Menopause may be a normal time of life, but no one said it was fun. There are sudden and pronounced drops in hormones, particularly estrogen and progesterone. These sex hormones play several critical roles in our body, including a pretty important one in our skin. You see, when people reach menopause, they experience a 30% drop in collagen1. This compares to the steady 1% annual decline in collagen we typically see.
“Estrogen2 It is key to the normal functioning of the skin, as well as blood vessels, hair follicles, sebaceous glands and our pigment-producing cells called melanocytes. It is associated with collagen production, increased skin thickness, increased hyaluronic acid production, improved skin barrier function, maintenance of skin hydration, reduced sebaceous gland activity ( oil) and improved healing. It also plays a role in modulation inflammation3“board-certified dermatologist Keira Barr, MD, previously told us about the effect of menopause on the skin. “The bottom line is that there are changes in skin tone, texture, and pigmentation that manifest as a dull complexion, sagging skin, wrinkles, hair loss and more prominent ‘age spots.’
