It happens to all of us – one day we wake up with our mother’s skin! On an average, according to WebMD, somewhere between ages 40 and 58, most women enter menopause. Estrogen levels begin to decline, hormone levels become unbalanced, and we start to notice all sorts of changes in our bodies, including mood swings, short-term memory loss and often the dreaded hot flashes. The Cleveland Clinic describes how these changes take place: The menopausal ovary no longer produces estradiol (E2) or inhibin. Therefore, FSH and LH are no longer inhibited by estrogen’s negative feedback mechanism. Fluctuations and deficiencies in estrogen levels cause many of the menopausal signs and symptoms.

Changes in hormones due to menopause can cause a number of problems with your skin, including loss of collagen, decreased dermal thickness and elasticity, along with fine wrinkles. Another common symptom of menopause is also dry skin. Many of us have dry skin all our lives, however, even those who have never had dry skin often find with menopause they also experience dryness and flakiness for the first time. Besides being unattractive and itchy, left untreated severely dry skin can result in dermatitis and sometimes require the attention of a doctor.

SKIN TUTORIAL

Young skin sloughs off a layer of epidermis approximately every 28 days; with age and menopause, your body only sloughs off that layer every 45-60 days. A thick layer of dead cells results, and this is what causes flakiness, callouses and rough skin. Moreover, your body’s Natural Moisture Factor also begins to diminish. Everybody’s NMF level is different, but with menopause your skin’s ability to retain moisture is reduced, causing your skin to become dry and flaky, often red and irritated as well.

Unfortunately, these changes in our skin are permanent. So, what is the answer? First of all, realize you are not alone! According to The National Institutes of Health website, an estimated 2 million American women go through menopause each year! There are a variety of steps you can take to ease dry skin symptoms, including reducing long hot showers, introducing healthy fats into your diet, using sunscreen, etc.

What in the world is NMF?

Our skin is a multi-layered physical barrier to the environment. New skin cells starts out looking like grapes. As they push up toward the surface, they begin looking like raisins, and then like cornflakes. The Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF) is found in the upper layer (epidermis) of the skin, in the top cornflake portion.  NMF is comprised of the skin cells themselves, which hold the water-retaining proteins, lipids, sodium pca, lactic acid, pantothenic acid, hyaluronic acid, sugars and a few other substances, resulting in the water -retaining barrier of the skin. The contents of the NMF act as humectants, keeping our skin pliable. Its loss results in skin tightness, flaking, dryness, and sometimes irritated skin.

Many things can disrupt our NMF. Some of us did not get a very good NMF genetically and were just born with dry skin. In the absence of water, skin cells do not exfoliate normally, with the result being dry, rough skin.

Another issue contributing to the loss of our NMF is the change in our hormone as we approach menopause. Skin and hormones are very closely related, and menopause often plays havoc with our skin’s ability to retain moisture.

Divine skin hydrator has been specifically designed to address this problem. Divine helps to increase the hydration of the skin and replenish the barrier through use of ingredients that mimic the skin’s natural moisturizing factors which prevent water loss. Hydrating the skin’s upper layer normalizes the cellular lipids and the exfoliation process. As an In Shower Body Moisturizer, application is convenient and effective. You condition your skin like you condition your hair!

Quick results can be found using our Rough Love body scrub, which gently exfoliates the dead skin cells from your body, leaving your skin soft and supple. Follow the body scrub with our Divine skin hydrator, an In Shower Body Moisturizer, which helps restore your skin’s Natural Moisture Factor and locks moisture in your cells. Following this regimen can significantly improve your skin’s texture, thus giving you relief from the dryness and irritation your skin suffers from unbalanced hormonal levels experienced from Menopause.