3 Ways To Support Your Skin During Hormonal Shifts

Whether you're going through menopause, starting or stopping hormonal contraception, or just experiencing more hormone fluctuations than usual, your skin may begin to shift. This could manifest as hormonal acne, melasma, textural changes, and the list goes on. 

If you're struggling with hormonal acne or clogged pores, then you'll want to add some active ingredients to your topical routine if you don't include them already. Look for products with salicylic acid, gentle retinol, and niacinamide. 

You'll then want to cushion those actives with barrier-supporting hydrators, like hyaluronic acid, ceramides, peptides, as well as noncomedogenic oils, like rosehip seed oil and grapeseed oil. This way, your skin has time to recover from the intense actives. Not sure how to work all of them into one routine? You may want to opt for skin cycling—here's everything you need to know. 

Collagen supplements are never a bad idea for supporting skin health, but they're especially helpful during menopause. This particular hormonal shift is famously associated with a drop in collagen: Your collagen levels naturally fall about 1% a year1 once you enter your mid-20s, but once you hit menopause, you experience a 30% drop in collagen in the first five years, with a 2% dip every year after that. 

Considering collagen is what literally holds your skin together (making it appear firm and taut), this stark decline can come with some notable changes—namely, wrinkles and sagging.

The solution: Add a collagen supplement to your routine. Look for a blend with hydrolyzed collagen peptides, as this form is better able to support skin elasticity and dermal collagen density2, research shows.

Hormonal imbalances can impact your quality of sleep, which is why it's even more important to prioritize rest during these times. How is this correlated to your skin health, you may wonder? Well, if you lose sleep night after night, that deprivation can induce oxidative stress and lower your antioxidant defenses, making the body (and skin) vulnerable to oxidative damage. 

Not to mention, losing sleep increases cortisol (the infamous stress hormone), which can break down collagen over time—research has demonstrated a link between shut-eye and collagen production3, which is why many experts consider sleep a vital part of any "anti-aging" skin routine.