How Does Our Menstrual Cycle Affect Our Skin?

What Exactly is the Menstrual Cycle?

There is no one set length of menstrual cycle, but there is a “normal” one - which is 28 days. As none of us are machines, and instead, we’re biological beings, we probably have some variation to that.

You might be someone who has a period every 28 days, or you might be somewhere between 21 and 40 days and each time is different - it’s all perfectly normal.

The Phases of the Menstrual Cycle

To understand the skin changes during our menstrual cycle, and the full effect of our cycle on our skin, we first need to talk about the entire menstrual cycle - not just periods. Throughout our cycle, there’s various hormones at play, peaking and troughing, triggering different parts of our cycle.

There are four main phases to the menstrual cycle:

Menstrual phase
Follicular phase
Ovulation phase
Luteal phase

Menstrual Phase

Day one of your menstrual cycle is the day your period starts and so each menstrual cycle begins with the menstrual phase.

If you haven’t become pregnant, the thickening of the womb lining that has occurred during the previous cycle isn’t needed to support a growing foetus, so it sheds away, in the form of a period. This phase lasts for, on average, between three and seven days.

During this time, the hormones oestrogen and progesterone have both dropped.

Follicular Phase

The follicular phase also begins on the first day of your period, and lasts for around 14 days until you ovulate, around the middle of your cycle. (It may last, in reality, between 11 and 27 days.)

During this phase, follicle stimulating hormone (or FSH) triggers the ovaries that start producing immature follicles - small fluid filled sacs that each contain an egg. The healthiest follicle (or sometimes the healthiest two, or more) will mature into a potentially viable egg.

This mature egg triggers a gradual rise in oestrogen that in turn, triggers the thickening of the lining of the womb.

Ovulation Phase

Ovulation usually occurs in the middle of your cycle, so, on average, around day 14 and is triggered by the rise in oestrogen during the follicular phase.

Once oestrogen levels reach a certain point, luteinising hormone (or LH) is released, which triggers the release of the mature egg that’s been settled in the ovary (either left or right).

Ovulation describes the travelling of this egg down the fallopian tube to the womb, where it awaits a sperm in order to become fertilised. The egg hangs around for a day or two, and if it doesn’t meet a sperm, it will effectively die.

(It’s during this time that we can become pregnant, so you can see that there’s a really small window of opportunity.)

Luteal Phase

The presence of the egg in the womb triggers a rise in progesterone and a slight rise in oestrogen. This keeps the lining of the womb thick and ready to nurture a fertilised egg.

If the egg isn’t fertilised, progesterone and oestrogen levels gradually drop towards the end of this phase, triggering your period, where the womb lining is shed.

The luteal phase lasts on average 14 days (although it can be anything between 11 and 17 days) and is considered the second ‘half’ of the cycle with the follicular phase being the first.

And then the cycle begins again.

Hormones and Our Moods

It’s a pretty clever cycle, huh? But during this cycle, these rises and falls of hormones cause changes in us, not least our moods. For example, premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, is common at the end of the luteal phase as oestrogen and progesterone are dropping. We might feel tense, emotional, tearful or irritable.

But what about the effect these changing hormones have on our skin?

Hormones, Menstrual Cycles and Our Skin

The first half of our menstrual cycle, the follicular phase, is largely governed by oestrogen whilst the second, luteal phase, is governed by progesterone. But just before our period, both hormones are relatively low. So our skin during the menstrual cycle is under the influence of these ever changing hormones.

Oestrogen has a significant impact on the overall health of the skin. It influences everything from our collagen levels and level of skin hydration to wound healing, skin thickness and how well the natural barrier function of the skin works.

Studies suggest that our skin also gets more sensitive around the time of our period which could be down to the low levels of oestrogen at this time. During the perimenopause and the menopause, oestrogen levels are naturally on the decline and the same study found that menopausal women tend to report more sensitve skin.

We also tend to sweat more during the luteal phase, which can lead to blocked pores and acne breakouts.

And there’s another hormone at play - testosterone. Testosterone is a male sex hormone, or androgen, that’s present in women’s bodies, just to a much lesser extent. Androgens are largely responsible for oily, acne prone skin by stimulating the sebaceous glands to produce more sebum - the waxy oily substance produced by the skin.

When levels of either oestrogen or progesterone are high, they ‘mask’ the effects of testosterone, dampening it down so that it doesn’t have the ability to stimulate sebum production, and hence cause oily skin and acne spots.

But when oestrogen and progesterone are both low, just before our period, then suddenly, testosterone is in charge…

How Your Period Can Affect Your Acne

If you have acne prone skin, we hear you. We have it too, which is why the Sönd skincare brand started in the first place - we couldn’t find natural yet effective skincare products that suited our skin and respected its needs, so we made our own.

That aside, you may notice your skin becomes more prone to spots and breakouts at certain times during your menstrual cycle. And this, of course, is all down to those pesky hormones and how the menstrual cycle and skin are so interconnected.

As we discovered above, testosterone plays a major role in acne. So when levels are higher than the female sex hormones, oestrogen and progesterone, just before our period, we’re more prone to getting spots and acne breakouts.

Other Ways Our Menstrual Cycle Affects Our Skin

It’s not just acne. As progesterone rises during the luteal phase, you might notice that your skin feels oilier, as progesterone also has a (milder) effect on sebum production. This may make you feel glowy, but chances are, it actually just makes you feel shiny and greasy. Oily skin and the menstrual cycle is therefore a thing.

Dry skin and the menstrual cycle are also linked. As we enter the ovulation stage, when oestrogen has dipped, our skin can also become dry as it loses water (so keep up with the water intake, ladies.)

But there is some good news! During the second week of your menstrual cycle (from around day eight to day 14), you may notice that your skin is living its best life. This is when oestrogen is at its highest level, just before ovulation, giving the skin a healthy vibrance.

Dealing with Menstrual Cycle Related Skin Problems

As much as we’d love to give you the key to unlocking the secret of month-round good skin, sadly, we can’t. Hormones biologically control us, and it’s all part of being human.

However, we can take steps to support our skin all month to give it the best chance of fighting the hormonal urge to break out. Good skincare during the menstrual cycle is therefore important. Using skincare products that support, nourish and respect the skin, deep down in the lower skin cells will help to ensure good skin cell renewal and healthy skin.

Which is exactly what our alkaline skincare products do. Try us out today and by next month, you could be seeing the difference. Let’s all take charge of our hormones! (To the extent that they’ll let us…)

Sources

https://www.healthline.com/health/womens-health/stages-of-menstrual-cycle https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/periods/fertility-in-the-menstrual-cycle/ https://www.verywellhealth.com/hormones-and-acne-15682 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2685269/ https://www.healthline.com/health/period-acne#during-and-after https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/acne/features/period https://www.boots.com/wellness-advice/womens-wellness/how-your-period-affects-your-skin

https://www.insider.com/how-your-period-affects-your-skin-hormonal-acne-treatment-2018-5

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How Does Our Menstrual Cycle Affect Our Skin?

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