Hormonal Aging And Your Skin: You Can Slow It With VENeffect

Oh man, I wish I had known about this in my 20s, when it would have been much easier to slow the signs of aging. The older you get, the harder these signs are to reverse. Regardless of whether you’re in the market to try a new skin care line or make small changes to your lifestyle, I think you’ll find the science of hormonal aging interesting, as it explains why our skin ages the way it does.

I’m going to try to explain this the best that I can. I had the opportunity to sit down with Cecil Booth at Neiman Marcus Fashion Valley to talk about VENeffect, a skincare line she developed with her sister, Dr. Rebecca Booth. VENeffect’s name is derived from the Venus Effect, a metaphor coined by the sisters that is critical to understanding how our skin ages.

What Is The Venus Effect?

Women tend to look their best around peak fertility. Mood is improved, skin is glowing and energy levels are high all due to an increase in estrogen during this week-long phase of a woman’s cycle. It makes sense, right? Estrogen also stimulates the production of total body collagen. Collagen is a protein that gives skin structure and without it, our skin wrinkles and becomes brittle.

Women are at peak estrogen production somewhere during the mid to late 20s and then production declines as the need for fertility does. The red line on the iPad below represents estrogen production and you can see the dramatic drop-off that occurs in our 30s (gasp). This is called hormonal aging.

Given the above, wouldn’t it make sense that our skin needs estrogen to stay youthful?

See also: Louis Vuitton’s Complimentary Hot Stamping Service

What Is VENeffect

Well, that’s what the Booth sisters thought. They set out to find a proprietary blend of 100% natural plant-based phytoestrogens to incorporate into a skincare line that will help women reverse hormonal aging. It’s a skin care concept that had never been addressed, until now. VENeffect was designed to work the way our skin naturally builds collagen and elasticity. Our face is packed with estrogen receptors. The plant-based phytoestrogens are easily absorbed by the receptors and activate them to produce collagen and keep our skin healthy. That’s the easy explanation, anyway.

Who Can Use VENeffect

Cecil confirmed that VENeffect is ok for all skin types. If you’re already in love with another skin care line, don’t worry. The anti-aging VENeffect products can be integrated into an existing regime.

The Current VENeffect Product Line

Anti-Aging Moisturizer: If you can only pick one VENeffect product, this should be it as it’s the most potent, hydrating product. Use it morning and night. $185 for 1.7 fl oz.

Anti-Aging Moisturizer SPF 15: This is a lighter-weight version of the above with broad spectrum (UVA and UVB) SPF 15 sun protection. I use just this during the day, however, if you live in a colder climate or have dry skin, consider combining this with the Anti-Aging Moisturizer. $145

Anti-Aging Eye Treatment: I was once told that there is no need for special eye creams. Cecil explained that the skin around our eyes is much thinner than elsewhere and also doesn’t hold in moisture well due to a lack of hair follicles. This eye cream is light and won’t cake up concealer like most other eye creams. Dab it under your eye and on your brow bone. $125 for 5 fl oz/15ml

Anti-Aging Lip Treatment: I admit that I would never have thought to purchase this. I have a sample that I’m using. Though I am not looking like Angelina Jolie, my lips are less dry and my lipstick is staying put. As we age (due to loss of estrogen) our lips thin out. Some VENeffect fans claim to have dodged injectables by just using this lip treatment. $85 for .34 fl oz/10ml

My Results

I use a competing skin care line so was completely skeptical about trying something else. After two weeks:

• My skin tone is much more even in tone.
• My pores are smaller.
• I’m less flaky.
• I look more rested and hydrated.

I use the cream sparingly as my skin is oily. I also sometimes notice a little stinging in my eyes that lasts for a few seconds sometimes when I wash my face. No big deal. This is the only drawback (if you can call if that), I have noticed.

Also, after my chat with Cecil, I bought the eye cream.

Exclusive to Neiman Marcus

VENeffect is exclusive to Neiman Marcus. The buyers immediately recognized the need for a skin care line that targets estrogen. Also, the Beauty Event is happening until September 16. If you spend $100 or more in the beauty department you get a cute bag full of nicely sized samples. I LOVE my green bag and will definitely use it. Now is a perfect time to grab some skin care.

Lifestyle Changes You Can Make

It’s not just about applying a topical cream. You can make lifestyle changes to help keep your hormones in check. A lot of this you already know you need to do, but I’ll remind you anyway.

• Take supplements. The VENeffect website has a list that includes Vitamin D, Folic Acid, Omega 3, Vitamin C and Biotin.
• Drink water.
• De-stress.
• Eliminate white sugar and starches.
• Eat more plant proteins like nuts, soybeans, lentils, etc.
• Get plenty of sleep.

Your skin will thank you!

*I was provided the Anti-Aging Intensive Moisturizer and Anti-Aging Moisturizing SPF 15 to try. I bought the eye cream after seeing results from the two moisturizers.