Skin Changes
You emerged from adolescence and its embarrassing acne with a great appreciation for clear, healthy skin. You vowed to take good care of your skin, and to look young forever. You wear sunscreen. You wear hats. You moisturize, tonify, exfoliate, hydrate, pluck, and use rejuvenating masks religiously. You avoid smoking, eat a healthy diet, and drink more water than you ever thought possible. And it works! For a while. But as time marches inexorably on, subtle changes occur. Your skin seems thinner, like you are losing weight, even though you aren't. In fact, you are gaining weight around your middle in spite of changing your diet and exercising more. And new hairs are appearing on your face, while hair is steadily disappearing from your head. Has time won the battle, or can you turn back the clock?
Hormones have specific effects on how much fat you retain in your skin and how fast the skin cells repair themselves, which has a direct effect on the youthful appearance of skin. Hormones also have a direct effect on how much collagen remains in skin. Collagen is a connective tissue that provides support to skin, and increased collagen levels lead to thicker, more supple, more wrinkle resistant skin. Although unbalanced levels of estrogen are dangerous and produce unpleasant side effects, our bodies need some estrogen. Levels of estrogen that are too low or unbalanced produce cosmetic side effects. These include:
- Dry Skin
- Increased Facial Hair
- Wrinkly Skin