
When a lady’s period arrives, it comes with a whole lot of baggage. You can trust Lady Red not to come empty-handed as she brings with her everything you don’t want to experience. When she arrives, she brings about a whole lot of changes in the body system. The effects of these body changes are what ladies experience outwardly.
From the terrible and painful cramps that tend to land some women in the hospital, to feelings of being bloated, mood swings and fatigue.
Not forgetting to mention the tender breasts, insomnia, migraine and back pains. And then we have breakouts on the skin.
Asides from the above-mentioned issues, the menstrual cycle also hurts the skin which will be discussed in the subhead below.
Effects of Menstrual Cycle on The Skin
During a lady’s menstrual cycle, a lot of changes takes place as earlier mentioned. One of such changes is a drop in estrogen and progesterone levels.
And when this drop in hormones occurs, it births a dysfunctional skin where a lot can happen such as the following:
How Hormonal Changes Trigger Painful Period Acne Breakouts
Just when the progesterone and estrogen levels are down, the male testosterone hormone kicks up. When it does, it triggers some activities in the sebaceous glands, thereby causing the skin pores to close up.
When this happens, boom! acne happens.
Period acne which includes pimples, whiteheads and blackheads are more painful than your regular acne. And they usually pop up anywhere on the face, but most especially around the chin and jawline.
Read Also: Benefits Of Coconut On The Skin
Eczema and Periods: Understanding the Hormonal Triggers
Eczema is a skin disease whereby the skin becomes inflamed, dry, red, and itchy when triggered.
And according to a study shared in NursingTimes, almost 30% of women experience an eczema flare-up when they are on their periods.
Also, eczema flare-up can be triggered by hormonal changes such as the ones experienced during periods.
This means that asides from acne, eczema is another skin problem that women face during their periods.
Dealing with Period-Related Skin Pigmentation: Causes and Solutions
Another skin disorder that comes with periods is pigmentation. Pigmentation is when there is an irregular ring or patches of pale/brownish/reddish skin all over the face. These patches can mostly be found on the nose, cheeks, chin, upper lip, and forehead.
Period Skin Care: Combat Collagen Loss
Just as we have said that a drop in estrogen level is one of the telltales of periods. When estrogen drops, it causes lesser collagen which results in skin dryness and ultimately skin wrinkling.
From the foregoing discussion, you can say that a lady’s skin, most especially the facial skin, goes through a lot during her periods.
But just as these skin disorder abounds and can be terrifying, listed below are ways to keep the skin healthy against these skin sabotages.
Twice Daily Face Cleansing: A Key to Healthy Period Skin
Clean your face twice a day.
First on the list is facial hygiene. One of the culprits for skin disorders during periods is excessive sebum production.
So, one of the ways to keep these hormonal skin disorders at bay is to get rid of this excess sebum.
And one sure way to do this is by ensuring that you clean your face often. Regular cleaning/washing of the face might be unachievable if you are the busy type who is up and about all day.
This is why twice a day cleaning/washing is advised. When you do this, you help to mitigate the occurrence of skin disorders.
Hormonal Therapy for Skin Health: Consult a Physician
Since hormonal changes are the biggest culprits in the occurrence of skin disorders during periods, it is advised that you visit a physician who would prescribe supplements and medications for hormonal therapy.
These supplements such as fish oil and zinc supplements can help to drastically reduce hormonal imbalance and fluctuations, such that your skin would function just like it would on any other day.
Enhance Skin Health with Professional Facial Treatments
Of course, even with these supplements that are meant to fight these disorders from the inside, you can’t overlook the use of facial treatments to do the job on the outside.
Face massages, deeply cleaning, face masks, serums and face peels are classic examples of facial treatments that you’d mostly need to help your skin disorder.
If you want to take it to a deeper level by doing microdermabrasion facials, brightening facials, LED facials or other advanced facial treatments, you can go ahead, but that should be at the discretion of your skin therapist or cosmetician.
Customized Skincare for Hormonal Skin Disorders
Because of the difference in skin types and tones, not everyone can use the same skincare products to treat skin disorders.
While some folks get lucky using just cleansing wipes, some others use blotting papers, moisturizers, exfoliators, you name it.
You can’t try your hands on all so that you don’t aggravate your skin disorder and cause more harm to your skin.
To be on the safer side, ensure that you consult your dermatologist before purchasing any skincare product for hormonal skin disorders.
Hydrate Your Way to Radiant Skin: The Power of Water
As simple as this tip reads, it is as effective as all the tips in this article. Drinking a sufficient amount of water helps the skin to maintain elasticity and boost skin collagen.
When you drink more water, your skin is refreshed and looks bright and beautiful.
Period-Proof Your Skin with a Balanced Diet
Having a good diet is another way to keep your skin healthy while you go through your periods.
A good diet consists of plant proteins, antioxidants, fiber, soy, dark chocolate, veggies, fruits, seeds, yogurts, multigrain bread, eggs, nuts and of course once again water.
When you ingest these food items, they help to detox your liver and ultimately shut down skin disorders.
While at it, ensure that you stay away from dairy products, simple carbs, processed foods and sugar during this period.
Home Remedies for Healthy Skin
Not a lot of us can certainly either afford to have facials at the spa, due to either insufficient funds or time.
If you are in this group, don’t feel dismayed. There is a solution for you. With the use of home remedies, you can have your skin looking healthy and well in no time.
Applying items such as aloe vera, turmeric, apple cider, cinnamon and honey mask, sugar and yogurt face scrub, green tea, tea tree oil, and a citric mask, can do the trick!!
To say that a lady’s period is always a monthly nightmare might not be far from the truth. But this nightmare, most especially the skin part, can be curtailed using the right tips as highlighted above.
With these tips, it is safe to say that ladies would no longer dread what would become of their facial skin anytime their periods come knocking!!