The Truth about Midlife Acne-

By: Carrie E. Pierce and Menopauserus.com

I don’t watch much TV, but the little I subject myself to lately has pointed to a rather disturbing trend in advertising. More and more it seems, everyone is jumping on the Midlife Acne Bandwagon, and whipping peri menopausal/ Menopausal women into a buying frenzy in an effort to overcome this problem.

During news shows and prime time ‘entertainment’ I’m bombarded with ads for skin care products, birth control pills, topical chemical and laser treatments- all geared at addressing and ‘curing’ peri menopausal/Menopausal acne.

The simple fact of the matter is- and always has been: If you’re tackling your midlife acne using any of these treatment options alone- you’re barkin’ up the wrong tree and are destined to not only fail- but end up worse than you started!

For years I’ve educated women about not only midlife acne, but acne in general.

There’s so much more to it than ‘fighting it all over again’, exactly as we did in our Clinique-tinged youth.

If you read my articles regularly, you’ve heard me say over and over and over again ad nauseum: focusing just on the outer surface of the skin is sheer folly. If you wish to have healthy, radiant skin- you MUST start deep within.

There’s no way around this truth and it’s all the more crucial to your success when midlife acne rears its ugly head.  

The skin is the largest organ of the human body. How is it then, we so often choose to believe that: our inner health, hormone balance- or lack thereof, bowel function, liver health, level of hydration- or lack thereof, diet and lifestyle have no bearing on what we find staring back at us in the mirror each morning?

In the case of midlife acne there are several mitigating factors—all of which are internal. They all must be addressed if the condition is to be cured successfully.

No skin care line, no birth control pill, no professional aesthetic service will obliterate this problem, unless the inner issues are addressed right along side the topical treatment plan. PERIOD.

Far too many women consult with me about this issue- and nearly all of them have fallen for the advertising tricks;

They’re using heavy, alcohol-laden skin care products in an attempt to rid their skin of the ‘acne-causing’ oil- burning their skin and superficially dehydrating it during its most vulnerable time of life. They’re trying birth control pill after birth control pill- each one promising it’s been formulated to give the user ‘glowing and gorgeous skin’, yet all the while placing women at greater risk for stroke, heart attack and cancer development…

Not a good trade off in my opinion.

Ladies, let’s stop the panic, take a breath and step back to pull focus for a moment:

The human face- in some cultures- is considered to be a health road map of sorts. Practitioners can ‘read’ the health and vitality of a person simply by looking for certain health indicators in the face:

Circles under the eyes indicate sluggish liver, weak kidneys, allergies, anemia… discolorations often indicate disease conditions well before medical tests can pick up the developing illnesses- and how and where a face develops the pustules of midlife acne is also tremendously indicative of a woman’s true health picture.

The advertisements on TV fail to mention this now don’t they?

When a 30-40 Something woman begins to break out around her chin, jawline and neck it is always and without fail, a very telltale sign of hormone imbalance.

It is NOT a wakeup call that you need to start stripping oil out of your skin with heavy acne treatment products- nor is it a sign that you need to race to your Aesthetician or Dermatologist.

What it DOES indicate is this: it’s time to get your hiney to your ND or MD ASAP for a hormone assessment, and also a closer look at your thyroid and adrenal health.

All too often, women with midlife acne end up on hefty doses of either antibiotics or hormone treatments that, over time, make their imbalances even more severe.

Things like Accutane, Retin-A, Erythromycin, Tetracycline, birth control pills (Yasmin/YAZ brand especially has been in the news quite a bit re: lawsuits due to increased stroke and blood clot risk), BenzaClin, and Spironolactone (a blood pressure medication that is now used to flush free testosterone from the body) are all too routinely prescribed to treat midlife acne development in women, while no one bothers to look at DHEA levels, cortisol output, general liver health, thyroid function, estrogen/progesterone ratios…

a dangerous game plan and one that leads to frustration and worsening breakouts.

Except in cases of PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), midlife acne can- and should- be treated more holistically, at least in my humble professional opinion.

There is much that can be done to help a woman suffering with acne development during Menopause- but it requires spending time getting to know the woman in question; how she lives her life, what she eats, how she rests and how she feels in her day to day life. All these things have bearing on her overall health and beauty picture, and we as professionals are remiss when we fail to take an in-depth look and choose instead to prescribe quickly, be it a pill or a beauty service.

Got midlife acne around your jawline and chin/neck? Then here are some pointers:

1)      The most important place to begin is to meet with your MD/ND and take a look into your hormone picture. Sex hormones, DHEA/insulin levels, cortisol, and thyroid.

2)      Hydrate yourself properly each day so that your body has not only what it needs to handle its many duties- but so it can detox itself sufficiently. (The formula they say is the most accurate to assess your individual body’s needs is this: take your body weight and divide that number on half. That number then becomes the number of ounces of high quality water you need per day to stay properly hydrated.)

3)      Pay close attention to your bowel health. How is your diet?  How is your elimination? If you detect sluggishness then consider digestive enzymes and pre and pro biotics.

4)      Omega 3, 7 and 9 are especially important and beneficial during the Menopause transition and you should discuss them with your health care provider.

5)      Pay close attention to your overall liver health. Has your liver become sluggish? The poor thing has zillions of duties to perform on a daily basis and once we start dumping antibiotics, alcohol, prescription drugs and synthetic hormones into our bodies, its workload doubles -and in some cases triples. If your liver isn’t healthy- YOU won’t be healthy- and midlife acne will gain an easy foothold as your liver struggles to break down and synthesize hormones.

6)      Make your diet as clean and pure as possible, and eliminate as much garbage as you can; caffeinated sodas and beverages, trans fats, sugars and artificial sweeteners, non organic meats and animal products.

7)      Exercise and oxygenate as much as possible.

8)      Rest and renew as much as possible and greatly eliminate stress as much as you can.

9)       Treat your skin well from the outside too: cleanse, tone, exfoliate and moisturize regularly, using all natural skin care products whenever you can.

(For your convenience, we’ve created a very reasonably priced, easy to understand guide to help you professionally care for your skin. Click here to access it now:    http://shop.menopauserus.com/product.sc;jsessionid=F5377B91743D6069B95B04A253528916.qscstrfrnt02?productId=8&categoryId=1)

           -and finally-

10)  If you find yourself dealing with midlife acne, first and foremost, do not stress. 

It’s a symptom, and if you treat it as such you will be ever so much better for the experience. Don’t panic. The condition didn’t develop overnight and it may take some time to resolve itself- but if you follow the guidelines above and talk with your healthcare provider you will soon reap the rewards of your body’s attempt to get your Midlife attention!

By: Carrie E. Pierce and Menopauserus.com

‘Crowning Glory’… throughout the centuries, a woman’s head of hair has been romanticized the world over, and for good reason.

Not only does a woman’s hair represent sexuality, passion, beauty and lust- total unadulterated Femaleness; it also provides an accurate and very public picture of her innermost  health, and a glimpse into her personality as well.

On a sad note,  it’s now estimated that 1 in 5 Menopausal women experience significant hair loss.

It’s well documented that Menopause dramatically alters the texture of hair follicles, at times completely altering the wave patterns and structure of the hair, aside from the usual color changes so often associated with the passage of time and the onset of the Menopause process.

While yes, it is correct that some of these changes can be genetic and perfectly normal- many of these Menopause-related hair changes take place because of: 

1)      ever increasing hormone imbalances; chiefly the loss of estrogen and the imbalance of testosterone an/or androgen

-and-

2)      underlying health issues that either accompany the Menopause process or are

unrelated but  serve to greatly exacerbate and complicate the process.

 To better understand, let’s take a closer look at just how Menopause affects hair…

Menopause often triggers dramatic changes in the skin and its appendages, the hair and nails. 

With Menopause, androgen/estrogen rations become skewed. Androgen is produced by the adrenal glands, ovaries and also fat cells to help women during Menopause but can cause problems if not kept in check.

Estrogen is required to keep a woman’s hair and skin healthy, radiant, moist and resilient.  As estrogen levels decline, membranes and tissues begin to dehydrate, thin and become parched.

With declining hormones, comes declining sebum production. Less sebum production equals more dryness.

When talking Skin Health, one needs to look approximately 28 days in the past to determine what has worked well for the skin- or has damaged it, because the cellular life span of a skin cell is approximately 28-32 days.

What you ate and drank, what medications you took-or didn’t , what skin care products you used- or didn’t, all have bearing on the skin that now resides on the surface of your face at this very moment in time.

When talking HAIR Health however, one needs to look farther into the past. It’s believed as hair grows at a slower rate, a more accurate assessment is provided by looking as far back as three months into the past to gauge what has negatively- or positively- impacted hair growth/hair loss/hair health in general. Simply put, the hair you have now, you either took care of, properly hydrated and nourished for the past three months- or didn’t.  

Aside from the natural hormone decline that occurs during Menopause, there are several other conditions that a woman should seriously consider if she’s experiencing hair loss.

Conditions such as: thyroid problems, anemia, stress, excess insulin production, drug use, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, ovary issues such as PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), and adrenal issues all contribute to hair loss/female pattern baldness in women.

Once you’ve gotten your hormones checked and brought in to balance, it’s very wise to check into one or more of the above listed medical conditions if hair loss continues, just to be on the safe side.

And as with almost every single health condition on the planet: do everything within your power to get your stress levels under control and minimized. Yes it matters, especially where beauty is concerned!

Now a word about sulfate containing shampoos and conditioners:

Sodium Laureth Sulfate and also Sodium Lauryl Sulfate are foaming agents routinely used in grooming products like shampoos, bath soaps, shower gels, and toothpastes.

Both of these ingredients are known to be highly irritating and toxic to human tissues and also have been shown to greatly damage and parch hair follicles. If hair loss is a concern, make a switch to more natural hair products.

Using moisturizing deep conditioners  weekly and getting regular hair trims – approximately every 4-6 weeks- will also help keep your follicles happy.

Those folks who know me, know that I’m a redhead whose mane has more than developed a mind of its own. To be clear: my curls have become Medusa-esque in nature. Just the other night, my hair was referred to as ‘Whimsical’. ( I’m still not sure this was a compliment but will take it as such…)

 So, that said, it’s with great fanfare that I now do something I never do, and that is: endorse a product.

Much to my sheer delight and amazement, last month I discovered a hair iron that is a godsend to Menopausal women.  This is no ordinary hair iron but is in fact one that leaves Menopausal hair feeling like silk and imparts moisture into the hair follicles- if used properly.

This Implement of the Heavens was purchased through HerStyler.com, is called the Cobra and has given me a new lease on life.

The Tourmaline plates of this particular hair iron produce negative ions which eliminate frizz, moisturize the hair follicles and provide fabulous shine. Coupled with the Argon Oil Serum,  after a few treatments, my Menopausal hair is better looking and feeling  than it was in my twenties!

For the record I do NOT receive any kickbacks from this company and they aren’t even aware that I’m endorsing them here so please, take my words to heart safely.

If you’ve ruled out underlying health issues, have had your sex hormones balanced and are still struggling with dehydrated or falling hair, take my best advice and:

1)      eliminate or work to control stress

2)      nourish yourself well and wisely

3)      stay hydrated because yes it matters

4)      change to more naturally based shampoos and conditioners

5)      indulge in scalp massages, regular trims and deep moisture masks

6)      try the Cobra hair iron and Argon Serum

In this fast paced world, a woman’s mane is still the ultimate force to be reckoned with- and we all should reconnect with the sensuous joy that is our Crowning Glory!