By India Espy-Jones ·Updated March 24, 2026 < /> Getting your Trinity Audio player ready… Like everything else, our skin grows as we age. What used to be plump and buoyant in our 20s naturally grows more thin and prone to dryness after 40. While aging is a beautiful process, the needs of your skin are also changing. By then, your tried-and-true skincare routine may suddenly stop “working” while your serums feel like they’re just sitting on top of your skin. But, not for the reason you may think.
“After 40, the biggest shift in skin health isn’t chronological age—it’s hormonal change,” author of Hormone Harmony Over 35 and naturo>lower your cortisol” and the haunting buzzword “cortisol face” was being thrown around. However, contrary to popular belief, “cortisol is essential for survival,” Sands says. “It regulates metabolism, immune responses, blood sugar, and the body’s stress response.”
How does cortisol impact the skin?As the body’s primary stress hormone, if your cortisol remains chronically elevated—think: perimenopausal sleep disruption, metabolic changes, and life stress—it can directly breakdown collagen and delay skin repair. According to Sands, studies show excess cortisol can inhibit the cells that produce collagen, accelerate collagen degradation, impair wound healing, and increase inflammation in the skin.
“This is why chronic stress is associated with dull skin, slower healing, and premature aging,” she says. But, it’s not just cortisol. “Hormones are a network. During perimenopause, declining estrogen can make the body more sensitive to cortisol, amplifying its effects,” she says. While collagen loss is real and a well-discussed conversation, hormonal imbalance (like elevated cortisol) is often secretly driving that loss.
What is a “cortisol block”?“The phrase ‘cortisol block’ is more of a marketing term than a medical one,” she says. “You cannot completely block cortisol—and you wouldn’t want to.” Instead of trying to “block” cortisol, try practicing stress regulation through your life href="https://www.amazon.com/OBOGEE-Restore-Anti-Aging-Moisturizer-Ceramides/dp/B0CT4T7NDC?th=1" target="_blank"> 
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