Let’s get straight to the point. There are naturally occurring changes in your body chemistry as you mature, such as menopause.  By the way, this statement is for men and women it just shows up in different ways.

Women go through hot flashes and night sweats, men buy convertibles and start looking at younger women.  LOL, I had to go there!

Seriously, hormonal changes can disturb the balance in your body.  Diabetes is a fairly common hormonal imbalance that occurs when there’s not enough insulin in your body.

Hyper/hypo – thyroidism is another imbalance that manifest itself in your body when your hormones are swaying to and fro.

What do these hormonal changes have to do with your beautiful black skin?

With all the skin conditions that can arise due to too many or too few hormones, side effects can range from overly dry skin to acne breakouts.  The main hormones that affect
your skin include estrogens, testosterone and thyroid hormones.

As your hormones begin to do their dance,  conditions such as hyper and hypo pigmentation in your skin as well as acne scarring and skin discoloration can occur.

Estrogen is the most commonly discussed hormone.  It can often be misrepresented because it is not just a female hormone.  Estrogen is also found in men and in tissues
outside your ovaries.

Testosterone is not just male-based.  It affects your hair growth and hair loss, can cause you to have coarser skin and increase your levels of oil during different stages in your life as a woman.

The Thyroid gland makes two hormones, which if not balanced, will affect your skin.  Too many of the hormones will cause your skin to be sweaty and warm to the touch.  Too
little production and your skin could be dry, coarse and thick.

Hormonal Skin and the Stages it goes through

Although there are many stages of your beautiful black skin, young adulthood, pregnancy and mature/menopausal skin are the main ones you experience.  In general women are living longer, however the age that women reach menopause has remained pretty much the same, approximately 50.

What does this mean for black skin care?  Well … women are living longer in a hormone-deprived state.  Yet on the other end of the spectrum young black girls are reaching puberty much earlier and this causes hormone-related skin issues.

Pre-Teens/Young Adults, this is when acne comes into play. Androgen hormones will stimulate the sebaceous glands in your skin.  If they are overstimulated, you’ll see acne occurring.  Hormonal acne can also hit you with irregular menstrual cycles, hair loss, diabetes and infertility.

Pregnancy is when you experience another phase of hormonal skin.  Melasma, commonly known as “pregnancy mask” is often the result of this hormonal stage.
You’ll  see melisma when there is an overproduction of melanin in your skin.

Pregnancy can also cause side effects to your scalp and nails.  Head massages and pedicure/manicures should be done with caution.

Menopausal skin can happen naturally or be induced prematurely due to illnesses, surgeries or medications.  Your skin can be affected from a variety of issues during menopause, everything from thinning, acne, dryness, excessive hair growth in weird places to even hair loss.

Menopause will also cause your skin to become more sensitive, so the more aggressive products you used during young adulthood, will no longer serve you best at this phase in life.

Remember …

Young or mature, man or woman your hormones don’t discriminate when it comes to caring for black skin.

Dedicated To Your Beauty

Juliette Samuel

Esthetician/Author/Publisher

Nyraju Skin Care