Understanding Hormonal Changes

Understanding hormonal changes

In a lifetime the skin’s physiology changes due to hormonal changes that occur such as puberty, menstruation and menopause. These changes have been associated with shifts in the skin microbiome which can lead to conditions such as acne and eczema.

A summary of what we know:

• Research has found that puberty strongly influences the microbiome composition in sebaceous skin (Schneider et al., 2022)

• A significant shift in bacterial diversity occurs between early and late puberty, characterized by a decrease in bacterial diversity and an increase in the relative abundance of C. acnes which is associated with the presence of acne (Schneider et al., 2022)

• Studies have also shown that menstrual cycle regularity can affect skin physiology and microbiota whereby the ratio of Staphylococcus to Cutibacterium was increased with increasing menstrual cycle irregularity which correlated with high transepidermal water loss, low hydration and high sebum secretion (Ma et al., 2023)

• A recent study suggests that the observed differences in skin microbiome compositions between pre- and postmenopausal women are not causatively linked to age, but rather a sudden hormonal-driven impact (Pagac et al., 2023)

Industry impact & potential:

Further research is required to understand the mechanisms by which hormonal driven changes impact the skin’s microbiome. Some brands have already started to cater to this niche by offering hormone cycle-based skincare products as consumers are looking for more personalised solutions.

Our progress:

We have worked with a client to demonstrate the beneficial effects of a cosmetic product on the skin microbiome of postmenopausal women through in vivo testing. Our results revealed the need for more targeted solutions within the industry that cater to the unique requirements of the skin microbiome amongst different age groups.

References:

Ma L, Jiang H, Han T, Shi Y, Wang M, Jiang S, Yang S, Yao L, Jia Q, Shao L. The menstrual cycle regularity and skin: irregular menstrual cycle affects skin physiological properties and skin bacterial microbiome in urban Chinese women. BMC Womens Health. 2023 May 31;23(1):292. doi: 10.1186/s12905-023-02395-z. PMID: 37259058; PMCID: PMC10230734.

Pagac, Martin & Stalder, Martin & Fuchihata, Mie & Campiche, Remo. (2023). Menopausal statuses are directly associated with compositional changes of facial skin microbiomes. 

Schneider, Andrea & Nolan, Zachary & Banerjee, Kalins & Paine, Allison & Cong, Zhaoyuan & Gettle, Samantha & Longenecker, Amy & Zhan, Xiang & Agak, George & Nelson, Amanda. (2022). Evolution of the facial skin microbiome during puberty in normal and acne skin. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. 37. 10.1111/jdv.18616.