The Ageless and Awesome Podcast

Gut Health Series Part 1 - How Your Gut Health Impacts Your Skin in Perimenopause

• Susie Garden • Episode 247

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Can you really turn back the clock on your skin just by taking care of your gut? Discover the surprising connection between gut health and skin health on this week's Ageless and Awesome podcast. In this episode I explore the critical role of the estrobolome, the part of the gut microbiome that handles oestrogen metabolism, and how it impacts skin hydration, elasticity, and collagen production. As oestrogen levels fluctuate during perimenopause and menopause, understanding and nurturing a healthy estrobolome can be your secret weapon against wrinkles, dryness, and thinning skin.

Ever wondered how your diet can influence your skin health during menopause? Tune in as I reveal why nourishing your body with healthy fats, whole foods, antioxidants, and prebiotic-rich foods like garlic, onions, and sweet potatoes can make a world of difference. I also delve into the importance of hydration and creating a tailored skincare routine that adapts to different environmental conditions. Plus, learn why low-tox skincare products with hyaluronic acid and vitamin A are beneficial, and why it’s better to consume probiotic-rich foods moderately instead of high-potency probiotics. Get ready to embrace vibrant, healthy skin during this transformative phase of life with practical insights and tips you won’t want to miss!

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Speaker 1:

Hi, I'm Susie Garden and this is the Ageless and Awesome podcast. I'm an age-defying naturopath and clinical nutritionist and I'm here to bust myths around women's health and aging so that you can be ageless and awesome in your 40s, 50s and beyond. The Ageless and Awesome podcast is dedicated to helping women through perimenopause and menopause with great health, a positive mindset and outrageous confidence. Hit, subscribe or follow now and let's get started. Hello, gorgeous one, and welcome to this week's episode of the Ageless and Awesome podcast.

Speaker 1:

I've just finished a series on belly fat, which you guys really, really loved Some of my most popular episodes ever so thank you for loving that so much. So I thought I'd stay in that general area. So if you haven't listened to that series, I think you'd get a lot of value out of that. So that goes for. I think it's about four episodes the previous four episodes and this week I'm going to talk a little bit more about gut health and specifically the gut skin axis and the estrobolome. So sounds pretty complicated. It is a little complicated, but it's really well. I think it's fun. I'm a bit of a dork, but you know I love all of this sort of stuff. I love making sense of symptoms and I love making sense of what is going on in our bodies and always understand that whenever anyone's talking about knowledge of the human body, this is just what we know now and this can change. This is actually particularly stuff with the microbiomes in the body, and yes, there are multiple microbiomes. When we are giving information about it, then we can't guarantee that that's not going to change next month. So this is just sort of the most recent kind of information we have on the gut and its impact on hormones. So I'm going to do a few episodes. Looking at this and looking at the estrobolone Sounds a little bit scary, but it's. You know, it's okay.

Speaker 1:

And this week's episode is going to focus a little on skin health, because I know you guys really love skin health as well. So here's the thing when you think of perimenopause and menopause, most women are thinking, or even most people are thinking, of the common symptoms like hot flashes and mood swings and erratic periods, right. What you may not realize is that peri and menopause also impacts the skin specifically and menopause also impacts the skin specifically. And one fascinating aspect of this is actually the role of the estrobolone, and I'll discuss what that is in a minute, and in this episode I'm going to talk about how the estrobolone can influence our skin health and also, of course, discuss some practical tips to support vibrant and healthy skin, because we kind of all want that right. It's something that I think, particularly as women. We love our skin to feel good, we like it to look good, and often in peri and menopause, there are multiple things that happen that impact our skin, and anything we can do to make it look and feel better is very, very helpful.

Speaker 1:

So before I dive into the connection between the estrobolome and the skin, I mean, have you even heard of the estrobolome? It's actually pretty easy to understand. It's part of your gut microbiome okay, it's just a funky term for the community of microbes in the gut that contribute to the metabolism of estrogen. In fact, they also contribute to the metabolism of progesterone as well. But whoever found it decided to name it the estrobolone, and the estro is based on the American spelling of estrogen. It could even be pronounced estrobolone. I'm not 100% sure, but there it is. So these microorganisms, this estrobolone, they play rather a crucial role in converting estrogen into various little substances which can have either beneficial effects or detrimental effects on the body. So it's good for us to know about it.

Speaker 1:

As you already know I've discussed this many times perimenopause triggers hormonal fluctuations. Probably I should say that the other way around. Actually, the hormonal fluctuations are part of perimenopause, and particularly we have that very rapid decline in progesterone and then we have this decline and then surge in estrogen levels. And these changes in hormones can impact the skin in many ways. But here I've just got some of the kind of key aspects of the estrobolim's impact on skin when you're in perimenopause. Firstly, it can impact your hydration and elasticity of your skin. So estrogen is known to promote skin hydration and to maintain its elasticity. And as estrogen levels decline as we get closer to menopause, the skin may become drier and lose some of its suppleness and flexibility. And the estrobolum influences the metabol of estrogen, and so an imbalance in its composition, in the composition of the estrobolum, can increase skin dryness and reduce elasticity. So supporting a healthy estrobolone may help optimize estrogen metabolism and contribute to better skin hydration and elasticity. So, again, supporting gut health is what this is all about. If you're supporting gut health, then you are supporting a healthy estrobolone.

Speaker 1:

Another thing that the estrobolone can impact is collagen production. So collagen I think we all know it's a structural protein responsible for skin strength and firmness, and it's influenced by estrogen levels. Estrogen stimulates collagen production, and reduced estrogen during perimenopause can lead to a decline in collagen synthesis. So we don't want that right. The estrobolem's role in estrogen metabolism can indirectly affect collagen levels, potentially impacting the skin's ability to maintain its youthful appearance, and nurturing a healthy estrobola may contribute to optimal estrogen metabolism and support collagen production.

Speaker 1:

Skin thickness and wrinkles are also impacted by estrogen because it influences the ability of the skin to retain moisture and also this thickness level. We know that we get skin thinning. I've really noticed on the backs of my hands. I mean, I've always had fairly I guess I don't know veiny if that's how to describe it veiny backs of my hands, but I'm noticing it's just a little bit more obvious to me these veins. And so, yeah, I feel like reduced estrogen levels have impacted in me getting thinner skin, and when the skin is thinner it makes it more prone to wrinkles and fine lines and to dropping a little. You know, getting some sag happening, particularly around the jawline and other areas of the body.

Speaker 1:

Additionally, estrogen depletion affects the skin's ability to retain moisture, leading to dryness and an aged appearance, and this is also. It can impact some of those more inflammatory skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, anything where there's dryness of the skin, and I certainly have had. I've talked many times about my own experience with eczema in perimenopause, and so you know, if you've got this estrogen depletion that's impacting the skin's ability to hold moisture, and then you also have allergens on top of that and you're a little bit more reactive to allergens at this time of life, then yeah, you're going to get itchiness, redness, flakiness, um, yeah, not nice, I can tell you from experience. So by maintaining a balanced estrobolone um, we can support our estrogen metabolism, potentially promoting thicker and more moisturized skin and thus reducing the appearance of wrinkles, which you know I don't like to hop on a lot about the aesthetic aspect of this, but you know, for many women our appearance is really important. It's really tied up in our self-esteem and therefore our mental health. And if we can look the way we want to look, whatever that is, for as long as we can, then let's do that Particularly. If we can look the way we want to look, whatever that is, for as long as we can, then let's do that Particularly. If we can do it in a way that is not harmful.

Speaker 1:

Let's talk about inflammation, actually, and sensitivity. I did just mention my own experience with eczema briefly, but hormonal changes during perimenopause can cause increased skin sensitivity and inflammation and that sensitivity can be to what you're putting on your skin, can be to weather changes, can be to allergens, like what I've experienced and the estrobolomes impact on estrogen metabolism can definitely indirectly influence these skin conditions and imbalances in estrogen metabolites so that's the product of metabolizing estrogen are these what they call metabolites? So imbalances in them due to an unhealthy estrobolome may contribute to heightened skin sensitivity and inflammation. And by promoting a healthy estrobolum, women can potentially mitigate these skin issues and maintain more balance in their skin. So I know for me something else with me it's all about me. This episode is I'm prone to redness of the skin. I think I probably do have some rosacea, and definitely when we have increased inflammation, and that's why eating in a low inflammatory way and, in fact, ideally eating in a way that supports your own body's biochemistry and balancing out the pH and all of those things, which is what we do with the GLOW protocol.

Speaker 1:

And, as I said, the issues that I had were while I was still a student, primarily, and I was a mature age student in my 40s and I didn't know that a lot of these things I was experiencing was perimenopause, because we just don't get educated that well in perimenopause as women and even in my degree, my naturopathy degree, I don't recall there being a huge emphasis on it, and one of the reasons for that is purely because it's not a medical condition. You know it's a stage of life, so we covered it from that point of view, but I don't really feel that and we see this in the medical world as well I don't really feel that we get this covered in a way that really is good enough to support women. So a lot of my knowledge is from additional training that I've done and additional reading that I do on the daily so that I'm keeping up to date and because I love it and probably because it's impacting me as well. There's generally a higher level of interest in things that are impacting our own health, isn't it? So, yeah, what I experienced was was a lot of inflammation in my skin and once I got qualified and I'd been out for a couple of years, that's when I did my training in metabolic balance, and metabolic balance is the core nutrition program in the GLOW protocol, and once I had my own personalized nutrition plan then I saw huge improvements. So that is something that I think is ideal. If it's something that you're interested in is getting personalized nutrition. It is absolutely life-changing, particularly at this time of life. So, yeah, we definitely want to make sure that we're looking after our gut health specifically if we want to have beautiful skin, and so let's look at what we can do to help maintain and optimize our skin health during peri and menopause. So, having a balanced diet I just mentioned personalized nutrition I think that's optimal, but obviously it's not necessarily going to be accessible for everybody.

Speaker 1:

But if you're consuming a nutrient-rich diet so nutrient-rich is one lots of whole foods, right. Fruits, particularly dark colors, like your blueberries, your raspberries, your strawberries, your blackberries, that kind of thing are really anti-inflammatory Veggies. Same brightly colored, particularly the orange veggies, are great as anti-inflammatory type veg. But getting a good variety of veg, particularly veggies that are high in fiber or prebiotics. Very important Quality proteins, so they can be animal proteins, they can be plant-based proteins. Once the body breaks down your protein into its building blocks, which are the amino acids, the body can't tell the difference between a I don't know, a protein that is an amino acid, rather that has come from an animal, versus an amino acid that's come from a plant. Did you know that? I was shocked to learn that when I was in uni doing my nutrition studies.

Speaker 1:

So, yeah, if you do have more of a plant-based diet, you just need to make sure you're getting your essential fatty acids, particularly your omega threes. They're your anti-inflammatory um uh fats and they are sometimes lacking in those plant-based diets. So just make sure you're getting, whether it's flaxseed oil, hemp seed oil they're probably the two most rich. Walnut oil is more of an omega-6. But, yeah, it's really important you're getting your omega-3s.

Speaker 1:

And for everybody, whether you're plant-based or whether you have a broad range of eating, healthy fats are super important. Please, don't fear fat. That is one thing that I still see people, women in particular and it comes from decades of low fat marketing. Low fat is not better for you. Fat. Low fat does not make you lose weight. You need healthy fats, particularly at this time of life, for your hormones to be produced effectively. So please don't skimp on the fat.

Speaker 1:

And having a good, healthy, nutrient-rich diet will give you your essential nutrients, your antioxidants that nourish the gut microbiome and promote optimal estrogen metabolism. This is really important. So, balanced diet number one, and just on that, I just do want to mention that you know, this is where diet is one of the most critical things or I'm getting on a soapbox one of the most critical things we have. And what we eat can really beautifully nourish us or it can really harm us. And if we're filling up on calorie rich foods or energy rich foods is probably what I prefer to call it that's going to make you less hungry for nutrient dense foods. So if you fill up on beautiful whole foods first and then have some treats, that's going to be a way better balance than you know getting into the processed foods which have all sorts of chemicals in them that are designed for you to be addicted to them, that are designed to want you craving them, want you craving them, that are designed to make you feel full and will take you away and take your focus away from nourishing yourself with nutrient-rich foods. Soapbox away, right.

Speaker 1:

Other things we can do to optimize our skin health during peri and menopause that supports our healthy estrobolone is probiotic and prebiotic foods. So if you consider incorporating some probiotic rich foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, kefir, kombucha, that kind of stuff into your diet. I'm less into kombucha, I'll be honest, because of the sugar content, but I really like yogurt, sauerkraut and kefir. These foods contain beneficial bacteria that can help maintain a healthy estrobol. And, additionally, consuming prebiotic rich foods. These are fiber rich foods, such as garlic you know, garlic falls into this, if you can tolerate it onions, if you can tolerate them, and unripe bananas they're really good to provide the necessary fiber to feed your beneficial gut bacteria. Even things like sweet potato, things like oats, that sort of stuff. Gosh, if you Google prebiotic foods, you will get a whole list.

Speaker 1:

Of course, stay hydrated. We all know staying hydrated really helps your skin health. Drinking I'll always give you the calculation 35 mils per kilo of body weight, 35 mils per your, however many kilos you weigh, that's how many mils of water, 35 mils per kilo you should be drinking daily to help maintain your skin hydration and support the natural functions of your skin, of your brain, of your kidneys, of your liver, your gut, everything Really helpful for detox as well, which is also really important for skin. Really helpful for detox as well, which is also really important for skin.

Speaker 1:

Having a good skincare routine. So a skincare routine that focuses on hydration and nourishment, and also one that is seasonal, that takes into account depending on where you live. Like Queensland, where I live, we've just had our coldest day, I'm pretty sure today, our coldest day this year. It's been a pretty warm year, having said that, but yeah, it's been cold. When it's cold, the air is drier. If there's wind around, that can really draw moisture out of the skin. So having a skincare routine that is adapting to the different environment is really important.

Speaker 1:

If you're in front of the heater or a fire a lot when it's colder weather, if you're in air conditioning when it's hot weather, all of this will influence what you use on your skin and you don't need to spend a lot of money on this, my gosh. Um, there's a lot of money on this. My gosh, there's a lot. The beauty industry spends bucket loads of money trying to convince you that you need to spend lots and lots of money on skincare and really you can keep it very simple. I highly recommend you keep it as low tox as possible. You look for chemical-free cleansers, moisturizers, serums that have been formulated to support skin. If you're 40 plus, kind of ingredients you want definitely hyaluronic acid really important and some sort of vitamin A, so like a retinol. These are really good for helping to keep moisture in the skin. They help to erase fine lines.

Speaker 1:

I actually had a friend of mine yes, vanessa, a friend of mine yesterday asked me if I'd had any work done. She wasn't quite so. What's the word? It wasn't quite as frank a question as that, but that was the question and I don't mind being asked. In fact, I found it quite flattering that I get asked that. But no, I have not and it's just purely from the good kind of lifestyle measures that I take, particularly in regard to hydration into healthy fats, into nutrient-rich diet.

Speaker 1:

I think that is really important, having prebiotic foods. I don't a specific probiotic that would support my gut microbiome. There are specific ones for that. Please don't just randomly take those probiotics you get in the supermarket or in the pharmacy that have like 10 billion, literally 10 billion bacteria. They are not your friend. I'm digressing a little bit, but I guess we're still talking about gut health. Please don't do that. If you don't need probiotics, do not take probiotics. The small amount you're going to get in the probiotic foods is is fine, everything in moderation. But yeah, those ones are just decimating your natural gut microbiome, which is the best one. You're better feeding it up with the prebiotics and avoiding behaviors that are going to really harm your gut microbiome rather than just smashing the probiotics, anyway, off my soapbox, yeah.

Speaker 1:

So using the hyaluronic acid, I think, is really important. I use that twice a day. I love it. I use a retinoid cream, which I think is what's helping a lot with my not having lots of wrinkles, even though I'm a Queenslander. I use.

Speaker 1:

I think what is one of the key things is I use oil on my skin, so I use argan oil. I've talked about this, I think, on the podcast before. I use argan oil, which is a Moroccan oil. It's really easy to get. Don't have to pay a lot for it. Rosehip oil is also another really beautiful oil to use. I personally just prefer the argan oil. I believe there is research in the collagen production aspect of the argan oil specifically, but I do love the rosehip oil. I believe there is research in the collagen production aspect of the argan oil specifically, but I do love the rosehip oil because I find it quite anti-inflammatory.

Speaker 1:

But yeah, just keeping it really simple, really low tox, making sure you are when you're in your forties, you really do need to moisturize morning and night. I didn't used to do that when I was in my twenties. I am one of those people that when I used to wear makeup every single day, I didn't necessarily take it off every single day. It was a bit naughty, uh, in my twenties. But definitely, if you wear makeup, please take it off every night and make sure you're putting some beautifully nourishing products on your skin. And if you're noticing dryness, address it immediately, not just with topical products, but making sure you're drinking enough water. I think that's probably all I need to say about that, but if you have any questions, please feel free to message me at SusieGardenWellness on Instagram.

Speaker 1:

Managing stress that's my final one. I will always talk about stress, and this is actually for a number of reasons. Stress can negatively impact your gut microbiome and your skin health. We know that we have this gut brain connection and that if we're under stress, it's going to impact our gut, and on a number of levels. Actually, not just your gut microbiome, which it will definitely impact, but also your ability to digest your food and therefore get all of the nutrients in your food. So you can have this perfect, perfect diet, but if you're not absorbing the foods and breaking down firstly breaking them down properly, but then absorbing them then obviously you're not going to be getting the benefit of that and that's absolutely going to impact not just your skin health but all aspects of health. So you really do need to manage stress and as much as the research is with things like the breath work and that doesn't need to be super complicated just literally breathing deeply into your belly will help to regulate your nervous system and help to bring down your stress response.

Speaker 1:

Meditation I will always promote meditation because that is where there is so much research and I just know that when I'm meditating regularly, I just think differently, I feel different, I feel so much better in myself. So that's really, really important that you are. If you can meditate some people, it's just not for them and that is absolutely fine. You will get a similar level of benefit from just doing anything that brings you joy. Anything that brings you joy. I'll always, of course, promote yoga as well, because I love it and it really enhances your mind-body connection. It really enhances your experience of your breath if you've got a good teacher that is guiding you like that.

Speaker 1:

Also, spending time in nature Spending time in nature is incredible for getting you grounded back in your body. And if you're a city dweller, like I used to be, even if you don't even have a balcony, let alone a backyard, if you can stand near a window and get sun on your skin, look at the blue sky, if you can see sky, hopefully you can from your window. Having some indoor plants, that will really help. Anything like that is useful. But hopefully you have a local park or something like that that you could go and just spend a little bit of time in nature. Or if you're lucky enough to live um where you have got access to the ocean or rivers or, um any kind of body of water, any kind of green space, then that's even better to spend even just 10 minutes. I know, when I'm walking my dogs, that is just one of my favorite times. Even this morning it was just a beautiful sunrise. It was freezing cold, the sun was coming and hitting the leaves, all the birds were out. It was just sensational. And that starts your day beautifully if you can spend some time in nature, and that just makes everything better.

Speaker 1:

So prioritizing that as an act of self-love and self-care will really positively impact you on so many levels. So I think that's all I'm going to talk about today. So you know, as we kind of navigate the changes that occur during your perimenopause transition and post menopause as well, if you can understand what's going on inside your body, I think it just puts you in a so much better position to advocate for yourself. And when you can understand something complex like the estrobolone and I'm going to be unpacking that a little bit more over the coming weeks then, and particularly today, the estrobolone's impact on the skin, that can really provide you with valuable insights, particularly if you're feeling like, no matter what you do, your skin is not doing what you want it to do. Perhaps you need to go a little deeper than what you're putting on your skin.

Speaker 1:

So remember, you can support a healthy estrobolum through a really good nutritious diet, probiotics, prebiotics, hydration, stress management and good skincare. When I say good skincare, I don't mean expensive, I just mean well thought out good skincare. I don't mean expensive, I just mean well thought out. You can really optimize your estrogen metabolism and promote vibrant and healthy skin. So of course, this is general advice, it's not a personalized protocol. Okay, this is just for educational purposes, maybe a little bit of entertainment. Hopefully you find me a little tiny bit entertaining. If you're finding myself entertaining, if you're looking for a more personalized approach and a protocol with the exact strategy for you, for your individual biochemistry, then that's a different thing. That is, you know, you can click the link in the show notes and book in to have a chat with me to see if that is right for you, and I work remotely spy video links so I can support people in most places, certainly in Australia and New Zealand, in the US in some places as well. So, yeah, reach out.

Speaker 1:

I hope you've enjoyed this episode. If you do have any questions, please let me know. Otherwise, I will be back on Thursday with Q&A. Thanks so much for joining me today on the Ageless and Awesome podcast. If you liked today's episode, please make sure you click the little plus button if you're on Apple Podcasts or the follow button if you're on Spotify, so that you get each new episode delivered to you every week. If you like free stuff, then head to the show notes and click the link to receive my free Radiant Reset Hormone Detox Guide for Perimenopausal Women. Or, if you'd like to continue the discussion, head over to Instagram and DM me at suzygardenwellness. I'd love to connect with you.

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Susie Garden

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