Glowing Through Menopause: Skincare Tips for Mature Skin

What is going on under the skin?

Cortisol is a hormone, and it normally fluctuates during the 24 hours of the day as part of your sleep-wake cycle. It is naturally a little higher just before you wake and is designed to reduce during the day. However, if you are emotionally under pressure or physically you can continue to release cortisol with it reaching higher than normal levels and staying there. This triggers inflammation in your body affecting all your systems, reducing your libido causing erectile dysfunction, and it wreaks havoc with your skin. It also interferes with insulin your ‘master’ hormone which promotes weight gain, and together they store fat on your tummy.

It is not just emotional stress; you can stress your body with both zero exercises and over-exercise as well as overeating and extremely calorie-reduced diets.

The role of the gut.

The gut microbiome is being recognised now for the significant role it plays in your entire body. The gut microbiome is made up of more cells than you have in your body and weighs the same as your brain. The microbiome is fighting to keep your body working as well as it can 24 hours a day. We now know this is where most of your serotonin is produced and stored ready for release.

Serotonin is a key hormone responsible for your mood balance. This is part of what is known as the gut-brain axis. The gut and the brain communicate with each other to support your body systems.

Cortisol inhibits serotonin production as does alcohol, which also destroys your stores of serotonin in the gut which evidence shows is why you get the ‘beer fear’ with a hangover.

The gut microbiome also plays a huge role in your skin health. This is known as the gut-skin axis. When it is disrupted by high cortisol, high alcohol or elevated levels of ultra-processed food, the gut barrier becomes weakened, and the number of good gut bacteria is taken over by bad gut bacteria. These can access your blood system through your weakened gut wall. Visible signs of this happening in the skin include susceptibility to sun damage and premature ageing, breakouts, acne, rosacea, psoriasis, and eczema. Research has shown that treating these conditions by focusing on the gut has fantastic results.

Cut all the manufactured processed food from your diet. Anything that comes in a packet, and yes that includes all those foods that claim to be healthy are not.

Eat a varied natural colourful diet including fresh food and fermented food with plenty of fibre and the addition of probiotics to help boost your good gut bacteria.

Try and leave at least 12 hours between the last thing you eat at night and the first thing you eat the next day. This allows your gut and your body to reset.

Do not starve yourself!

Reduce your alcohol. The odd glass of wine or beer is fine, but if you have noticed you are drinking every night as a habit to relax and unwind, swap that for a 10-minute walk, yes just 10 minutes and just a walk.

Cold water therapy is excellent for reducing stress. A daily cold shower or a swim in the sea is known to reduce your stress and increase your resilience. It is also fantastic for your skin health.

Have more sex if you can. This is a great natural way to reduce your cortisol levels.

What about your sex hormones?

Both men and women experience a drop in sex hormones triggering menopause for women and andropause for men. Both sexes experience low mood, higher anxiety and irritability, lack of motivation, and reduced libido. Men may experience erectile dysfunction, women may experience pain during sex, urinary incontinence, vaginal atrophy, and dryness. Oestrogen counteracts the effect of cortisol, so in menopause, as oestrogen drops higher levels of cortisol circulating in the body and this can trigger anxiety and depression.

In men, elevated levels of cortisol can block your body’s response to testosterone.

How can you tell?

To be 100% sure a blood test or something called a Dutch test to check your hormone levels including cortisol. With this information, you can look at options to rebalance your hormones including hormone replacement to rebalance your hormones.

Your body is a fabulous finely-tuned machine that is constantly battling to keep you in the best possible shape. Over time, too often we stop listening to our bodies and avoid treating the root cause of issues that present as changes in our mood, weight, skin, and sexual function.

If you only treat the surface issues such as poor skin health, the issues will continue which is why I promote an integrated approach to all treatments.