Thursday, April 9, 2020
Lifeless hair, dull skin and wrinkles can be helped by improving your health. Learn the eight major hormones that can impact your appearance
Do you have lifeless hair, dull skin, and weak nails? If so, your new year’s resolution may be to turn back the clock and resolve these issues. I suggest starting your anti-aging regimen with an inside look at your hormones. Hormones affect everything from our immune response and inflammation to cellular growth and tissue repair. Let’s address each of the major hormones that impact our appearance and discuss methods you can use to achieve the healthy balance necessary for radiant, youthful looking skin.
1. Too Much Testosterone
Your body keeps a delicate balance between estrogen and testosterone hormones. Testosterone stimulates the sebum (oil) producing glands, which are important in protecting your skin with natural oils. Sometimes all of the hormone craziness will lead to a sudden increase in testosterone. If the balance of estrogen and testosterone tips, it leads to adult acne. If your skin is way too oily, you might be dealing with a rise in testosterone.
2. Growth hormone
If your skin is sagging—in your cheeks, chin or above the knees—declining growth hormone is probably the culprit. Since growth hormone tends to drop off as we get older, supplements are promoted as a way to “reverse” the effects of aging. Growth hormone is essential for skin-cell repair and the prevention of sagging. The production of growth hormone is closely linked to our exercise, sleep and nutritional habits. If we fail to exercise, sleep well or do not consume enough protein, we are literally accelerating the aging process because of a decrease in this repair hormone.
3. Too Little Thyroid
Low thyroid hormones are under-diagnosed in the United States. Millions of women and men may be walking around with sub-optimal thyroid even when their blood work (TSH) comes back normal. So how do low thyroid hormones affect your skin? When there is less circulating thyroid hormone, the skin will become chronically dry and brittle. It may also feel cold to the touch and appear pale.
4. Too Little Estrogen
The biggest culprit of sagging skin and loss of hydration among women is declining estrogen. There are several types of estrogen hormones, but in general they encourage cells called fibroblasts to produce collagen and elastin. With a sudden drop in estrogen, the skin appears thin, sallow, and saggy. Most notably, fine lines will turn into deep creases. The areas around the eyes and lips will droop slightly and lose firmness. Your skin will also not look as vibrant because less blood flow enters the skin.
Here are some tips to help keep your hormones in check:
Maintain hormone homeostasis by managing stress, eating a balanced and nutrient-rich diet, and exercising routinely. If you have symptoms of hormone imbalances such as fatigue, dry skin and hair, weight gain, low drive, PMS, or an irregular menstrual cycle, talk with a doctor specializing in hormones to see if you may have thyroid, adrenal or sex hormone imbalances. Eat foods that support your liver to help ensure proper hormone metabolism. Foods such as cruciferous veggies, beets, carrots, walnuts, avocados and tomatoes are to name just a few.
Avoid harmful skincare ingredients and other sources of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) such as plasticizers and pesticides. If you find you have hormone imbalances, various herbs and nutrients (such as chaste tree berry for estrogen/progesterone balance) can help. First, find out what your hormones are telling you, and then look for natural solutions to balance them. Your daily eating, exercise and stress management habits really make a difference. Take the 21 Day Healthy Habits Challenge to optimize your healthy habits and get your life back on track. You can manage stress by way of breath-work, yoga, meditation, moderate exercise and a good night’s sleep.