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When your estrogen levels are out of whack, you know it. You can have low energy, mood swings, hot flashes, and gain belly fat. And your libido? That can turn into a faint memory. Before any of that happens, however, your body has an early warning system. It’s your skin. Estrogen can make the difference between a vibrant glow and drab, dry wrinkled skin. Today I’m going to show you how you can have smooth, plump, moist skin using the estrogen secret that’s to so critical to young-looking skin. You see, your skin is full of estrogen receptors. It needs estrogen. And when it doesn’t have enough, your skin starts to lose its youthful radiance. That can happen when perimenopause sets in – sometimes as early as your 35th birthday. Your estrogen levels can drop by 40%. And that speeds up skin aging. You can see it in the mirror if you know what to look for. Thin, drier and more wrinkled skin is the first sign. Studies prove proper estrogen levels prevent that look of old skin. It increases skin thickness and skin moisture, and decreases wrinkling.1 California researchers studied the skin of 3,875 women over 40. They found that women who had healthy estrogen levels had a 24% lower rate of dry skin.2 They also found that having enough estrogen leads to a 32% lower rate of wrinkling. Researchers in France did a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, the most rigorous kind in science, of women between the ages of 52 and 70.4 One group of the women applied a cream to their face every night that raised estrogen. The other group used a placebo cream. After 12 weeks the estrogen group had the look and feel of their fine lines and wrinkles reduced much more effectively. They also had significantly increased skin thickness. Women who have enough estrogen also retain moist skin.4 Estrogen also improves skin elasticity. That means your skin springs back and doesn’t sag. Austrian researchers tested this and found that estrogen markedly improved moisture, elasticity and firmness of women’s skin. In addition, wrinkle depth decreased by 61% and pore size decreased 100%.5 But here’s the problem. Very few doctors know how to balance estrogen safely and naturally. They tried it with HRT drugs that had synthetic estrogen in them. But those had serious side effects like increased risks of heart disease and breast cancer. But you can boost low estrogen levels naturally… without drugs or risk. One easy way is eating more foods with phytoestrogens. These are plant compounds that gently help your body produce more of its own estrogen, completely naturally. Some common foods that are rich in phytoestrogens are blueberries, cherries, cranberries, carrots, bananas, beets, oranges, onions, peppers, beans, plums, papaya, olives, and yams. Pomegranates are particularly rich in phytoestrogens. One study showed that pomegranate is the highest plant source of estrogen-balancing phytoestrogens.6 I recommend drinking just two ounces of pomegranate juice a day. And eat the seeds, either fresh or dried. Throw a handful on top of salads or in your yogurt. Herbs are another great source of natural phytoestrogens: Parsley, thyme, turmeric, and sage all help regulate estrogen. Eating these herbs helps gently raise low estrogen levels. But if you need more help, I recommend taking herbal supplements to help naturally raise your body’s own production of estrogen. Here are three that are very effective:
To Your Good Health, 1. Sylvie Verdier-Sévrain, Frédéric Bonté, Barbara Gilchrest, “Biology of estrogens in skin: implications for skin aging.” Experimental Dermatology Volume 15, Issue 2, pages 83–94, 2006
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