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The skin is a complex, dynamic organ whose appearance and behavior are influenced by a myriad of factors. For example, external stressors like pollution and UV exposure are famously damaging to the skin, the latter of which can account for up to 90% of visible skin aging1.

Lifestyle factors can also play a role: Nutrition, as another example, can provide the building blocks needed for collagen, elastin, and the other components that make up the skin—or a diet high in inflammatory foods can also wreak havoc on the skin. 

Internal factors are also at play. In fact, hormones have a huge role in how our skin looks—especially with age, says internal medicine physician and longevity specialist Anant Vinjamoori, M.D.

Recently I spoke with Vinjamoori on mindbodygreen’s beauty podcast Clean Beauty School about skin longevity and how we can better support our skin and bodies for the long-term. 

One area he emphasized was how hormone shifts may affect the integrity of the skin structure—leading to sagging, loss of suppleness, and fine lines. 

How hormones affect the skin—in both men and women

“For healthy skin, the number one step is to make sure the connective tissue that supports the skin—the collagen and the extracellular matrix—is in the best shape it can be,” Vinjamoori says. “So that’s where things like metabolic health and inflammation come into play. One factor that may not be so obvious is the connection between hormones and the skin. A lot of the sagging skin that people experience, especially as women enter their late forties, is likely due to hormones.” 

But sex hormones, in particular, play a unique role in the skin4. Estrogen, testosterone, androgens, and progesterone have all been shown to influence skin behavior, both positively and negatively. 

For example, “some of the sagging skin that people experience relates to hormone deficiencies like estrogen,” he says. 

Here’s why, according to board-certified dermatologist Keira Barr, M.D.: “Estrogen5 is associated with collagen production, increased skin thickness, increased hyaluronic acid production, improved skin barrier function, maintaining skin hydration, and improved healing. It also plays a role in modulating inflammation6,” she told us previously. 

Given estrogen’s role in helping produce collagen, a decline in estrogen results in a drop in collagen.

For example, research shows that when people hit menopause (a time that’s characterized by a significant drop in estrogen), they experience a 30% drop in collagen7 over a roughly 5-year period. And with that dramatic loss, comes structural changes like sagging. 

But these changes are not unique to women or menopause. “But men experience this too, which is another thing that most people don’t realize. Men undergo hormonal transitions as well,” says Vinjamoori. 

Andropause (sometimes called “male menopause”) usually happens around the late 40s or early 50s. The hormonal shift can lead to a spectrum of issues, such as mood changes, sleep issues, increase in stress, and so on—all of which affect the skin. In addition, testosterone declines during this time, which research has shown can lead to a decline in collagen, decreased dermal thickness, and a loss in elasticity8. 

The takeaway 

Hormonal shifts influence the way the skin looks, feels, and functions with age. Often, people associate these changes with just women and menopause, but men experience these hormonal shifts as well.

The shifts most commonly associated with mid-life (a drop in estrogen for women, and a drop in testosterone for men) are linked to a dramatic decline in line collagen, elastin, and skin barrier function. And that’s why many folks experience sagging skin during midlife. 

The good news is that there are a plethora of ways to support your collagen with age: Protect the skin from UV damage by wearing sunscreen and practicing safe sun care, incorporate collagen-boosting topicals like vitamin C and retinol, utilize stress management practices, prioritize sleep, and use nutrition to your advantage by incorporating a collagen supplement.