✨Nothing can prepare you for this…✨ Peri/menopausal Skin✨
How to strengthen your skin's microbiome 💪 👑 💪 Plus, a Giveaway!
✨ A vibrant space for midlife women, The Empress now reaches over two million readers through our networks of networks. ✨ From bestselling author Alisa Kennedy Jones. ✨ If you enjoy content about midlife, humor, and agency, I’d love to welcome you as part of our community. ✨ For only $50/year ($4.17 a month!) or $5/month, you’ll gain access to all my articles, Monday columns, book clubs, and virtual events.
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Fellow Empresses, How the hell are you?
No one truly prepares you for the changes that come with perimenopausal skin. One day, you wake up to dry, parched, and irritated skin, with new wrinkles, redness, and breakouts along your jawline. Suddenly, you find yourself aging, yet also battling the issues of teenage skin.
The skin, our body’s largest organ, weighs around six pounds and plays a vital role in protecting us from infections and harmful germs. Throughout our lives, it evolves, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse, regenerating itself roughly every 27 days. As we age, cellular turnover begins to decrease and our skin gets weaker.
To maintain this essential barrier and keep it healthy and vibrant, proper skincare is crucial. With over five million nerve endings, our skin endures a lot—what I’ve put mine through as a parent, and now as a woman in midlife, facing insomnia, hot flashes, night sweats, shifting hormones, eldercare, environmental pollutants, and a lifetime of UV exposure—it's only recently that I’ve realized just how much it's endured.
We often focus on maintaining strong bones, teeth, and muscles, but shouldn't we give the same attention to keeping our skin strong as we age? What does it truly mean to embody strength and feel at ease in your own skin? And more importantly, how do we preserve that strength for the long run?
For my own part… if anything, I wanted to ‘JGar’ my midlife skin, not load it full of toxins and fillers!
The key, I found out, may lie in the health of our skin’s microbiome—a delicate ecosystem that, when disrupted, is often the root of many skin concerns.
Our bodies host natural colonies of microorganisms that live in harmony with us. Each microbiome serves a unique purpose. For instance, your gut microbiome supports digestion, strengthens immunity, and even influences brain health. Similarly, the oral microbiome helps protect teeth from decay while aiding digestion and immune defense.
But how do these microscopic organisms impact what you see in the mirror? Join us for a deep dive into your skin’s microbiome. We’ll explore the science behind its structure and function and offer insights on how to restore it for healthy, clear, and radiant skin.
What is the skin microbiome?
The skin microbiome is a vast community of trillions of microscopic organisms—bacteria, fungi, mites, yeasts, protozoa, and viruses—that began colonizing your skin the moment you were born. From that point on, it continued to evolve, influenced by factors like human interaction, diet, and environment.
These microorganisms inhabit the uppermost layer of the epidermis, known as the stratum corneum. Some live right on the surface of your skin, while others thrive deep within your pores, creating a delicate balance that plays a vital role in your skin’s health and resilience.
Why does this matter?
Your skin microbiome is a key part of your body’s immune system, helping to keep harmful pathogens in check. It supports the moisture barrier, ensuring your skin stays hydrated, pH-balanced, and protected from environmental stressors like bacteria.
Some microorganisms signal your skin to produce lipids like ceramides, which strengthen the moisture barrier and lock in hydration. Others produce antimicrobial compounds to fend off pathogens, balance oil levels by consuming sebum, or aid in natural exfoliation by digesting dead skin cells. In short, a healthy, diverse microbiome keeps inflammation at bay, maintains hydration, and preserves the skin’s slightly acidic pH, preventing the overgrowth of harmful bacteria.
How do you know if your skin microbiome is compromised?
Everything we do—from sun and sleep to diet and skincare—affects the balance of our skin’s microbiome. Signs that yours may be compromised include:
Early aging
Acne
Rosacea
Eczema
Inflammation
Five Ways to Strengthen Your Skin Microbiome
Avoid Overcleansing
If you love the feel of freshly scrubbed skin, you might be stripping your microbiome. Your skin naturally maintains a pH of about 5, while soap’s pH is closer to 10, which can disrupt your microbiota and lead to skin issues. An antioxidant cleansing oil or a mild cleanser uses gentle ingredients to remove makeup and impurities while supporting a healthy skin microbiome.
Get Your Beauty Sleep
During deep sleep, your body regenerates skin cells and repairs tissues, a process essential for a radiant complexion. When sleep is disrupted, this regeneration slows, leading to dull, tired-looking skin. Sleep also plays a key role in balancing hormones, which contributes to clearer, healthier skin. Without enough rest, stress hormones like cortisol rise, often worsening skin conditions. Adequate sleep helps reduce inflammation, improving the appearance of your skin and easing conditions such as acne, eczema, and psoriasis.
Know What’s Inside
Common skincare ingredients such as added fragrance and essential oils can kill beneficial bacteria, throwing your skin microbiome’s entire ecosystem out of whack. All PHOSIS products are made to help nurture a healthy skin microbiome.
Support with Gut Health
Research reveals that a damaged gut microbiome can significantly impact your skin’s health. While scientists are still unraveling the gut-skin connection, the core idea is clear: your gut and skin are in constant communication. When the gut microbiome is out of balance, it often leads to a compromised skin microbiome as well. The key to supporting both? A well-balanced diet—rich in colorful vegetables, proteins, carbohydrates, and healthy fats like fish, avocado, seeds, nuts, and olive oil.
Build Your Barrier Function
It's essential to use a clean, science-backed deep hydrating cream, like PHOSIS Calm, specifically designed to support perimenopausal and menopausal skin. For best results, apply moisturizer immediately after cleansing while your skin is still damp. Look for formulas containing glycerin, hyaluronic acid, or ceramides to attract and lock in moisture. Niacinamide is also a valuable ingredient, as it helps rebuild and strengthen the skin barrier. Opt for fragrance-free products to avoid irritation and increased skin sensitivity.
And now, a giveaway…
Ticket giveaway! Join The Midst for an empowering in-person (and virtual) conference in Chicago designed for women ready to reclaim their strength and live boldly. Featuring panels on peri/menopause, career and life, and beauty and wellness, this event is geared toward women 35+ who believe that middle age isn't a setback—it's our prime. For a chance to win a ticket to this event, comment on this Substack post. Winners will be notified by Saturday, October 12th.
Can’t wait to see you there!
Yours in Grandeur & Deep Sh*t,
ps - I am a human typo. Amnesty appreciated.
*The information contained in this post is intended for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any illness. Before using any practices or products referenced in this piece or others, always consult your healthcare providers, read all labels, and heed all cautions that come with the products. Information received from this piece, or anywhere in this Substack, should never be used in place of a consultation or advice from a healthcare provider. If you suspect you have any adverse conditions, please consult your healthcare providers immediately. This Substack, including Alisa Jones and any other writers or editors, disclaims any responsibility for any possible adverse effects from the use of any information contained herein. Opinions of any writers in this Substack are their own, and the Substack does not accept responsibility for statements made by writers. This Substack does not make any representations or warranties about a writer’s qualifications or credibility.
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I love Susan Campbell and send my congrats and much appreciation for the advice about over cleansing! Who knew? Now I do!
OMG! The gut biome too!