where you can, when it comes to skin care. Also, be sure to use a natural sunscreen if you have Melasma. Always remove your shoes when you enter your home so that you don’t walk chemicals through your home. Filter your water using a system which gets rid of chlorine and fluoride. You don’t need to do a complete overhaul, I suggest starting slowly, such as swapping your moisturizers out for natural brands, then slowly swap out cleaning products. Also, get rid of any of the synthetic smelly things in your home such as mists, candles, and plug in scents, and swap out for natural aromatherapy oils. If you suffer from migraines or nausea, you will find swapping out these synthetic scents will improve your symptoms.
5. Sleep
Getting better sleep helps to balance Cortisol , Melatonin , and Estrogen.
To get a great night’s sleep here are my top six tips:
Take a calcium & magnesium rich drink before bed to help you relax, CALM is a great mix to have before bed.
Totally black out your windows so you have no artificial light creeping in.
Remove all electrical devices from your bedroom and ensure main switches are off.
Change your phone to flight mode.
Wear blue light blocking glasses leading up to bedtime.
Read, don’t watch the telly in bed.
POWER GREEN SMOOTHIE
Ingredients:
1 cucumber
1 green apple
3 celery stalks
3cm piece ginger
1/8 cup watercress
1/4 cup mint
1/2 lemon, peeled, deseeded
1 tablespoon coconut oil
handful cashews
200ml water
ice
Blend all the ingredients in a blender until smooth, add extra water to get the desired consistency.