Hormone cycles and Skin
Day to day and week to week, Keratinocytes (the cells that largely make up the top surface layers of skin) change shape, function, and chemistry. They’re amazing ever morphing little beings and they do it, in large part, to protect the body’s internal world from harm. Keratinocytes are constantly regenerating sometimes quickly (as in the case of wound healing) sometimes not-as-quickly as in the case of aging.
Skin is pretty hormone driven. Estrogen has a big say in the whole thing.
Even if you’ve stepped away from a predictable menstrual cycle or never had one in the first place, your skin indicates where your hormones are hovering. For those who experience a dramatic fluctuation of estrogen or have a menstrual cycle, skin can be maddeningly reactive.
Working with skin’s regenerative cycle allows you to know when extra balm is a good idea and when to lay off the habit.
Sometimes, instead of seeing skin at the surface, it’s helps to know what’s driving the machine below.
Release
Skin Season: Dry phase
Menstrual Calendar: Menstruation
Hormones have left the building. Oh, but prostaglandins are on hand to help. Prostaglandins are compounds that control inflammation and are hormone-ish. However, an abundance of prostaglandins will cause over-sensitivity, inflammation, and regret in the form of little red pinpricks after waxing and plucking.
Exfoliating during this time is so, so tempting. Try holding off here because it really is not time to scratch that itch. Note what happens if you stay clear of retinoids. Skip the vitamin C.
Add a little more massage to your routine if you’re feeling slack, but since massage will stimulate cell growth. It’s also okay to give every layer of your skin a minute of rest. Use this time to let your skin release and let it speak.
This is the “dry” side of your cycle. If it feels like you want extra balm, go for it.
The Ramp Up
Skin Season: Dry to semi dry
Menstrual Calendar: Follicular
Estrogen is back on the production line to stimulate collagen, hyaluronic acid, and elastin in your skin. Estrogen thickens the skin, making lines less visible and picking up extra slack.
Sweat glands are more active in this phase but skin blood flow is at its lowest. Exfoliate to stimulate cellular turnover. Give your face a daily massage to increase blood flow.
Cue the Glow
Menstrual Calendar: Ovulation
Skin Season: Wet Phase
When Estrogen is at its peak, skin looks and feels moisturized. Collagen produced by fibroblast cells and elastin make skin glow.
To keep the party going, avoid skincare with preservatives like Germall that contain formaldehyde releasers (often found in water-based formulas). Formaldehyde has been known to explode fibroblast cells.
Ease up on Face balm or mix in more distilled water. Avoid harsh soaps, over exfoliating, and retinols. Give yourself cleansing mask. See what happens if you avoid the salyzcidic acid in this phase. What if you wait to exfoliate until late luteal?
The Carnival is over… but the rides are still plugged in!
Skin Season: Luteal
Skin Season: Semi Wet to dry
Bye estrogen. Heeeyy, progesterone.
The blood flow in your skin has increased. You might be sweating a bit more than usual too.
Progesterone and testosterone both cause sebum levels to rise. Skin swells and pores get squeezed from all sides. The good news is that pores look delightfully small. The bad news is sebum doesn’t have much of an escape hatch.
This is that time when cysts, breakouts, and general malaise makes an appearance on the face. Pores are slack, bacteria is mixing with that once-trapped, now exposed sebum. Hormonal breakouts are observable.
Prep ahead with a honey wash (all the better if it’s lightly infused with calendula or wild cherry).
If you have exfoliated in the early Follicular cycle, yay. Give yourself a scrub with a fine clay like Kaolin to create a mask for around the hairline where skin and hair follicles are evenly dispersed.
