Health Archives - Page 2 of 2

Menopause and the Skin – Part 1

With Oestrogen involved in over 400 functions within the body, no wonder when we reach the menopause and the oestrogen levels decline, do we see so many different symptoms, feelings and changes to our bodies and wellbeing.

When we think about the menopause, we think of the classic symptoms of hot flushes, night sweats and mood swings, but we don’t always realise the significant impact it can have on our skin.

I find when ladies come to see me when they are at the stage of life where their oestrogen levels are starting to decline, they refer to it feeling like their skin has changed overnight. This natural decline in levels of oestrogen can cause our skin to loose up to 30% of collagen in the first 5 years of the menopause. This can have a big impact on the way our skin feels and looks.

How does oestrogen affect our body?

Oestrogen is a collective name for a group of 3 steroid hormones produced by the ovaries; estradiol, estriol, and estrone. They are responsible for the development of our reproductive organs, creating a suitable environment for egg fertilisation and nutrition for the early embryo. Oestrogen of course also controls our menstrual cycle. However, apart from the reproductive side of things, it influences the function of nearly all our major organs.

Oestrogen and the skin

The skin is the largest organ of the body influenced by oestrogen. It produces its effects through oestrogen receptors. These receptors are located within our skin cells and on the outer cell membrane. When oestrogen binds to these receptors a chemical cascade of signals triggers that cell’s function, for example, a fibroblast cell will produce collagen.

These oestrogen receptors are found in numerous types of skin cells, however, they are in higher concentrations over the skin of the face and scalp. The most significant are the fibroblast cells of the dermis, the keratinocyte cells of the epidermis, and the blood vessels.

How oestrogen directly impacts the skin

Collagen, elastin and fibrillin production = skin firmness, elasticity and structure
Hyaluronic acid production = skin hydration
Epidermal thickness = skin hydration and luminosity
Angiogenesis = blood supply to the dermis
Wound healing = effective recovery from injury
Immune response = protection and recovery
Free radical defence = protection from environmental aggressors

What happens to our skin when oestrogen declines?

When our oestrogen levels decline we get a reduction in the receptor activation. This can begin to make changes on a cellular level below the surface reducing the structure and health of the skin. This causes visible changes such as dryness, increased wrinkles, and loss of volume, epidermal thinning and dullness. The menopause can last for several years, starting with Peri-menopause, menopause and post-menopause, and all this time our receptors are losing more and more activation.

To be continued…

Look out for Part 2 where I discuss how we can help the skin reduce the effects of the menopause.

If you are feeling the effects of the menopause on your skin and would like help then please get in touch here, or alternatively, you can book in a virtual consultation where we can discuss your skin’s needs and put a plan in place to get you the results you want.

Pollution and our Skin

Research has shown that air pollution is now a major cause of premature ageing and poor skin health, as it has a major impact on the skins barrier, integrity of the skin, pigmentation and wrinkles.

Each day up to 7 million toxins accumulate on our skin. These are then absorbed through our pores and hair follicles resulting in inflammation and then the formation of free radicals in the deeper layers of our skin. A high level of free radical activity within our skin cells can then result in further inflammation, hyper-pigmentation, premature ageing and a worsening of any pre-existing conditions such as acne or eczema for example.

After sun damage pollution is the main factor to cause skin disorders and premature ageing.

Skin affected by high levels of pollution needs little more care, and its certainly something to take into consideration when having rejuvenation treatments as the skin’s healing capacity will be slower than a skin that does not experience high levels of pollution.

If you do live in a area with high pollution levels, there are skincare products and some treatments that can cleverly help to protect against these toxins.

I have listed a few of my favourites below

AlumierMD Alumience A.G.E Serum

Providing the ultimate in daily protection from pollution, this serum hold on to 80% of pollution that enters our skin and when you cleanse in an evening it gets washed away. This products s a state if you are living or working in a high polluted area.

Byonik Concur Anti-Pollution range

This range from Byonik has an advanced anti-pollution detoxifying properties. It contains powerful antioxidants such as detoxiquin that helps to reduce DNA damage caused from pollution and detoxify the cells.

It also contains Ectoin another multifunctional protective active that gives a strong anti-inflammatory effect and will wrap around and protect the skin cells from environmental aggressors.

If you are working or spending time in a high polluted area you can keep the Concur Face Mist in your handbag and spritz though the day for optimal protection.

With pollution affecting our skin within the lower layers we need to try and protect those skin cells within those deeper layers as well. The most effective way to do this would be through supplements. The Advanced Nutrition Programme Antioxidant Supplements are the perfect partner to your antioxidant skincare.

Formulated with plant nutrients and antioxidant botanicals, bilberry, turmeric, green tea, and grapeseed. The Antioxidant supplements safeguard your skin form the inside out, protecting from the free radical activity caused by pollutants.

Clinical Treatments

When we are finally back having our clinical treatments the Byonik Pulse Triggered Laser treatment is great for fighting and repairing the skin from the effects of pollution. The low level laser will repair environmental damage, reduce inflammation and has a strong detoxifying action on the skin cells to eliminate toxins from the skin. The Byonik Cellular Rejuvenation Treatment uses powerful antioxidant gels that are infused into the skin cells to then protect the cells from further pollution going forward.

If you feel you need help or advice with your skin then please get in touch, you can email me here or book your online consultation here, we can discuss your current regime and skin concerns and help you improve your skin health and put a plan in place to keep your skin protected from the damaging pollution levels.

Thank you for reading

Rebecca x

What Does a Compromised Barrier Look Like?

When we have a compromised barrier function our skin becomes more vulnerable to external attacks from things such as pollution, pathogens, microorganisms, the weather etc. It also loses the ability to hold onto the natural hydration in the skin. This hydration is vital to keeping our skin healthy, inflammation down, and its ability to fight attacks from those external forces. Our overall cellular functioning throughout the skin also requires moisture, and I always find a more hydrated skin is more tolerant to most things especially active skincare.

So what are the symptoms of a compromised barrier function? I have listed these below, this list is by no means exhaustive but these are the most common signs.

Skin tightness (constant/after cleansing)
Flaking, dehydrated skin
Oiliness combined with flaking/tightness
Redness or sensitivity
Dullness
Breakouts
Under the skin bumps/spots
Premature ageing
Dermatitis

Desquamation

I thought it was important to mention this as this process in the skin can be dramatically reduced due to our barrier being disrupted. The process of desquamation is the natural shedding of those old skin cells on the surface of the skin to allow for the cycle of the epidermal cells to keep going. Our epidermal cells start off at the base layer of the epidermis and move up, as they do this they become hardened and more resilient to allow for the protective ability needed at that top layer. Once they have reached the top, a chemical process dissolves the bonds between these cells to allow them to shed off and become house dust. This chemical reaction requires moisture to happen, and if our barrier is impaired we lose that all-important moisture and the desquamation process is affected. This results in our skin looking dull, flaky, and our whole epidermal skin cycle slowing down.

What can impair your barrier function?

You might have read the list above and thought that your skin is experiencing some of the signs of an impaired barrier, but what might be causing it?

Below I have listed a few factors that can cause the skin to become compromised, again this is not an exhaustive list but if you feel you are currently suffering from the symptoms it is always a good idea to get professional advice.

Over-exfoliation
Incorrect cleansing products
Sun damage
Pollution
Cold weather/wind
Hormones
Stress
Smoking
Diet
Dry atmosphere
Medication
Diet

As you can see there are many elements that can affect the resilience of our skin, and we probably encounter more than one of these on a daily basis. Our skin is designed to cope with a lot and sometimes all that is needed is to maybe just stop using a certain product and leave your skin to repair and rebuild on its own, other times it may need help. I have included a few products below that are my go-to remedies for compromised skin. But remember this is a general recommendation and without a skin assessment you won’t get individual advice.

Dermaviduals DMS Cleansing Milk

I see so many compromised skins due to incorrect cleansing products used, so your cleanser is the foundation of your skincare regime and a big player in the integrity of your barrier. The Dermaviduals cleanser is gentle, effectively removes makeup and impurities without negatively affecting the skin. There is nothing in this cleanser that the skin doesn’t recognize or that can upset the protective element of the skin.

Skin Omegas

Our skins natural lipids are made up of these essential fatty acids, so adding these supplements into your diet will help keep those lipid levels high and your lipid bilayer making up the skins barrier function nice and strong.

Byonik Supreme Seal

This product is a must for repairing barrier disruption. Containing a high content of ceramides, fatty acids and cholesterol that make up our barrier lipids. It reduces that water loss and restructures the skin’s barrier. It’s also a great product for healing conditions such as eczema and dermatitis.

Byonik Concur Cream

Another product full of those essential lipids, the Byonik anti-pollution Concur cream Contains repairing, healing, and hydrating actives as well as the powerful anti-ageing peptide Matrixyl Synthe 6 promoting the production of collagen, elastin and the all important Hyaluronic acid for hydration.

These are just a few of my recommendations for compromised skin, but my advice is to always see a professional that can give you individual recommendations for your skin and investigate why your skin is behaving the way it is.

To make an appointment to see myself please click here, I offer virtual consultations during lockdown or for anyone that cannot get into clinic to see me. If you are interested in purchasing any of the recommendations above please email me here.

Thank you for reading

Rebecca x

The Barrier Function- Our Very Own Coat of Armour

My focus this month is on skin health and keeping the skin youthful. I wouldn’t be the professional that I am if I don’t start this off with the Natural Barrier Function. Yes, I hear you…” here she goes again” but there’s a very good reason I talk non-stop about this incredible function of the skin.

So let me start by asking you, why when you jump into a swimming pool does your body not flood with water???

Well, that would be because of the amazing ability of our skin to protect our entire body, our vital organs, bones, muscles, everything inside! Waterproofing is just one of the many, many functions our skin is designed to do. Pretty impressive for something that is just 0.5-1.5mm thick!!

And what makes the skin have this protective ability is the barrier function.

The barrier function is made up of 3 main elements:

The lipid bilayer

The corneocyte cells in the top layer of the epidermis (stratum corneum) are flattened and hardened to give them a protective ability. Between these cells we have the epidermal lipids, if you imagine a brick wall, the cells are the bricks and the lipids are the cement. These cells also have a water-retaining mechanism called the Natural Moisturising Factor compromising of humectants enabling the cells to hold large amounts of water.

This combination of essential oil and water elements creates a complete barrier to prevent anything from getting in and also water loss from within the skin. All cellular and enzyme activity that takes place in the skin does so in solution with water so keeping the water content high is vital to skin health.

The Acid Mantle

The acid mantle is an invisible film that covers the surface of the skin. It creates the PH level, a healthy skin’s PH level is more towards the acidic end of the PH scale, normally sitting between 4.7-5.5. This acidic environment works to repel and inhibit any pathogenic bacteria or micro-organisms that may try and get into the skin. It also provides the ecosystem for the resident natural bacteria that lives on the skin.

Microbiome

Just like the gut, we have living active cultures on the surface of the skin (good bacteria) that fight off any bad bacteria, viruses or pathogens that may try to attack or invade our skin. As mentioned above this bacteria feeds off our sebaceous secretions.

As you can see there is a lot that goes into building and fortifying both the physical resistance and chemical shield. So you can imagine if one element goes out of kilter it can have a knock-on effect, not just to the other elements of the barrier but to the deeper layers of the skin that the barrier is designed to protect.

The formation of these components of the barrier function starts from within the lower layers of the skin. So the quality of the barrier ultimately relies on the quality of the cells, and the cells rely on what they receive nutritionally and topically to be at the top of their game.

In my next blog, I will be discussing what can happen when the barrier is compromised and the ways in which we can keep it from becoming impaired.

If you do feel you have issues with your barrier function or any other aspect of your skin please get in touch, you can contact me by email here or book an appointment with me here. During lockdown, I am offering online consultations free of charge.

The Skin and Psychology

If you follow me on social media you will have seen that last weekend I attended Aesthetic Medicine Live Clinical Conference in London. One of the subjects talked about which really resonated with me was Skin and Psychology. The psychological impact of skin conditions really cannot be underestimated and in my clinic I often find myself on the front line of this.

Dr Raj Thethi, an aesthetic doctor from Leeds talked about a new concept ‘psychodermatology’ which refers to skin conditions that are linked to psychological health.

From very early on in our lives, in fact from just 2 weeks into conception there is a link between our brain and skin. The Ectoderm in the embryo forms the epidermal skin cells along with the nervous brain tissue.

This link with the brain means that our skin really can shows signs of what is going on in someone’s head. Psychodermatology looks at the links between skin problems that may be affected by stress or emotional states of mind, or psychological problems that have been caused by having a skin disorder.

In my consultations I will always ask the client about their stress levels or any factors that may contribute to stress, this is one of the main psychological factors that can have a big effect on the skin. If we have high stress levels we will get a rise in the Cortisol hormone within our body, this increases our Testosterone levels and results in more sebum being produced which in turn can cause spots and breakouts. This can then become a vicious cycle as the skin condition that has now manifested on the skin can have an effect on our moods and behaviour.

An example, if we have a look at the statistics for acne; 80-95% of adolescents suffer from acne. Acne and acne scarring have been directly linked to issues such as depression, suicide, anxiety, low academic performance, and even unemployment.

Dr Raj presented a case he had worked on recently, a client who had suffered with acne and eczema since the death of her brother. She had tried everything in terms of clinical treatments, dermatology, and medicine but to no avail. Dr Raj took on this client and gave her a combined treatment plan that not only included homecare products and clinical treatments but also psychological help. The result was clear skin!! Her conditions had completely cleared up! Not only that, you could almost see the improvement in the clients state of mind by just looking at the expression on her face in the after photo compared to the before.

“In a vicious circle, stress, depression, and other kinds of psychological problems can exacerbate the skin problems. The common dermatological issues that have been documented to be made worse by stress include acne, rosacea, psoriasis, itching, eczema, pain and hives, just to name a few.”

American Psychological Association

I often say the skin is the window to what’s going on inside and this couldn’t be more apparent after listening to Dr Raj on Sunday. I always take a holistic view when treating skin conditions, which not only includes lifestyle, diet, health, environment, but stress and wellbeing are big factors too.

Looking at peoples past and present is the key to getting the skin they want for the future. And once we start getting those results they begin to fall in love with their skin again and we break that vicious cycle.

If you are having issues with a skin condition please get in touch today, and lets get you started on your journey to your future skin.