Unveiling the Mystery of Menopause

What Causes Aging?

I’ve classified aging into three categories:

1. Intrinsic aging is considered the natural aging process. This is the aging process that would occur had we never been in the sun, never ingested toxins, never were exposed to pollutants, etc. Genetics play a key role in Intrinsic aging, if your parents aged well, odds are, you will also. In the skin, intrinsic aging results in loss of collagen and elastin, and reduced water content in the cells.
2. Extrinsic aging is also known as “Environmental Aging”, a term I introduced back in 1993. Extrinsic or Environmental Aging is the aging that results from the combination of external injury and compromised internal cellular functions. This is the type of aging that we can control. Factors such as sun exposure, smoking, stress, poor diet and intake of drugs or alcohol contribute to the aging process. Extrinsic aging effects can be reduced with preventative and corrective care. Signs of extrinsic aging are loss of collagen and elastin, hyperpigmentation, redness, dryness, thinner skin and loss of water in the cells.

Preventative and Long Term Skincare

Although there are no established rules for managing menopausal skin, proper skincare and long term preventive techniques can help lesson it’s visible influence. Without treatment, skin after menopause will continue to degenerate. Estimates have indicted that skin loses up to 30% of it’s collagen in the first five years after menopause. Moreover, as skin thins by approximately a percentage point a year, the decelerated cell renewal rate leaves increasing numbers of dead skin cells on the surface.

MAINTAIN BALANCE WITH THE WATER PRINCIPLE.

I believe that the answer to caring for menopausal skin lies in the use of the anti-aging ingredient of the 21st century, WATER.

Having an internal and external skin care program (see sidebar below) will help maintain the water balance in your entire body; I call it The Water Principle.

The Water Principle is not about drinking eight or more glasses of water a day, it’s about getting and maintaining water in the cells, so that the body can function in its full capacity.

Next to oxygen, water is the most important substance you need, and almost everything we know about aging tells us that the decline in function over the years is a story on water loss. Imagine a baby, at birth, it’s body weight is about 75 percent water. In our adult years it drops to just 60 percent. Combine the loss of water with the reduction in hormone levels experienced in menopause, and the visual and physical effects of aging can be quite dramatic.

Understanding Menopause What is menopause and why is it so unsettling? In a society that embraces youth, it signals the aging process and takes it’s toll emotionally as well as physically. A part of every woman’s reproductive life cycle, menopause is the cessation of menstruation during which a woman’s ovaries produce less of the female hormone estrogen. Menopause cannot be diagnosed medically, until a woman has been period-free for one year without being pregnant, breastfeeding, medication or certain diseases — factors that can also cause menstruation to cease. After menopause, women are no longer able to bear children and become more vulnerable to certain diseases. Menopause is unpredictable. The drop in hormone levels differs from woman to woman, as do overall menopausal symptoms. While the onset of menopause usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, some women in their early 30’s experience menopausal sleeplessness, weight gain, irritability, temporary memory loss, hot flashes, increased facial hair, acne, and dry skin.		A skin care program for menopausal skin should consist of: Antioxidants to disarm free radicals, which ultimately damage the cell membrane and cause it to lose water. Anti-inflammatory agents to reduce inflammation, which releases free radicals that damage cellular structures and cause water loss Natural Moisture Factors to absorb water from the environment and act as a reservoir for water in the skin. Hydrophobic Agents such as ceramides, which prevent water loss from all cells and maintain the skin’s barrier function – these can also be essential in repairing and maintaining cell membranes Fatty Acid and Glucosamine supplements to encourage the body to make it’s own water-holding molecules Lecithin and its building blocks, Phosphatidylcholine and Choline to maintain cell walls
Medical studies have shown hormonal changes taking place during and post-menopause change skin composition. The subdermis, or layer of fat that cushions the skin, deflates while the production of collagen and elastin (structural protein tissue) lessens. The dermis (the skin’s supporting and nourishing layer) thins out and the skin loses much of its “extensibility,” or ability to bounce back. This is due primarily to the decreased level of estrogen that prevents the growth, leading to the weakening of blood vessels causing broken capillaries. The lack of nutrients and oxygen contribute to this thinning and slower cell turnover rate.

The physical ramifications of menopause are apparent. Wrinkles become more prominent, while the skin assumes a dull, discoloured, rough, dry appearance. Additionally, women who never had acne in their life may discover unexpected breakouts because of a lack of estrogen in their bodies. They may find to have more facial hair and due to the thinning of skin with age, brown spots, more sensitive skin and fine, dilated blood vessels bounce back. This is due primarily to the decreased level of estrogen that prevents the growth, leading to the weakening of blood vessels causing broken capillaries. The lack of nutrients and oxygen contribute to this thinning and slower cell turnover rate.

Skincare in Menopausal Years

HORMONAL REPLACEMENT THERAPY

NATURAL INGREDIENTS AND FORMULAS

INCLUSIVE HEALTH

Skin and Overall Health

As you know, skin is the largest organ of our body. It not only signals touch and temperature, it detects nuances in our environment and communicates that to the brain. Harvard University researchers have dubbed this connection the nuero-immuno-cutaneous-endocrine network, or N.I.C.E.

Translated, everything that affects the skin, affects the body, and vice versa. The skin is connected to our brain, our nervous system, our hormones and our immune system. In broader terms, it’s a mind-skin link that reflects health as well as disease.