Skin ages, along with the rest of our body, post-menopause. Women over 60 who want to age with vitality should know that there are things we can do to have and maintain healthy, radiant skin. The key lies in three crucial hormones that impact the way skin ages.

Hormonal shifts, which occur during and after menopause, affect how the entire body navigates the aging process. These changes impact the appearance of our skin, resulting in age spots, fine lines, deep creases, dryness, sagginess and a dull, lackluster look. Sound a bit discouraging?

Not to worry… There’s more!

Is Rapidly Aging Skin Inevitable?

While it may seem that you’re powerless to control the unwanted advances of time on your skin, there is, in fact, quite a bit that you can do! You don’t have to accept rapid, accelerated aging of your skin.

When you understand the science behind the process, remedies and preventative measures offer powerful solutions.

Hormones are at the root of skin aging, and there are three, in particular, that influence it the most. Several natural approaches support the hormonal shifts your body goes through during and after menopause.

3 Crucial Hormones That Affect Your Skin’s Appearance

There are many hormonal fluctuations that take part in the aging process. Three of them play a significant role when it comes to skin aging. Let’s explore each, along with what we can do to limit their negative impact.

Hormonal Culprit #1: Estrogen

When a woman reaches 60, estrogen levels decline. This leads to skin that is drier, more fragile and less elastic. It becomes thin and droopy, with fine lines and areas of deep creases.

Additional indicators that you need estrogen support can include night sweats, hot flashes, insomnia, moodiness, memory issues, decreased bone density, weight gain or vaginal dryness.

Radiant Skin Remedy: Supplement your diet with maca root and black cohosh to remedy declining estrogen.

Maca Root (Peruvian ginseng)

A member of the radish family, maca has been consumed by the indigenous people of the Andes for centuries. Containing several minerals and essential fatty acids, it’s an excellent solution to declining estrogen. It’s also been found to noticeably increase bone density markers.

Dosage: 2000 mg daily in capsule form. Mix the powdered form into smoothies, hot tea or lattes.

Note for women with thyroid conditions: Maca contains iodine. Some healthcare practitioners feel it can worsen thyroid disorders. If you have known thyroid imbalances, consult your doctor before taking Maca.

Black Cohosh (Cumicifuga racemosa)

Studies show that this herb alleviates many menopause symptoms, even preventing bone density loss. Women in my private practice report black cohosh to be effective in reducing hot flashes and night sweats. While it won’t improve symptoms for every woman, it’s certainly worth a try!

Dosage: Varies based on the form of delivery. Typical tablet dosage is about 80 mg once or twice daily. Liquid extracts, while harder to find, are my recommended form. Dose depends on the manufacturer.

Caution: Any substance influencing hormonal actions should be discussed with a qualified healthcare practitioner. If you have a medical condition, take any medication, or have a history of breast cancer, talk to your doctor before taking herbs.

Hormonal Culprit #2: Thyroid

Most of my female patients over 60 aren’t aware that they might have thyroid imbalances (unless they’ve already been diagnosed). Hypothyroidism, which is an under-active thyroid, is very common, especially in women.

The likelihood of developing hypothyroidism becomes even greater with age, leading to coarse, dry skin, causing fine lines to appear as deeper creases. Other indications of hypothyroidism are weight gain, difficulty losing weight, fatigue, low libido and depression.

Radiant Skin Remedy: Get a comprehensive thyroid test, and follow up treatment if needed.

Most annual bloodwork only tests TSH. However, these five components must be evaluated for an accurate assessment:

• TSH
• Free T3
• Free T4
• Reverse T3
• TPO antibodies

Read about why these tests are necessary, and discover the optimal ranges – not what conventional labs say is “normal” – here.

Even if you’re already taking thyroid medication, you still need comprehensive blood testing to determine if your meds are providing you proper support – or if you have autoimmune hypothyroidism (Hashimoto’s).

Hormonal Culprit #3: Cortisol

In our culture, stress is a factor of life at every age. By age 60 and over, chronic, cumulative stress is common. This affects the adrenals, resulting in elevated cortisol.

An inflammatory response ensues, causing the breakdown of collagen – which accelerates skin aging. Adrenal dysfunction drives sugar cravings. Consuming even small amounts of sugar increases inflammation, which in turn ages the skin.

Radiant Skin Remedy: Manage stress to heal adrenal dysfunction, age with vitality and improve your skin’s appearance.

While it’s a good idea to limit stressful situations and avoid overcommitting yourself, changing your current life situation isn’t always immediately possible. You can, however, make time for yourself to manage the stress you have.

Daily practices that elicit the relaxation response are powerful ways to deal with stress and lower cortisol levels. Make them a mandatory part of your day, even if only for 5 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes again in the evening. Here are a few suggestions:

• Deep breathing
• Walks in nature
• Massages
• Hot Baths
• Journaling
• Meditation
• Tai Chi

Be open to trying something new. Be sure to choose something you enjoy. You’ll be more likely to stay consistent, which is what matters most!

Healthy, Radiant Skin from the Inside Out!

The best way by far to achieve radiant, healthy skin is from the inside out. Keep up with healthy lifestyle habits such as adequate sleep, a healthy diet and moving your body on a regular basis.

Couple this with some of the radiant skin remedies here to support your hormonal shifts, and your skin will thank you for years to come!

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Do you feel stress shows in the appearance of your skin? What have you tried that has been helpful in improving the health of your skin? Please share your comments below!

What’s the first thing you do every morning? I used to stretch, touch my toes and take a few deep breaths. Now I instinctively reach for my iPhone to see what new disaster looms on the horizon. And so the day begins.

All day, every day, intermittent news alerts flash across our screens. Incessant tweets distract us. Each broadcaster touts his segment as “breaking news.”

One natural disaster tumbles after another. Headlines scream out at us. Icons and leaders are charged with corruption. Traditions are crumbling. Institutional bedrocks are being challenged.

How Do We Feel About This Constant Assault on Our Senses?

My friends tell me:

“I wake up every morning dreading reading the headlines.”

“I’ve stopped watching the news altogether.”

“I can’t hear one more person’s tragic situation. It’s too depressing.”

“It’s one crisis and disaster after another. When will it stop?”

We are splitting our attention in so many ways, that we often don’t truly hear each other. And we need to hear each other.

How Can We Become Better Listeners?

Hearing is the opportunity to be heard, to present one’s side of a case, or to be generally known or appreciated. Listening is to hear something with thoughtful attention.

“The key to the art of listening is selectivity,” states Wilferd A. Peterson in The Art of Living. “You decide what you will accept… listen critically… with an open mind… no matter how much you disagree, for you may learn something.”

How Can We, as a Society, Make a Difference?

We can encourage our elected officials to bring us together to look for and find common ground, so all sides can be heard.

We can organize and take part in impassioned debates, among diverse sub-sets of citizens – perhaps through our houses of worship?

We can dialogue, thrash out, work through and come up with new ideas. And we can build on these new foundations.

What Can One Person Do?

We, as individuals, can share our stories. Here’s mine:

It’s was a freaky dark night. My husband, son, dog and I fled from our Florida home to avoid the looming threat of Hurricane Irma. At a McDonalds in Valdosta, Georgia, we stopped for a caffeine fix.

Two things happened then. First, a rather dowdy-looking, non-descript middle-aged woman waited on me. Her one, very noticeable feature were extraordinary blue eyes. And she went to great lengths to urge me to order the large coffee rather than the small size because they both were the same price.

The second thing that happened: A surge of appreciation suffused my body at her kind sharing of that information. But I was tired. Stressed from the abrupt fleeing of our home. Distraught over possible storm surge from the bay two blocks away from our house. I was fearful about the shortage of gas we might face in the coming hours on the freeway.

A useful tidbit. But, I simply paid for my coffee, stifled the compliment on her eyes floating around in my brain, uttered a perfunctory thank you and walked out.

It was a missed opportunity to connect with a stranger on a human level. She was talking. She was reaching out. And I was not really listening. Nor responding.

Don’t Miss Opportunities to Connect

My high school chum Marcia – unlike me – did rise to the occasion, at a Wendy’s in Fresno, California. This is her story, which she posted on Facebook…

We are leaving and see a family of eight at the register. I hear the girl behind the register say, “What would you like?” This very tall young strapping guy, who is obviously the father, asks, “What’s the cheapest thing you have on the menu?”

Chuck and I looked at each other at the same time. We were both thinking the same thing. I said, “I got this.”

I went up to the counter and said, “Get anything you want for the whole family.” They all looked at me like I was their savior. Hugging and kissing me. They asked if I was Christian. They were surprised to find out I was Jewish.

Based on their reaction, I don’t believe they had ever met anybody Jewish. We had a little discussion about the Jewish New Year and my beliefs and their beliefs.

This father of six told me that Jesus had turned his life around. He had been on drugs and living on the street with his family, and that this was a glorious day for him. This was also a glorious day for me, and the start of a Happy New Year!

A Solution Beckons

Like Marcia and Chuck, we can seize the moment. We can’t respond empathetically to everything, but we can stop the habitual bitching. Cursing. Moaning. Groaning. Handwringing. The tuning out and away from.

Our antennae can be trained to raise our awareness of need, and actively search out ways to be kind and generous.

We can remove the tunnel vision that blinds us to everything but our own immediate goals and agendas. We can fight the urge to curl up, cocoon and turn a blind eye to our fellow citizens’ needs and perspectives.

We can get out of our own way. Break out of our own silo. Pay attention. And rise to action in a helpful way.

We can be a hero.

We can make someone’s day.

The planet does not need more successful people. The planet desperately needs more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers and lovers of all kinds.

– Dalai Lama

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Please share what good things you have done to make our world and our country a better place. Have you ever reached out to a stranger in a moment of kindness? You are welcome to join the conversation below.

Like many others out there, I rarely leave the house without wearing my Shape Tape. It’s the easiest, creamiest concealer to dab on with fingers or a brush, and it actually stays put all day long. Plus, the inclusive collection comes in 32 different shades, making it a fit for anyone looking to try it out. But by now, you probably don’t need me to sing the praises of this concealer to know it’s good. You’re probably just looking to score a deal on the concealer you were already going to buy anyway, and that, my friends, is something I can help you with.

This weekend, you’ll be able to shop without paying for shipping. Then, on Oct. 15, 2022 and lasting until January 31, 2022, new QVC shoppers can use code FREESHIP at checkout for free shipping on their first purchase. Plus, this Shape Tape set, which comes with two concealers, is on sale for $52.48, nearly $10 off of the already discounted QVC price. Stock up now and if you’re a fan, lock it in on auto-delivery. That way, you can secure this savings price for ~the rest of time~. Don’t worry, if you ever need to skip a month (because seriously, Shape Tape lasts forever), you can totally do so. Just go to your QVC account and hit “skip delivery.”

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. QVC is a STYLECASTER sponsor, however, all products in this article were independently selected by our editors. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

Courtesy of QVC.

Super-Size Shape Tape Complexion Trio

This Shape Tape trio comes with three pieces so you can get the look you’re after every time you do your makeup. The first order will include a gift bag, so this makes a perfect shipment to share with a friend who’s in need of a pick-me-up. From there, it includes one 0.67 oz Shape Tape Contour Concealer, one Shape Tape Glow Wand concealer and an applicator/blending sponge.

Courtesy of QVC.

Shape Tape Trio In Tan Deep Sand

If you’re unfamiliar with the variations of Shape Tape, let me break it down for you. Shape Tape Contour concealer is the waterproof concealer made with mango seed butter, shea butter and licorice root extract, among other ingredients, to help smooth out imperfections and blur fine lines and wrinkles. You won’t find any product settling here; just a hydrating blurring effect where you want it on all of your fine lines and discoloration. It provides 16 hours of full coverage and a 12-hour crease-proof formula.

Courtesy of QVC.

Shape Tape Trio in Fair Beige

The Glow Wand delivers are more hydrating glow (think glazed donut skin). But don’t worry, there’s no glitter or shimmer; just luscious, dewy skin. Since it’s made with diamond powder, it naturally brightens skin without being shimmery. You can wear each product alone, or layer the glow wand over your concealer for an instant eye lift effect. Don’t forget to pick it up now to score free shipping with code FREESHIP at checkout!

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, STYLECASTER may receive an affiliate commission.

Concealers are the swiss army knives of makeup. They cover up dark circles, erase away redness, brighten dull skin, hide dark spots and blemishes, contour and more. That all sounds amazing, but when it comes time to pick your player, the endless options can seem overwhelming. However, there’s one, in particular, that has won over everyone on Amazon.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer is ranked No.1 in its category on Amazon and has over 110,000 perfect five-star ratings. We can’t say no to a good multi-use product, especially not when it’s loved by soooo many shoppers. 

This concealer is on sale for up to 38 percent off ahead of the Prime Early Access Sale. Some of the shades will cost you just $6 a pop, which is an incredibly affordable price tag for any makeup product and also one of the lowest prices we’ve seen it at. Make sure you’re signed up for an Amazon Prime subscription if you haven’t already, so you can access all of the stellar discounts on the big day.

Not to mention, Maybelline brand ambassador Gigi Hadid used it in a Beauty Secrets video with Vogue. She applies the concealer under her eyes and lets it sit on her skin for a little while. After doing her brows, Gigi gently taps the cream into her skin. “Tapping keeps it from getting thinner and it keeps it from breaking up,” she explains in the video.

The supermodel isn’t the only Instant Age Rewind Concealer stan. “It completely removes bags under the eyes and dark circles. Lasts all day,” wrote one Amazon reviewer who summed up the product perfectly.

For up to 12 hours of medium, crease-resistant coverage, whip out your Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer. Its shades are up to 38 percent off during this rare sale, which is even more of a reason to stock up on it, stat. Isn’t it just the best when you find a drugstore makeup product that works well and doesn’t cost a fortune? (You’re welcome.)

RELATED: This $9 Firming Collagen Moisturizer Is So Effective, Shoppers Have Stopped Getting Botox—& It’s on Sale For Prime Day

Photo: Maybelline New York.

Just as how a concealer should cover dark circles and spots seamlessly, it should also moisturize and leave your skin feeling good. Luckily, the Instant Age Rewind Concealer uses goji berry and haloxyl to minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and keep your skin looking radiant as ever.

The beloved formula is oil-free, fragrance-free and non-comedogenic, which is great news for all you oily and sensitive skin types. Plus, choose from one of the 18 different shades (you can even choose a color that’s darker than your complexion to contour). The sponge tip applicator also makes the product easy to apply with just a couple of clicks.

Photo: Maybelline New York.

“The only place I have dark circles or shadows is right in that inside corner of the eyes. I put on some moisturizing sunscreen, then apply this miracle concealer—a generous swipe and follow-up dabs to cover that inside corner. I blend the area with my fingertip and look about 15 years younger RIGHT THERE,” one five-star reviewer shared. 

I can confirm that the concealer is creamy and easy to blend, since I’ve been using it for ages. Though I don’t apply it under my eyes, I do disguise blemishes and acne scars with it and am always happy with the coverage.

Photo: Maybelline New York.

“I have tried countless concealers for my under-eye circles—most of which cost triple the price of this one by the way,” explained one shopper. “It’s officially become my new favorite concealer. It’s not cakey, it blends easily, it doesn’t crease and it lasts all day.”

Well-rested, wide-awake, bright under-eyes are coming your way thanks to Maybelline’s $5 Instant Age Rewind Concealer. Your dark circles and spots no longer stand a chance.

More Early Prime Day 2022 Deals to Shop: 

• The Vibrator That Shoppers Say ‘Makes Your Soul Leave Your Body’ Has a Major Early Prime Day Discount
• This Oil From Amazon Regrows Overplucked, Thinning Eyebrows in a Week & It’s 52% Off Ahead of Prime Day
• This Is Not a Drill: Le Creuset Cookware Is 31% Off Ahead of Amazon Prime Day

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, STYLECASTER may receive an affiliate commission.

Everyone and their grandmas know that retinol is a miracle worker for combatting visible signs of aging. You probably already incorporate the ingredient into your skincare routine via a serum or moisturizer, but you might be missing out big time on a sensitive area that requires just as much attention. Similar to how retinol increases cell turnover and promotes collagen production for the skin on your face—which are both crucial for fighting wrinkles—it also has the same effect on your under-eye area.

Enter: Neutrogena’s Rapid Wrinkle Repair Retinol Eye Cream. It minimizes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, evens skin tone, fights dullness, smooths texture and fades dark spots. Soooo basically, it’s heaven in a tube—and it’s all yours for $14 ahead of October Prime Day. In fact, the product was 28 percent off before last Prime Day, but it’s 34 percent off this time around. That means you’ve got to secure this steal, stat.

“I am 54, but everyone guesses I’m in my late ’30s to early ’40s,” raved one five-star reviewer. “The fine lines are magically disappearing! It is the best I’ve ever used.”

Turn back the clock with the Rapid Wrinkle Repair Retinol Eye Cream and let the potent yet gentle formula erase your fine lines and crow’s feet for just $14.

RELATED: The Eye Cream Making Shoppers’ Eye Bags and Fine Lines ‘Disappear’ Is Miraculously 45% Off Ahead of Prime Day

Photo: Neutrogena.

The anti-wrinkle cream stands up to fine lines, dullness and dark spots all at once. Targeted toward the sensitive under-eye area, dark circles and wrinkles can now be a thing of the past—sans irritation. Besides incorporating the do-it-all retinol, the bestseller also leans on hyaluronic acid to hydrate and plump the skin, which is just as important for tackling visible signs of aging.

The formula provides results in just one week, according to the brand—and shoppers can confirm the rapid anti-aging benefits are true.

“The dark circles under my eyes are noticeably brighter with a single [day’s] use, and I look so much better too!” wrote one reviewer. 

“Went two weeks without and the fine lines and undereye bags returned. Been using for a week and VAST improvement,” wrote another reviewer. “I’m 50 and [people] seriously think I am in [my] late 30s, early 40s.”

Don’t skip out on tending to your delicate under eyes; they deserve quality skincare products, too! Start with Neutrogena’s Rapid Wrinkle Repair Retinol Eye Cream that’s just $14 on Amazon.

More Early Prime Day 2022 Deals to Shop: 

• The Vibrator That Shoppers Say ‘Makes Your Soul Leave Your Body’ Has a Major Early Prime Day Discount
• This Oil From Amazon Regrows Overplucked, Thinning Eyebrows in a Week & It’s 52% Off Ahead of Prime Day
• This Is Not a Drill: Le Creuset Cookware Is 31% Off Ahead of Amazon Prime Day