Lack of Hormones and Dry, Thin Skin

I was studying transepidermal water loss ("TEWL")--that's when water evaporates through the skin--when I

started looking at sebum (the oil your skin produces) which keeps TEWL at a miminum.  As I studied how sebum is produced, it brought me into the world of hormones. 

You see, I had done just about everything I could think of to get my skin glowing again; and, although I was pretty much free of full body eczema, my skin was still generally dry, thin and dull looking.  I was having a hard time figuring out why, because I was getting my nutrients, good fats, fat enzymes and drinking plenty of water.  Something that clued me in:  my clothes were really damp when I took off my thermal suit every night, so I knew my skin was excreting water.  I had stopped the use of all lotions trying to get my skin to function as the excretion organ it was meant to be instead of treating it like a sponge, but I wasn't getting the oil to come out of my skin, and that's why my skin wasn't glistening and why it continued to dry out easily.

I knew that corticosteroids thinned the skin, but until I started studying DHEA in-depth as it applies to skin, I didn't realize that DHEA is extremely necessary for healthy skin; and, I was in for a big awakening to learn that not only does the production of DHEA dramatically reduce with age, but corticosteroids also significantly reduce its production.  I'll explain more ...

Dehydroepiandrosterone" (pronounced dee-hi-dro-epp-ee-ann-dro-stehr-own), or DHEA as it is more often called, is a steroid hormone produced in the adrenal gland.  More than 150 hormones are made by the adrenal glands, however, the most abundant is DHEA.  After DHEA is made, it goes into the bloodstream, and from there it travels all over the body and goes into our cells where it is converted into male hormones (known as androgens) and female hormones (known as estrogens).  By the way, both sexes need and benefit from both male and female hormones, just in different proportions.

I had already been very curious and wanting to take male hormones, because data shows that sebaceous glands are stimulated by androgens (male hormones) to produce more sebum.  That's why teens get hormonal acne and why girls' acne can clear up from taking birth control.  The male hormone testosterone keeps skin thick and strong, and only a small amount of androgens is needed to stimulate the oil glands to produce an increase in oil flow from the sebaceous glands.  Further, estrogen keeps the skin supple by encouraging production of collagen and the NMF hyalauronic acid.  Again, DHEA production naturally diminishes with age:  50% reduction by age 50 and 90% by age 90.  Women who approach menopause have a decreasing level of estrogen and may experience rapidly thinning and drying skin.  According to Professor Carmen Fusco of www.LEF.org, women who take both testosterone and estrogen have really thick skin--48% thicker than women who don't take either hormone.  That's important information for people who have eczema, because "new" research says that most people with eczema get it from having thin skin.

Interestingly, I had just begun taking Gotu Kola to help build collagen and stimulate the adrenals.  An added benefit:  Gotu Kola treats anxiety, because it helps regulate the startle response.  Funny thing:  Gotu Kola in Chinese means:  "The Fountain of Youth," and DHEA is deemed "The Fountain of Youth," because it helps ward of many age-related degenerative diseases; and, in animal studies extended rodent lifespan up to 50%--not only did the animals live longer, they looked younger. 

Melatonin is another beneficial hormone for skin, acting as a protector and antioxidant for skin tissues, and pregnenolone (abundantly found in coconut oil) is also wonderful for the skin.  Having more DHEA, estrogen, testosterone, melatonin and pregnenolone in our skin can improve moisture content and suppleness of our skin, improving dry-skin issues.