Hormones influence our skin cells in ways big and small. One of the bigger ways? Collagen production.
“Estrogen2 is key for the normal functioning of the skin as well as the blood vessels, hair follicles, oil glands, and our pigment-producing cells called melanocytes. It is associated with collagen production, increased skin thickness, increased hyaluronic acid production, improved skin barrier function, maintaining skin hydration, reduced sebaceous (oil) gland activity, and improved healing. It also plays a role in modulating inflammation3,” board-certified dermatologist Keira Barr, M.D., previously told us about menopause’s effect on the skin. “The bottom line is that there are changes in skin tone, texture, and pigmentation showing up as a dull complexion, skin sagging, wrinkles, thinning hair, and more prominent ‘age spots.'”
You can see how the major drop in estrogen can account for the major drop in collagen. Not only does your natural production of this hormone decline, but since much less of it is there to help support a healthy inflammatory response at the cellular level, that can further degrade otherwise healthy collagen cells.