Our August science note: Have you ever wondered why your skin feels tight at night? We have too.
You're at the sink. Face washed, patted dry, and then it pulls. You tell yourself this is just how it is now.
In 2022 Kendall and colleagues looked at the outer skin layer in Scientific Reports. After menopause the fats in the barrier, the ceramides, were fewer and shorter. Shorter fats hold water less well. The water leaves. In the study that lined up with higher water loss. The authors write that more water loss may lead to dry skin.
They measured the buttock, not the face. They write that hormones reach the skin everywhere. They did not measure the face here. The group was small. Boots (No7) helped fund it. They did not test a cream.
They compared women before menopause, after, and after on HRT. On HRT the fat profile looked closer to before. That is not a reason to take hormones for your skin. Our three steps do not replace ceramides. They did not ask whether it pulls after washing.
Source: Alexandra C. Kendall et al., Scientific Reports 12, 21715 (2022)