Acne in your 40s

You thought you were done with acne but acne in your 40s happens due to our changing hormones. What are some of the signs?

Why acne in your 40s

All of a sudden, you’re dealing with acne again! It was enough of a nuisance in our teenage years and now those pimples are back. Why this happens is because of our hormones. Our bodies are changing all the time and once we hit our 40s (and sometimes 30s), there’s a lot going on in our bodies. At one time we had a lot of estrogen but as time goes on, we start to lose it. This is a signal that we are heading towards menopause.

Acne in our 40s — photo credit: solarisys

What is Menopause

You hear the word menopause and it seems scary. But, what is menopause? You are considered in active menopause when you haven’t had your menstrual cycle for 12 months straight. This generally happens in our early 50’s but everyone is different. In addition, your body isn’t making any more estrogen. It is what it is – it’s what happens.

So, let’s find out a little more about estrogen and when you don’t have optimal levels in your body. We’ll dive into collagen and how that ties into everything. Lastly, where does perimenopause fit in to all of this?

What is estrogen

What is estrogen and it’s role? Estrogen is a hormone and plays a key role in how our skin looks. It helps with how hydrated our skin is and with making sure our wounds heal. In fact, if it wasn’t for estrogen, we wouldn’t have collagen – which would mean that our skin would be saggy all the time (prior to our 40’s).

Signs your estrogen levels aren’t optimal

But, here’s where things get crazy and why you get acne in your 40s. When your estrogen levels drop, you might experience one of more of these symptoms:

Acne in your 40s, rashes, other skin disorders.
Missed periods or very heavy bleeding.
Hot flashes and night sweats.
Depression and then anxiety. What are some signs of depression?
Brain fog.
Extra pounds.
Less lubrication of the vagina and all the other problems this causes.

Do you notice any of these issues?

What is collagen?

Collagen is a protein and 35% of the protein we have is collagen. We start losing collagen in our 20s and no collagen is made in our bodies when we hit our 30s. Did you know, though, that Vitamin C helps with collagen production. This is why vitamin C is so important in our diets and in our skin care products. Having enough collagen will mean our skin be elastic and just look better overall.

What is perimenopause?

Perimenopause is the phase right before you hit menopause. It generally happens in our 40s but some women may get to this stage in their 30s. (Sigh.) Here is where you start seeing acne in your 40s. Your pores may look larger and you start to see fine lines on your face. Your skin starts to look dehydrated and we don’t produce as my hyaluronic acid (Double sigh.) Irregular periods are also common but with all these signs, you may have no idea that this is happening to your body. All you know is that you have acne in your 40s.

Thankfully, we’re talking about it more so it doesn’t have to be devastating. You don’t have to hide your face anymore because knowing what is going on is half the battle. Adult acne.

You are beautiful at any age! You’re not alone!