hormonal changes
Hormonal changes during menopause, pregnancy, childbirth, and other hormonal imbalances, often deplete skin's moisture, and elasticity, resulting in vulvar dryness and even affecting the pH balance for women. Hormonal imbalances can become a struggle for your otherwise healthy vagina, leading to excessive oil or skin dryness, irritation, itchiness, or thinning skin.
dryness
The most common reason for intimate skin dryess is when we experience perimenopause and menopause. During this life stage the skin is thinner with less circulating estrogen, good bacteria, and lipids that retain essential moisture. But skin dryness can also occur during period cycles, pregnancy, and from hormone imbalances linked to endocrine disease like hypothyroidism or diabetes.
Long term skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema or dermatitis from irritating chemicals including PEGs and artificial dyes can also damage and dry the skin. Hypersensitive skin conditions like psoriasis affects millions of people and causes dry, itchy, and thick patches of skin. Eczema is another chronic condition that causes red, itchy and dry rashes on the skin, including vulva skin.
excess oiliness
Hormonal shifts can cause excess oil production. For example, a hormonal related condition called PCOS, or polycystic ovarian syndrome is linked to increased oil in the skin, sweating (hyperhidrosis), and acne from elevated testosterone (male hormone produced in the ovaries) levels and elevated DHEA levels. DHEA is an enzyme that combines with testosterone, and at elevated levels leads to acne.
Another factor is hirsutism, or the excessive growth of facial or body hair from excess androgens like testosterone produced in the ovaries and adrenal glands. The combination of hirsutism and excess oil can result in ingrown hairs on upper thighs and the pubic area.
itchiness and irritation
Hormonal changes can also lead to irritated skin, which is common in perimenopause and menopause when estrogen (female hormone) decline. However, this can happen earlier during pregnancy and from lifestyle choices, diet, hereditary issues, or disease. Estrogen stimulates the formation of skin-smoothing collagen and oils and when it declines, skin loses its volume and elasticity, and it also causes skin to be itchy, dry, sensitive, or irritated.
There is also a link between the presence of good bacteria (probiotics) and estrogen. When estrogen levels decrease, so do good bacteria levels affecting surface pH. This is also related to skin irritation and atrophy because of lowered immune response, inflammation, and oxidative stress.
how can i support the skin through hormonal changes?
Moisturize
Just like faces and other places, our vulva skin can benefit from daily supplemental moisture. Our Rejuvenating Botanical Oil was formulated for vulva skin and contains no parabens or harmful ingredients that can compound dryness and irritation. It’s naturally rich in skin-loving lipids and ceramides that moisturize, soothe, and seal in hydration.
Destress the skin
If you’re one of the 84% of American women who choose to groom your pubic hair, you can choose options like intermittent waxing, sugaring or laser hair removal to minimize stress and over exfoliation.
If you prefer shaving, that’s ok. Just give your skin a rest until the it returns to a healthy state. Moisturizing with our Rejuvenating Botanical Oil can help speed up the healing process and is also optimal for daily use when you resume shaving to prevent problems before they start. Check out these shaving tips to combat daily dryness, ingrown hairs, and irritation.
your gyno is your friend
Lastly, if you do need some extra help, it’s always good to talk to your gynecologist or woman’s health expert about your symptoms. There are safer hormone balancing diets, supplements and new therapies that can restore healthy hormonal balance to help undo-the-dry, so you feel happier and healthier in the (vulva) skin you’re in.
