Dec 18th 2019
Why the best defense is a good offense?
You may not have gone through the “big change” yet, but that doesn’t mean those changes you’re seeing in your skin aren’t real. On average, perimenopause can last four years, but that can vary anywhere from a few months to a decade, says New York dermatologist Sejal Shah, M.D., and it brings with it a decline in estrogen levels. Did you know that even slightly lower levels of estrogen can have a big impact on your skin? “Many studies have shown that estrogen plays beneficial and protective roles for the skin,” Shah says. For example, one such study, published in the journal Clinical Interventions in Aging, noted estrogen’s importance in wound healing, collagen production, and photoprotection. Our studies found that skin ages six times faster after the age of 50 than it does before that point, while it repairs itself five times slower. Also, as estrogen decreases, you may notice your skin is increasingly dry and less responsive to ingredients that have worked in the past.
Time After Time…After Time
And it’s not just estrogen that plays a role in how your skin reacts to the passage of years. By your forties, your skin has been exposed to decades of UV light exposure, pollution, infrared radiation, and cigarette smoke—all of which can damage your complexion, says New York dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, M.D. “Combine these external factors with decreasing estrogen, and skin aging rapidly accelerates during perimenopause.”
Your Go-To Game Plan
But, hey, it’s not all doom and gloom. The right skin care routine can help counteract what’s going on. Issues such as dryness and sagging can be addressed topically with moisturizers and ingredients that help boost collagen, like avocado oil and niacinamide. Antioxidants, such as the artichoke leaf extract and turmeric in the SeeMe Beauty Complex™, can stave off the free radicals attacking skin’s surface layers. Add in a sunscreen with a broad-spectrum SPF of at least 30, and you’ll be facing your future with an effective and reliable defense against the inevitable changes that come with decades of living your best life All Night Long.