From a medical perspective, it is impossible to achieve optimal health without a properly functioning and well-balanced hormonal system, and since the skin is an organ like any other organ in the body, but the largest of all, its wellbeing depends on all the pieces of the puzzle put together, including hormonal balance.
Gum Arabica, beeswax and egg were used by the Chinese 3000 BC, lipstick and eyebrows paints made of crushed safflower petals were made by the Japanese; Cleopatra bathed in milk and honey. The quest for immortality and beautification seems to have lived with us forever. Although written recorded history dates back only six millennia, the history of skin decoration and care has existed much longer, perhaps as long as mankind itself. Looking one’s best to improve social standing, denote superior rank in society, or improve the chances of coupling with the most attractive members of the opposite sex, also seem to be timeless concerns. Whether learned behaviours or a propensity embedded in our genetic code, there is ample evidence that proves skin care and cosmetics have long been with us.
Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who is the fairest of them all?
The appearance of the skin reflects how all the internal organs of the body are working. Anything that appears on the surface of the skin, such as acne, brown spots, abnormal blood vessels, or skin and internal diseases, thinning hair and nail imperfections are the end results of internal organ’s compromised functioning. Adding to that, pollution, environmental toxins, chemicals in products used on the skin and the skin’s radiance becomes compromised.
Despite the noise made by the marketing statement of countless skin care promises, no creams or lotions can help sustainably if the internal health issues of the body are not addressed. A combination of all the above health issues at any age can cause decreased hormone levels, adrenal and thyroid gland dysfunction which further compound skin symptoms, gastrointestinal issues, lack of energy, moodiness, sleep disorders, frequent illness and disease risks.
The building blocks of beauty and wellness
Healthy skin needs collagen, which is the most important raw material needed for its elasticity, and ‘fibroblast’ is the cell that produces collagen, whilst the major stimulator to collagen production is ‘estradiol’, which is a form of oestrogen.Did you know? As we age, the production of all estrogens (estradiol, estrone, estradial) as well as the major sex hormones such as testosterone and progesterone decreases. Estradiol levels in particular falls as there is less collagen production, therefore more wrinkles, sagging cheeks and frown lines. Surgical face lifts are one end of the aesthetics spectrum of the non-invasive and botox, fillers, laser treatments, laser photo-facials on the other, have become the first and sometimes the only solution that many people seek in anti-ageing today. But what do they all have in common? Whilst effective in many ways, they work on the upper surfaces of the skin and do not get to the underlying causes of skin deterioration and laxity.
WATCH OUT
If you are living a stressful life, always eating on-the-go, not drinking enough water (free of bisphenol A, a chemical found in plastic which is an endocrine disruptor that mimics human oestrogen), not exercising and not having eight hours of restful sleep a day; the best aesthetic procedures will certainly give you a noticeable ‘pick-me-up’, but they are not designed to make you look and feel years healthier and younger for long-term. To expect that from aesthetics is unrealistic. There is obviously a role for cosmetic procedures, but what we must also think about is beauty from the inside, and the tremendous impact and effect of a balanced diet, antioxidants, and hormonal balance that can have on the skin and overall vitality.