On this episode of the Less Stressed Life, we're continuing our September focus on perimenopause with board-certified dermatologist Dr. Rey Hamidi to unpack why skin can seem to age so quickly in midlife and what shifting hormones have to do with it.

We talk about how declining estrogen and progesterone can affect collagen, elastin, pigmentation, acne, dryness, sensitivity, and sagging. Dr. Rey also explains why supporting your skin barrier should come before adding actives, which skincare ingredients she prioritizes, how sleep and other internal factors affect aging skin, and when treatments like microneedling or lasers may make sense.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
🧬 How hormones affect aging skin
✨ Why skin can seem to age overnight
🧴 How to support your skin barrier
🫧 Why over-exfoliating can backfire
💧 Which skincare actives to prioritize
😴 How sleep & stress impact your skin
💆‍♀️ When microneedling & lasers may help

ABOUT GUEST:
Dr. Rey Hamidi is a board certified dermatologist, founder and CEO of Derm Media, Inc and creator of Ageless Alchemy, a digital program for women in midlife navigating signs of aging. She still practices dermatology part time in Southern California, where she lives with her husband and 2 children. Dr. Rey is passionate about helping women in midlife feel like themselves again, even amidst the hormone chaos of perimenopause and menopause.

WHERE TO FIND GUEST:
Work with Dr. Rey + Freebies: https://www.doctorrey.com/work-with-me
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrReyHamidi
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_rey_hamidi
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr_rey_hamidi

SPONSOR:
Thank you to Jigsaw Health for being such a great sponsor. 😎 Get back into the swing of things with 🧴 MagRelief Lotion for stress and sleep, 🧠 Brain Boost Mag L-Threonate for focus, and 🍓🫐 Berry-Licious Electrolyte Supreme for daily hydration.

🥳🎉 September special: From September 1–30, use code LESSSTRESSED15 for 15% off any order! Plus, get a FREE stainless steel water bottle 💦 when you start a new Electrolyte Supreme subscription.

✨ Any other time, use code LESSSTRESSED10 for 10% off any order.

NUTRITION PHILOSOPHY OF LESS STRESSED LIFE:
🍽️ Over restriction is dead
🥑 Whole food is soul food and fed is best
🔄 Sustainable, synergistic nutrition is in (the opposite of whack-a-mole supplementation & supplement graveyards)
🤝 You don’t have to figure it out alone
❤️ Do your best and leave the rest

WHERE TO FIND CHRISTA:
Website: https://www.christabiegler.com/
Instagram: @anti.inflammatory.nutritionist
Podcast Instagram: @lessstressedlife
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lessstressedlife
More Links + Quizzes: https://www.christabiegler.com/links
Protocols: https://www.christabiegler.com/protocolshop

❓Questions for Christa? Submit them here: https://www.christabiegler.com/questions

TRANSCRIPT:

[00:00:00] Dr. Rey Hamidi: overdoing it can mean, yes, over-exfoliating, causing micro tears because your skin barrier is not as robust. But also using ingredients that maybe your skin was fine with before, like fragrance or alcohols, and then all of a sudden it's not.

[00:00:16] Christa Biegler, RD: I'm your host, Christa Biegler, and I'm going to guess we have at least one thing in common, that we're both in pursuit of a less stressed life. On this show, I'll be interviewing experts and sharing clinical pearls from my years of practice to support high-performing, health-savvy women in pursuit of abundance and a less stressed life.

[00:00:46] Christa Biegler, RD: One of my beliefs is that we always have options for getting the results we want, so let's see what's out there together.

[00:01:04] Christa Biegler, RD: All right. Today on The Less Stressed Life, I have Dr. Rey Hamidi with me, who is a board-certified dermatologist, founder and CEO of Derm Media, and creator of Ageless Alchemy, a digital program for women in midlife navigating signs of aging. She practices dermatology part-time in Southern California, where she lives with her husband and two children.

[00:01:22] Christa Biegler, RD: Dr. Rey is passionate about helping women in midlife feel like themselves again, even amidst the hormone chaos of perimenopause and menopause. Welcome to the show, Dr. Rey. 

[00:01:30] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Thank you so much. So good to be here. 

[00:01:32] Christa Biegler, RD: Yeah, I met Rey at a conference, I guess a conference, business conference. And it's hilarious going to those things because then I end up, i'm like, "Oh, I need what this person has- Yeah ... and what this person has," and I'm also just a lifelong learner- ... that wants to know all of the things as well. Sure. So let's talk a little bit about your story and your journey. It's interesting being a professional in this space, but then going through things yourself.

[00:01:56] Christa Biegler, RD: My, experience historically helping people has been a lot of whether serendipitously or accidentally, intentionally, a lot of the things I help people with are things that I've gone through myself. So let's talk a little bit about your story and how that all kinda manifested, as a woman maybe unknowingly going through perimenopause with kids and, how you started focusing on the skin changes that are happening in midlife.

[00:02:21] Christa Biegler, RD: Tell us about how this all, how you thought that this was even relevant or maybe worth your time to talk about. 

[00:02:28] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Yeah, good question. As a 46-year-old woman now knowing that I'm, like, deep in the throes of perimenopause and being a dermatologist it's sometimes it's a little tough to talk about this 'cause it's "Oh, a dermatologist, she should know everything.

[00:02:42] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Why doesn't she have great skin all the time?" But when I had my kids, which were a little bit later in life, 39 was my first child, and then I had my second at 41. And anyone here has ever had kids, anyone who's listening knows that in those early years as a mom, as a first-time mom and a second-time mom, you just tend to lose yourself a bit, and everything that- You do for yourself in your day-to-day kinda goes to the wayside, right?

[00:03:08] Dr. Rey Hamidi: You're last on the totem pole, and that was completely true for me as well, where it was all about the family and the kids and my, quote-unquote, "self-care," which really is just taking care of myself and my body and my skin just completely went to the wayside. And so during those early years, my skin started to change, obviously, 'cause I wasn't taking care of it anymore.

[00:03:32] Dr. Rey Hamidi: And again, I was in my early 40s now, and ex- going through perimenopause, which I didn't even know until more probably in the last year or two I realized that partly because I'd educated myself a bit more on what that actually means and the changes that come about in your skin, but also internally as well, right?

[00:03:52] Dr. Rey Hamidi: And so, I would look in the mirror and just not recognize who was looking back at me, right? I looked, I feel older beyond my years, and even my husband, who's so well-meaning and loves me so much, commented what's going on with your skin?" It was, like, dull and bumpy and getting, dark circles under the eyes, and a little saggy.

[00:04:12] Dr. Rey Hamidi: All the things that come around with aging and that are accelerated in perimenopause, and, doubling down by not taking care of myself. So that was happening, and then one day after feeling like crap, for years when I'd look in the mirror I just said, "Enough is enough."

[00:04:31] Dr. Rey Hamidi: It's time to focus on me, and It was, like, a specific moment, and I was like, "No, this is my year." I can't remember what year it was actually. It might've been, like, 2023, 2024, somewhere in there. And I was like, "This is my year," and I started just focusing more on myself, and honestly it wasn't that much.

[00:04:48] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Just incorporating... Of course, as a derm, I knew what to do, but incorporating skincare that was simple enough for me to do on a daily basis that at the same time supported my skin and the changes that I was going through and just worked for my skin type and all the things.

[00:05:04] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Simple routine morning and night, and I figured out how to do it to where it's not at the end of the day you're exhausted and you just wanna plop into bed. I would do it, my skincare, earlier so that I could do it every single day and not, skip, and so I was getting benefit out of it.

[00:05:16] Dr. Rey Hamidi: And I just started eating better and exercising more and Just focusing on the internal as well and that, skincare is amazing and it does amazing things for your skin, but if you're not also looking at the internal and taking care of yourself internally, I'm sure you know this as a nutritionist but all the things, you know, the nutrition, the stress management movement, all the things, your skin is not gonna have the same benefit the same effect from the skincare that you're doing.

[00:05:43] Dr. Rey Hamidi: So when I actually, went beyond just the skincare and started taking care of myself more internally as well, prioritizing myself that's when I saw more of a difference, like a more massive difference, and I just like I was happy to look in the mirror again. "Oh, who's that?"

[00:05:57] Dr. Rey Hamidi: So going through that journey, and, I've been a dermatologist for 15 years, but, treating women for their aging skin for that time. But I didn't really identify as much ever in my life as I have in the last five or six years in terms of what women are going through in terms of seeing those signs of aging in the mirror and how that makes them feel internally, right?

[00:06:21] Christa Biegler, RD: I think we're all in denial about aging. That's what I hear from people. They always say- Yeah ... "I feel 21 in my body." I always hear that from men. They're like- 

[00:06:28] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Yeah. ... "

[00:06:28] Christa Biegler, RD: I don't know what's happening." And as I hear you talk about some of these things, what's interesting,

[00:06:32] Christa Biegler, RD: I've worked with skin rashes for approximately 10 years. Yeah. And for sure, I always feel like skin things are harder than people think that they are because they want them to be a topical or structural or external problem. For sure. And they're internal and external because the skin grows from the inside out, and it's very obvious because we do agree about a few things in the skin rash realm, like universally about bacterial overgrowth, et cetera, and I always saw that happening from the inside out.

[00:06:59] Christa Biegler, RD: It was like, oh, 100% of the time in stool tests you saw that, those bacteria overgrown- Yeah ... from the inside out. So I just mention that because it's an inside and an outside job, and so it's twice the effort. 

[00:07:09] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Yeah. 

[00:07:10] Christa Biegler, RD: But one thing that is maybe a little bit tricky especially as we're in denial and I think that we go into...

[00:07:17] Christa Biegler, RD: This is a whole perimenopause month, but perimenopause happens at different ages for different people. Sure. Maybe it starts as early as 35, but maybe it doesn't start until about 40s sometime, 45. Yeah ... it just depends. There's some genetic influence, et cetera. And so it's easy for us to maybe be in denial about it or to not realize what's going on or, like me, I'm an experimenter.

[00:07:37] Christa Biegler, RD: I like use different.. I always felt like it was my responsibility to try all of the things and slowly- ... go through them, but we're also having physiological changes in our body. So can you talk to what is happening... So you like a lot of us as you started experiencing your own stuff, you dove into it a little bit different because I'm not sure how much people were coming to you in practice saying, "The tricky thing about these changes is that they're a little bit hard to," I don't know if measure is the right word, but put your finger on, right?

[00:08:06] Christa Biegler, RD: Someone comes in- Yeah ... and they're like, "Oh, I feel a little more dull than usual," it's like- That's an interesting thing to try to measure or quantify, right? Sure, yeah. Whereas I always felt like with skin rashes when someone had something show up, it was, like, very easy to quantify for them.

[00:08:18] Christa Biegler, RD: Yeah. They were like, "Oh, there's clearly something not okay," right? Whereas, like- Yeah ... "Oh, I feel a little more dull," is I wonder... you don't always think that there's many things going on, but there are many changes happening as we start into perimenopause that can impact your skin. So will you talk- Sure

[00:08:33] Christa Biegler, RD: a little bit about one, honestly, I'm curious if you had patients coming in asking about their skin changes in perimenopause, or how were they describing it? Yeah. And what actually starts to happen in perimenopause? 

[00:08:45] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Yeah. I would say for the most part, people don't come in saying "Oh, I'm in peri-" for the most part.

[00:08:50] Dr. Rey Hamidi: I do have random, and especially now that there's a lot more chatter online about it, right? 

[00:08:56] Dr. Rey Hamidi: And people are much more aware. So a little bit more recently, but in general, I would say people don't come in saying "My hormones are changing, and my skin is changing," it's not 

[00:09:04] Christa Biegler, RD: the 

[00:09:05] Dr. Rey Hamidi: first, you're not 

[00:09:05] Christa Biegler, RD: the first stop.

[00:09:06] Christa Biegler, RD: They're not really concerned about it that way. Yeah. 

[00:09:07] Dr. Rey Hamidi: No. They're just like, "Eh, I'm just feeling old,"

[00:09:10] Dr. Rey Hamidi: that's kind of the thing. And then what actually happens, so it's interesting because there are the direct effects of a decline in estrogen that- 

[00:09:18] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Happens around perimenopause, and then of course by the time you hit menopause, it's down in the dumps, like almost zero, right? So there are the direct effects, which are mainly the de-decrease in collagen and elastin production. So your collagen and your elastin are key components in that second layer of skin, that dermis, that give your skin its structure, its firmness, its back quality.

[00:09:41] Dr. Rey Hamidi: And then also the other thing, too, is that they are always in a cycle. So there's production and there's destruction and they both go through that cycle. So when you're younger and your estrogen, is not declining, you have a balance or an increase in production over destruction.

[00:09:59] Dr. Rey Hamidi: And then as your estrogen declines, that balance shifts to where there's more destruction than there is production, and so your skin's just not keeping up, and that is gonna be what's translating into things like wrinkles, fine lines, sagging, that kind of thing. So that's kind of the direct effect.

[00:10:15] Dr. Rey Hamidi: I think what a lot of people don't realize is that there are a lot of indirect effects that these changing hormones have. And I'm speaking mostly about estrogen. Progesterone is also important. Progesterone mainly one of the main components or one, main functions it has in the skin is that it helps fortify your skin barrier by increasing the production of certain lipids or fats in the skin.

[00:10:37] Dr. Rey Hamidi: And so when you have an impaired skin barrier, it leads to things like skin sensitivity, dryness, dullness. Okay? Now, estrogen, we already talked about the direct effects, indirectly it has effects internally that then secondarily affect your skin. For example, estrogen is at its baseline anti-inflammatory.

[00:10:56] Dr. Rey Hamidi: So when you have a decline in estrogen, you have an increase in this low level of systemic inflammation with no other changes in your habits or your life, right? So what does that do? Inflammation then affects also the skin barrier impairs the skin barrier, and increases the breakdown of collagen further, so it's like a double whammy there against the collagen.

[00:11:19] Dr. Rey Hamidi: And then ag- also estrogen increase the, increases the bone for-formation over resorption. So that's another thing that is constantly in a cycle of production and destruction is your bones in your body, including your face. And estrogen is pro-formation. And so again, when estrogen is declining, you have more resorption of bone in your body, including your face.

[00:11:39] Dr. Rey Hamidi: And what does that do? That leads to a loss of volume in the face. And what does that do? That leads to increase in sagging. So- I think a lot of times people feel like these, like they wake up one day and they're all of a sudden "I look 10 years older overnight," right? And it feels like it's a very sudden overnight thing.

[00:11:56] Dr. Rey Hamidi: And it can feel that way because of this rapid decline and then the like subsequent rapid changes that are happening on these multiple levels that are then culminating in this, what you're seeing in the mirror. Truly, they have been happening for years, but they accelerate exceedingly in perimenopause when that estrogen is declining.

[00:12:14] Dr. Rey Hamidi: So that's where that kind of overnight change is occurring is because there are all these levels that estrogen is working both directly and indirectly, and then they all kind of culminate into what you're seeing in the mirror. There are th- other things too like if anyone is in perimenopause or menopause, most people I would say have experienced some sleep disturbance, right?

[00:12:32] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Like waking up at 3:00 in the morning, not being able to fall back asleep for two hours things like that. Personally myself, I experience that as well. And during sleep is when your body is producing collagen and elastin the most, and so getting quality restorative sleep for enough time, like seven-plus hours a night, is also essential for producing that collagen, elastin that's supporting your skin, right?

[00:12:58] Dr. Rey Hamidi: And then when you lose sleep, your cortisol increases, so that's also more inflammation, right? So it's all these effects that are happening that I think people don't think about, and I think that's partly why people For the most part, like focus so much on skincare, they're not thinking about the other factors that are affecting our skin that are so important, just as important as skincare, if not more.

[00:13:20] Dr. Rey Hamidi: So 99% of the questions that I get in clinic and online, of course, are around what product should I use? What moisturizer? What retinoid, et cetera. It's all important for sure. And maybe because I'm a dermatologist they don't think to ask me about the other stuff, but so important. And so when we are entering perimenopause and menopause my whole approach is we need to change our approach.

[00:13:43] Dr. Rey Hamidi: We can't just rely on like the retinol anymore like we did in our 20s and 30s, pre-perimenopause. And our skin Skincare can't keep up with the changes that are happening with our hormones, and so we need to change our approach to where we are pulling from these different tools.

[00:13:59] Dr. Rey Hamidi: It's the skincare and I'll call it lifestyle, right? Like our day-to-day actions and habits and nutrition and sleep and stress and all the things. And then yeah, where needed, like we can get to, to this if you want to get into it, but like the professional treatments at some point, if you're experiencing already those advanced signs of aging, pulling those in where needed.

[00:14:21] Dr. Rey Hamidi: So we pull from all the different tools. It's not just "Oh, let me just put on some sunscreen and retinol. It'll be fine." Not at this stage of life. 

[00:14:26] Christa Biegler, RD: It sounds like there are some well-known signs because you said, you just said advanced signs of aging. So describe to us what does that mean, advanced signs of aging, versus I'm just getting started in this shift and maybe I have some opportunities to redirect?

[00:14:44] Christa Biegler, RD: Yeah. So like I don't know if there's multiple classes, but I'll put it in those two classes to start. Like what are the advanced- Yeah ... signs where you might need more in-office treatments or other things to maybe improve, I assume to improve. I don't know. That's based on what I was hearing versus some of the earlier signs.

[00:14:58] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Sure. Good question. So when I say advanced signs, I just mean it's the same signs but they're more severe. So for example, deep wrinkles rather than just like very fine lines. Deep wrinkles that are I call them etched in. They're like, they're like- 

... 

[00:15:11] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Engraved in there, right? Whether you're moving your face or not.

[00:15:14] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Sagging that is like I would call it moderate in intensity very noticeable. It's not just oh, it's just subtly starting. I can see it. No one else can see it, kind of thing. Sagging jowls, the deep wrinkles, and then significant hyperpigmentation, for example, where- for example, someone who has a lot of sun damage.

[00:15:32] Dr. Rey Hamidi: They've been in the sun all their life. I see this a lot in Southern California of course 'cause we live a very outdoor lifestyle. It's very sunny here. Significant sun damage in the way of dark spots, sunspots, freckles, all that stuff. And then significant eye bags I would say too, like under-eye bags.

[00:15:47] Dr. Rey Hamidi: To where it's not just a little bit of subtle puffiness, so it's 

[00:15:50] Christa Biegler, RD: just the issue- 

[00:15:51] Dr. Rey Hamidi: I never really thought of 

[00:15:51] Christa Biegler, RD: that as being a sign of aging, is 

[00:15:54] Dr. Rey Hamidi: eye bags. Yeah. No yeah, it is. And here's the thing. You can have eye bags at a young age. Some- ... genetically. Some people just- have that anatomically are prone to having a, like a puffier- Or allergy eyes ... under-eye area. Allergy eyes for sure. Exactly. So that's an example of where it's not really age-related. But then what happens with age is because we lose volume around that eye socket and the- 

... 

[00:16:15] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Bone, again, the bone and then in the fat pads around the eye, it leads to a recession around underneath that under eye- lower eyelid skin.

[00:16:24] Dr. Rey Hamidi: And also there's the fat pad underneath the eyelid skin itself that can start to protrude out more with age. So both of those things cause more of a protrusion under the eye. 

[00:16:34] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Same with dark circles because of the loss of volume. It causes a shadowing under the eye. Dark circles under the eye can be also worse with age, even though they can be present.

[00:16:43] Dr. Rey Hamidi: You could see a 15-year-old with just genetically, darker under-eyes,

[00:16:47] Christa Biegler, RD: what are jowls? 

[00:16:49] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Oh, yeah, good question. Jowls are... Let me see if I can show you. Let's say it's for our listeners, It's the waviness of the jawline. If you look at your jawline and it's not snatched, it's not straight, and you got a waviness to the jawline, that is jowling.

[00:17:05] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Also part of jowling can be where you have a little bit of a pouch of skin where your jawline meets your chin, like between that area. So those are jowls. 

[00:17:14] Christa Biegler, RD: I always wondered I made some assumptions, but I never looked it up, and so I wanna look- I 

[00:17:19] Dr. Rey Hamidi: love that you don't know what jowls are because 

[00:17:21] Christa Biegler, RD: you're so funny

[00:17:22] Christa Biegler, RD: I wanted the dermatologist. No, I think , I'm a questioner, so I'm like, can you go in and out of this depending on different things, right? I'm just- Yeah ... a crazy experimenter as well. Hyperpigmentation and aging, though, what's some of the mechanism that would accentuate that?

[00:17:35] Christa Biegler, RD: 'Cause when I'm thinking about- ... collagen and elastin, I'm thinking about the tightness or the elasticity. So what's happening- Okay ... that's accelerating hyperpigmentation or where we're seeing- 

[00:17:43] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Yeah ... 

[00:17:44] Christa Biegler, RD: what's really happening- ... behind the scenes there? 

[00:17:46] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Good question. The number one factor is gonna be sun exposure, UV exposure.

[00:17:51] Dr. Rey Hamidi: And at, one thing is that the longer you live, the more cumulative sun exposure you've had, right? So as we age, we've had more cumulative sun exposure, and that cumulative sun exposure does increase your risk of pigmentation, spots, sunspots, freckles, all the things. And of course everyone's different in terms of how much sun they've had in their life and how well they protected and all the things.

[00:18:13] Dr. Rey Hamidi: So if you're someone who spends a lot of time outside, and then maybe doesn't protect your skin as well from the sun, like with sunscreen and hats and all the things, then you're gonna have more pigmentation than someone who is your exact same age, exact same skin tone, and spends less time outside or protects better, right?

[00:18:30] Dr. Rey Hamidi: So that's one. That's the major factor, okay? And then the second factor is also estrogen. I didn't mention this when I was talking about estrogen, but estrogen, when you have a decline in estrogen, those melanocytes, which are the pigment-producing cells in the skin, also are more active, so they make more pigment.

[00:18:48] Dr. Rey Hamidi: And so that can be a minor factor as well. 

[00:18:52] Christa Biegler, RD: Interesting. 

[00:18:52] Dr. Rey Hamidi: But if we're looking at, like- What's really the main factor is gonna be your cumulative sun exposure. 

[00:18:58] Christa Biegler, RD: Yeah. I feel like there's a couple other ones. I don't know which one to ask you first. Let me start with this one. Don't some people in aging have a resurgence of acne as well?

[00:19:11] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Yes. Yeah, good question. All these are good ones. Yeah, so some people never had acne, even as a teenager, and then all of a sudden they're, like, 45 and they're like "What is happening with my skin? Why am I breaking out like a teenager?" What is happening there are, is mainly two things that are contributing to that.

[00:19:30] Dr. Rey Hamidi: The first is that as we age, and this is, I would say, more of an age thing than a hormone thing necessarily, but especially in our, like, 40s, 50s and beyond, our skin cell turnover decreases. So our top layer of skin, our epidermis, has this natural cycle where in, like a young skin, let's say in your 20s and 30s the skin cells start at the bottom, they work their way to the top, and they become these, this dead layer at the top we call the stratum corneum, and then that stratum corneum is shed over time.

[00:20:01] Dr. Rey Hamidi: So that's like a one-month cycle. Okay? As we get older, that cycle slows down to where there's a higher accumulation of those dead skins cells at the top. That stratum corneum, it becomes thicker and more uneven. So those dead skin cells not only do they make your skin more dull and rough and bumpy, but they also clog pores.

[00:20:22] Dr. Rey Hamidi: So your pores have the same epidermis, lining as the rest of your skin. So those dead skin cells are plugging up the pores more easily. And every pimple starts with a clogged pore, so just keep that in mind. So if we can keep the pore unclogged, we can prevent pimples, okay? And then the second thing that happens is that- There's a relative dominance of testosterone, not for everybody obviously, but for some people.

[00:20:50] Dr. Rey Hamidi: As your estrogen and your progesterone are declining at a more rapid rate, your testosterone is also declining, but not quite so rapidly as the other two. And so you have a relative dominance of testosterone to estrogen specifically. 

[00:21:02] Dr. Rey Hamidi: And so that can cause an increase in sebum production in the pores, and sebum or oil is also one of the things that causes pores.

[00:21:10] Dr. Rey Hamidi: So those two things are typically what's leading to- 

[00:21:14] Christa Biegler, RD: And- 

[00:21:14] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Yeah ... and 

[00:21:14] Christa Biegler, RD: that would explain the chin hairs as 

[00:21:18] Dr. Rey Hamidi: well. Yes, exactly. Yes. The testosterone- ... driven chin hairs and hair loss and hair where you want it hair loss on your head. That- Yes ... I 

[00:21:26] Christa Biegler, RD: think that might be my biggest complaint in this age.

[00:21:30] Christa Biegler, RD: I remember years ago, looking at a family member and being like, "Oh, I wonder if she knows she has those chin hairs there." And she does, yeah. And now that this happens to me, I'm like- Yeah ... they just come out of nowhere. And they're like, they have a life of their own sometimes. They do. I'm like, why does no one talk about this?

[00:21:46] Christa Biegler, RD: This is hilarious. I know. not really hilarious at all, but I'm like, I'd like to give- Yeah ... these little guys names sometimes. But I- Yeah, they just show up ... 

[00:21:54] Christa Biegler, RD: I cannot help but ... It's so funny because I feel like something I think that might be important to say about hormones is there's a Goldilocks generally always, right?

[00:22:06] Christa Biegler, RD: Because a lot of times when we're younger, excess estrogen dominance, is usually associated with typically negative symptoms. And as we age ... But a lot of times we don't understand all the positive, incredible things that estrogen does. So it's a Goldilocks. Yeah. You've gotta detoxify it- For sure

[00:22:20] Christa Biegler, RD: well, but you need to have it as well. And similar with testosterone, it's like, hello, you need it for some libido and you need it for muscle repair. I call it the maintenance man. I don't need him around constantly at the highest volumes- Yeah. ... like a man. Yeah. But to not have any is like usually you're going to feel extreme fatigue, and I'll usually see low testosterone in people that have had

[00:22:41] Christa Biegler, RD: that their adrenals are tapped out. Maybe they've had some kind of traumas. And whatever the body is considering, 'cause I've seen even fertility treatments, different things just like chronic stress creating low testosterone. And then it makes very poor recovery. So again, I just wanna give you the either side of it.

[00:22:55] Christa Biegler, RD: And so- I can't help but think about one time ... So one of my hormone mentors was a, actually a man, it that worked for Precision Analytical. And I remember him, he was going over one of my hormone tests- And he's like, "Yeah your testosterone's pretty robust." But he's like, "But you're gonna want that, as you age.

[00:23:11] Christa Biegler, RD: You're gonna want that testosterone." So sometimes I just hear his- ... e- his voice in my head as I'm pulling a chin hair. I'm like- 

[00:23:18] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Yeah. ... "

[00:23:18] Christa Biegler, RD: Dr. Tim said I was gonna want this when I got older." Anyways, that's just so funny. 

[00:23:23] Dr. Rey Hamidi: I'm sure it's doing some good things too. 

[00:23:25] Christa Biegler, RD: Yeah, okay, I guess I might be able to build some muscle and not be sore- Yeah

[00:23:29] Christa Biegler, RD: after my workouts, dang it. But relative to the other hormones, it is more dominant. And it comes out of nowhere, so sorry to go off on that tangent. Yeah. I'm like- so many of the symptoms of, the signs of aging I don't necessarily always resonate with. Maybe ... And I think, we also kinda go through life with our own veil and perceptions as well. It's oh, for sure, now that I've become more aware, I'm like, oh, there's opportunities here and there's things to do. And that's where- Yeah ... it's like the more you can do something to help support it, you know- For sure

[00:23:57] Christa Biegler, RD: earlier on. But one of the other terms that comes up that I have a hard time resonating with sometimes is crepey skin. ... But it's used a lot. It's a term that's used a lot. How would you describe- Yeah ... how would you define that? How can we understand or visualize that?

[00:24:11] Christa Biegler, RD: Which if someone has it, they're like, "Why do you-" 

[00:24:13] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Yeah ... 

[00:24:13] Christa Biegler, RD: like, how do you not know, right? But I- 

[00:24:15] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Once you see it, you can't unsee it. 

[00:24:17] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Crepey skin. So crepey skin is skin that is thin and specifically it has these like, if you were to scrunch it up, it has these very fine wrinkles.

[00:24:29] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Think of a kinda what do you call that paper? Tissue paper that you use to put- ... wrap presents and things like that. That's what I think of when I think of crepey skin. And so it's essentially, if you look under the microscope, it has... it's very thin, like the dermis is very thin, and there is a significant loss of collagen and- elastin as well. And the epidermis, that top layer too, is also thinned. So everything's thinned out. That's crepey skin, And when you look at it visually, it's that skin that's these very fine crinkly lines when you, like- 

... 

[00:25:00] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Scrunch it up. Yeah. If I could describe it verbally.

[00:25:04] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Yeah. 

[00:25:04] Christa Biegler, RD: As we listen to some of these effects of the declining estrogen, and we think about it 'cause If we're losing those anti-inflammatory impacts, then it's affecting how our collagen elastin production is. This came up just like a week-ish ago with a friend.

[00:25:19] Christa Biegler, RD: She said, "I don't know, maybe I should go on estrogen because this, my other friend who's 50- Yeah ... is on estrogen and her skin looks incredible." And I'm curious- Yeah ... how you feel about that as a dermatologist, and I don't even know if it's in your scope to prescribe- Yeah ... topical estrogen or whatnot.

[00:25:33] Christa Biegler, RD: So it's essentially like- Yeah ... this person is like, "Do I need to go on estrogen?" Yeah. Essentially? Because that seems to be the root of all things. What would you say to that? For sure. 

[00:25:42] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Yeah, so we have systemic estrogen like hormone replacement therapy, and then there's topical estrogen.

[00:25:47] Dr. Rey Hamidi: And , there's limited data on this, but there's a little bit of data on both, like hormone replacement and how it affects signs of skin aging, and then also topical estrogen and how that affects aging skin. Limited data. So I'll just speak to that a bit 'cause that's all we can do, right?

[00:26:06] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Just gonna speak to the data. So in terms of hormone replacement you would think that if you just go back on estrogen, everything's gonna be fine, and you're gonna age amazingly well. And there is data to show that when you replace hormones systemically, that it does lead to an increase in collagen, like via biopsies that have been done, right?

[00:26:26] Dr. Rey Hamidi: You can see the increase in collagen that occurs. And it seems like for the data, when you go on estrogen replacement, it doesn't necessarily reverse signs of aging. Let's say you already have crepey skin. You already have the jowls, right? Let's say that's happening. It doesn't reverse those things, but it can slow it down for sure.

[00:26:46] Dr. Rey Hamidi: You could do this experiment where you have you taking estrogen for the next 10 years, and you not taking estrogen for the next 10 years, and comparing those two people. And then- Yeah ... 10 years from now, the one who took estrogen will have younger skin basically. So that's the hormone replacement.

[00:27:00] Dr. Rey Hamidi: And then there's this added layer of kind of question and like complexity around how much hormone replacement are you on. What is your estrogen level that and your doctor's goal is, right? Is it pre perimenopausal levels? This is something that I think is very much debated in terms of like what's your goal estrogen levels when you're on a hormone replacement.

[00:27:20] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Is it like 200 or is it 60? 'Cause that'll make a difference also. Topical estrogen, also again limited data. There's been some studies. So I would say with topical estrogen, again, there are studies that show microscopic changes, like good changes of increased collagen and elastin in the skin when people have been on topical estrogen versus those who haven't.

[00:27:42] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Unfortunately the changes that we see tend to be seen more in the sun protected areas like they biopsied like the buttock skin versus the forearm. So forearm is very exposed, right? And then the buttock is not, presumably. And the forearm didn't really show that increase in collagen, but the buttock skin did, so take that into account. There are clinical studies in terms of just looking at the like signs of aging, like dullness, wrinkles, fine lines, that kind of thing, and some data to show that there is a subtle improvement. So here's how I look at estrogen topically. And, I don't specifically prescribe topical estrogen.

[00:28:23] Dr. Rey Hamidi: I just, I'm not opposed to it, but I,

[00:28:25] Christa Biegler, RD: Most providers don't know how to prescribe- 

[00:28:27] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Yeah, and it's- ... hormones 

[00:28:28] Christa Biegler, RD: anyway. 

[00:28:29] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Yeah, and it's it's pretty much they're so widely available, at least in the US on these sites with good formulations. People don't really ask me for prescriptions, honestly, for topical estrogen.

[00:28:39] Dr. Rey Hamidi: But,

[00:28:40] Christa Biegler, RD: And it would take a lot of trial and error, and I would also guess that whether we like it or not, the data is very limited. So we've had some other guests talk, speak to this more eloquently about the limitations in female research, but like- what would not be prioritized unfortunately at this time it sounds like

[00:28:57] Christa Biegler, RD: We do not have a lot of equality in female research versus male research, and especially related- For sure ... to our hormone changes. Like we are living in the pioneering age of this. I do not expect that the research is going to be as helpful as we would like it to be at this moment in time, just because we're now interested.

[00:29:14] Christa Biegler, RD: We have more of a, almost like a wave of people interested in this topic, and recognizing the middle ground. There's the fertility years and the menopausal years, and now we're in this middle ground, which is not as black and white. And even with research related to these signs of aging, I feel like it would be a bit interesting for them to measure.

[00:29:31] Christa Biegler, RD: I'm sure there are, like, some really- ... cool things behind a microscope that they can technically measure. But with research they tend to have to measure these very specific measurable things, and yeah, it could be interesting how that goes. A lot of estrogen hormone replacement therapy I believe is topical

[00:29:47] Christa Biegler, RD: Anyway, so it does get systemically- Yeah ... absorbed. I accidentally was on some one time because I was testing a face serum that really clearly did not, ... I was talking to the formulator- ... of it. I was like, "Hey,"- I took your stuff," and it totally, I was like, "Where is my period this month?"

[00:30:04] Christa Biegler, RD: And then I read, like it was very hard to read the label, and it was on the very bottom. I was like, "Oh, my Go- Yeah. So we know it impacts us very systemically. So we have this loss of collagen from the estrogen, and then our human brain is "Should I just replace the estrogen?"

[00:30:16] Christa Biegler, RD: Which we've been talking about throughout the month actually, like to hormone or not- Yeah ... to hormone. But as a dermatologist, you have this whole other set of tools and treatments and other things. Before we talk about treatments for different things, so we talked a little bit about how a lot of collagen elastin is made during sleep so that being important.

[00:30:33] Christa Biegler, RD: I think, a very common denominator in this period of life is if your cortisol sucked before, it's gonna be really accentuated in this point of life. We actually have less resilience. There's probably multiple mechanisms of this, but one of them is that because our ovaries are starting to decline in those hormones, our adrenals get the brunt of it.

[00:30:50] Christa Biegler, RD: So now they're being asked to do more, and if they already sucked, which is very common and not really seen in conventional lab work it's like it makes sense that more would ... I think- it's not always, but I find it is part of the story of waking between 2:00 and 4:00 AM for a lot of people, is like- Yeah

[00:31:05] Christa Biegler, RD: nourishment of the adrenals, et cetera, and it's my goal to make that conversation even more mainstream- ... because it's really missed. Sorry, I'm on a bit of a tangent. I didn't mean to be. Yeah. My point is ... I think one thing that you could really support us with, 'cause I've been going through your program as well, and I remember one of the things that was, like, interesting to me was you were talking about I'll say it this way, skincare to avoid, specifically maybe exfoliating things.

[00:31:31] Christa Biegler, RD: And I always thought- ... oh, I wanna remove that dead skin layer- ... et cetera, but you're like, "Hey, it's gonna cause these little micro tears that you might not have resilience to repair from." I hope I'm saying it right, but you know, hopefully you'll correct me. Yeah. And so I thought that was so interesting is that our needs, our skincare needs change beyond maybe retinoids or something, right?

[00:31:49] Christa Biegler, RD: And that's a whole topic in general, but what are some of the things that we may need to consider shifting 'cause our skin doesn't- Yeah ... support it so much, and one of them being this exfoliating? That stands to question.

[00:32:00] Christa Biegler, RD: It's like, but are we supposed to get facials more at this age? Yeah. I have no idea. 

[00:32:05] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Yeah. So- you're correct, our skin needs change in this period of life. And so that whole different approach I was talking about when it comes to the skincare specifically, , it's much easier to overdo it for your skin in this stage of life.

[00:32:20] Dr. Rey Hamidi: And overdoing it can mean, yes, over-exfoliating, causing micro tears because your skin barrier is not as robust. But also using ingredients that maybe your skin was fine with before, like fragrance or alcohols, and then all of a sudden it's not. And so my approach is that, number one, I think actives are important.

[00:32:44] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Specifically, and you probably know this going through the program, like retinoids vitamin C and antioxidant peptides. Those are, like, the big actives that I am a big proponent of. And I think we do wanna incorporate those, but we wanna do it the right way. And what's the right way? So the right way is,

[00:33:00] Dr. Rey Hamidi: first, 

[00:33:00] Christa Biegler, RD: I do not know about you, but I feel the change of season is upon us. And for many people, it's back to school or back to work or for me, it's back to focus, and I wanted to share a few tools that I'm using that might make this transition a little easier for you as well. Now, first of all, if you've got a kiddo that gets stressed or anxious about school or sports and, and/or you just don't like taking supplements by mouth, have you tried this Mag Relief lotion from Jigsaw?

[00:33:28] Christa Biegler, RD: A lot of topical magnesium sprays burn, but this lotion has zero smell, zero burn, and it contains organic oils and my favorite kind of topical magnesium, which is OptiMSM. You can just put some on. Usually, it's gonna be legs and feet, but you can put it wherever you want on your body. Put some on after exercise, before bed to help with sleep and stress.

[00:33:48] Christa Biegler, RD: Another type of magnesium that I am adding to my rotation is the Brain Boost from Jigsaw. It's mag threonate, which means that it's the type of magnesium that crosses your blood-brain barrier to help with focus. And in studies, beyond focus, it also helps with deeper sleep, which then helps improve daytime alertness and reduce grouchiness.

[00:34:11] Christa Biegler, RD: So if you have not tried the Brain Boost mag threonate from Jigsaw, it might be helpful for getting back into the swing of things. That's what I'm gonna go ahead and try. And then finally, I am still drinking this very licious Electrolyte Supreme with a splash of sparkling mineral water on repeat. It's kind of like one of those sparkly energy drinks, but better for you because it's a combo of a multivitamin, vitamin B, minerals, and electrolytes without a vitamin flavor at all.

[00:34:43] Christa Biegler, RD: So in September, Jigsaw is giving Less Stress Life listeners a special increased discount of 15% off any order as many times as you want with the code LESSSTRESSED15. That's for the entire month of September. You can take 15% off with the code LESSSTRESSED15, and they're sending out a free stainless water bottle to anyone with a new electrolyte subscription.

[00:35:03] Christa Biegler, RD: So if you miss the 15% off code in September, no problem. You can always get 10% off any order anytime with LESSSTRESSED10 as the code. As always, thank you so much for supporting this podcast and using our codes at https://www.jigsawhealth.com/.

[00:35:21] Dr. Rey Hamidi: before we do that specifically, especially vitamin C and retinoids, which can be irritating to the skin, they can be drying, they can disrupt the skin barrier a bit if you don't do it right.

[00:35:32] Dr. Rey Hamidi: We don't wanna work those in until we have a well-hydrated, calm and resilient skin barrier. So that's where we wanna start with. So I see a lot of people in this stage of life obviously no fault of their own 'cause they just, they'd like... they wanna do all the things for their skin, jumping in headfirst into, like, all the actives and then- 

[00:35:51] Dr. Rey Hamidi: But their skin isn't ready for it. 

[00:35:52] Dr. Rey Hamidi: So before we work in those actives- And then what happens? 

[00:35:54] Christa Biegler, RD: What happens when you get, 

[00:35:55] Dr. Rey Hamidi: like- Then, so then they get sensitivity, like redness, irritation- ... dryness, peeling. Sometimes it's even painful, so our skin reacts and that- ... nobody wants that, right?

[00:36:05] Dr. Rey Hamidi: And that if you let it, go on long enough and don't address it, that can actually increase the signs of aging even more. So we don't want that. But if we prepare our skin first, make sure our skin is ready for incorporating those actives. So those are, like, the first two ma- two major steps in terms of taking care of your skin.

[00:36:23] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Your skin is well-hydrated, it is calm, meaning it's not sensitive and reacting to like everything you put on it. And it's comfortable and it's not like there are not dry patches, it's not peeling in certain areas, et cetera. Once we're there comfortably, then you can work in these actives in a strategic way.

[00:36:43] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Now exfoliating specifically. I'm not necessarily anti-exfoliating, but there's two parts to this that I think are skipped a lot when you see information online about exfoliating. First is the difference between chemical exfoliators and physical exfoliators, and that's what you were referring to in terms of the tears.

[00:36:59] Dr. Rey Hamidi: So physical exfoliants are products, it's typically a cleanser that has some sort of texture to it, beaded. Usually they're like micro beads, et cetera, and they like physically slough off those dead skin cells. So which sounds lovely, but in essence when you're doing that, very easy to also, again, cause those little micro tears in the skin.

[00:37:21] Dr. Rey Hamidi: So what do micro tears do? They let irritants in more easily. They let pathogens in more easily, like bacteria and viruses. I'm not for those. I'm much more a fan of chemical exfoliants when we wanna use them. Now, the second layer to this is retinoids also exfoliate the skin in a way.

[00:37:39] Dr. Rey Hamidi: It's not a traditional exfoliant in terms of like making your skin, your stratum corneum skin cells less sticky, so they slough off more easily. What retinoids do, they increase the rate of cell turnover in your epidermis, and so that, naturally that top layer is being shed more quickly. So anyone who's used a good retinoid for a period of time knows that their skin becomes smoother to the touch.

[00:38:03] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Like- ... it just feels softer, feels smoother. The light bounces off better when it's hydrated, so all the things that we look for with exfoliants, and that's because of that I'll call it quote unquote, "exfoliating effect" that it's having. So- Again, my approach here is to prioritize the retinoid.

[00:38:20] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Because retinoids don't just have that exfoliating effect, they have the additional effects of helping with hyperpigmentation, partly through that exfoliating effect reducing clogging of the pores and increasing collagen production. So they really are this all-around, I call it the GOAT of anti-aging at home, greatest of all time, are retinoids.

[00:38:39] Dr. Rey Hamidi: So before we work in any exfoliant, whether it's a chemical or not I want people to optimize their retinoid. Meaning make sure that they're using a retinoid that they can tolerate every day while keeping their skin still calm and happy, because retinoids do have this potential side effect of drying or irritating the skin if they're not worked in correctly.

[00:39:00] Dr. Rey Hamidi: And then getting to a more potent retinoid if you can, working it up to that, okay? And then once you're there, once you've optimized your retinoid and you've been there for a while, then if you feel like you still need additional exfoliating, like if you're still having a lot of clogged pores or dullness or something like that, which I would say most of the time is not the case, but if it is you, then working an exfoliant and a chemical one, not a physical one, so that's how I approach it. That's how I do it for my own skin, how I advise my patients and customers and clients to do it. 

[00:39:30] Christa Biegler, RD: But we have this little side thing happening in your life right now, where you're pregnant. And I believe kind of retinoids are contraindicated during pregnancy.

[00:39:38] Christa Biegler, RD: I know. Oh, God, don't tell me. So how are you- don't remind me. So how are you feel- how are you- feeling about breaking up with your retinoid at the moment? Or maybe you're not, or maybe there's- Maybe ... a level, I don't know. No. Yeah, actually, yeah. 

[00:39:49] Dr. Rey Hamidi: So 

[00:39:49] Christa Biegler, RD: the side ef- the side effect is that you can have birth defects if you're on- Yeah

[00:39:52] Christa Biegler, RD: vitamin A when pregnancy. And I think- Yeah ... that's relevant to always make sure we mention is the safety side of that as well. For sure.

[00:40:00] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Yeah ... 

[00:40:01] Christa Biegler, RD: yeah. So I'll leave it at that. 

[00:40:01] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Yeah, retinoids definitely when you are pregnant are a no-no, or even if people are trying to conceive. I tell my patients I wouldn't do it then, 'cause you never know when you're gonna become pregnant, right?

[00:40:10] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Any level of retinoid, even all the over-the-counters. So no, yeah, I had to give up my precious Tazorac which is my retinoid that I use, and I'm very sad about it, and I do see the difference in my skin a bit. Although, I will say this progesterone surge is really helping with my glow. That people say, "You're glowing" in pregnancy.

[00:40:29] Dr. Rey Hamidi: That's the progesterone happening. I have switched, though, because it's safe in pregnancy, to a low-dose glycolic acid. 

'

[00:40:36] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Cause that's the only thing I can do, right? So it's a glycolic acid topical that I put on at night. 

[00:40:42] Christa Biegler, RD: I think there's so many things that are happening rapidly in our industries right now, and one of them, I feel like there's always been a ton topicals, a ton of supplements, a ton of things.

[00:40:51] Christa Biegler, RD: But I feel like and it's probably just me, I am seeing more skincare that is targeting this age group a little bit. It comes at a pretty high cost typically, right? But you brought up, I hear you- ... talk about okay, we got our foundations, which is a lot, which we all wanna skip over foundations.

[00:41:06] Christa Biegler, RD: But when we skip foundations- Yeah ... the, the frosting we put on, the actives may not go as beautifully or as well as we want them to. Or if I'm gonna, I don't know if I'll get this right, maybe it'll go well for a while, and then it may not for, after a while. Is that possible?

[00:41:20] Christa Biegler, RD: That's what happens with the re- other parts of the body. 

[00:41:23] Dr. Rey Hamidi: I think specifically with skincare, if you're skipping the foundations, it can go wrong very quickly. 

[00:41:30] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Your skin can react pretty darn quickly when you're then put- like layering in these actives- 

[00:41:35] Dr. Rey Hamidi: And just kinda blindly doing so,

[00:41:37] Dr. Rey Hamidi: which is easy to do- But- ... because we see so much online- ... right? "Oh, that looks good. I'm gonna try that,"

[00:41:42] Christa Biegler, RD: yeah. I think, I hope the nice thing about this month of perimenopause stuff is like you have to gather information and kinda synthesize in order to make an ordered thing, because there are a lot of different changes happening, and in order to take action, it's nice to understand some of those changes. Otherwise, it's "I heard that this might be good. I heard that this might be good," and you're- 

[00:42:00] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Yeah ... 

[00:42:00] Christa Biegler, RD: kinda need to put it through the lens of what's gonna work for you, which sounds cliche and boring, but ultimately it may save you from a little bit of a ping pong or a whiplash effect.

[00:42:09] Christa Biegler, RD: So- For sure ... you got the foundations, and then you mentioned actives, including vitamin C, retinoids, peptides. And then I wonder what comes next. Is that where in-office treatments or other things like microneedling- ... to stimulate collagen, elastin, like what comes after those pieces if you were gonna- Yeah

[00:42:23] Christa Biegler, RD: go through this? What other options do people have? 

[00:42:27] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Yeah, so this I think is dependent on where you are and what your goals are, okay? 'Cause not everyone is the same in terms of- ... what they want. Everybody has- How much- ... different options to them ... 

[00:42:37] Christa Biegler, RD: how much they wanna spend and how often they wanna go to the office.

[00:42:40] Christa Biegler, RD: Is that what 

[00:42:41] Dr. Rey Hamidi: we mean? That also, yes. But also, like- For example, if you could have one person who they just find their skin is more dull in perimenopause and they want to help with that, skincare is really all you need for that. Okay? You don't need to go into the office and start doing lasers and peels for the most part.

[00:43:00] Dr. Rey Hamidi: We can handle that with skincare. Dull, lifeless, maybe a little bit of uneven skin tone. Typically, when we're looking at skincare, again, when done strategically in this stage of life, can get you skin that is smoother, more, like, radiant, glowy, right? And improvement in skin tone, more even skin tone.

[00:43:19] Dr. Rey Hamidi: So texture, tone, and radiance is what we are looking for there. Maybe a little bit of improvement in nice fine lines because of that collagen production that we can get with peptides and retinoids. Now the next step would be then if we are trying to reverse some things.

[00:43:31] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Okay, so can you do in-office treatments preventatively? Of course you can. Yes, you can. I'm a proponent of that as well. And it's the same things that we do to reverse signs of aging, but we just do them typically more conservatively, less often, things like that so yeah, then it just depends on what's going on with your skin and what your goals are.

[00:43:50] Dr. Rey Hamidi: For example, if you have sagging versus if you have still a little bit of texture irregularity or fine lines you're not gonna get the same treatment, right? So sagging, you're gonna go for more volume restoration and a kind of deeper collagen elastin production versus- ... like mild texture changes and fine lines, you might do something like a microneedling series, something like that.

[00:44:12] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Yeah, that's where it does depend on what we're looking for here.

[00:44:16] Christa Biegler, RD: Do you use laser treatments as well? Because I used to see someone... I feel like there is potentially a lot of modalities. I'm not saying I pay a ton of attention, so I'm not sure- Yeah

[00:44:25] Christa Biegler, RD: of all the things. It's we all know what Botox is, right? Yeah. There's the microneedling discussed, which is supposed to stimulate the collagen elastin, I believe. Lasers I hear the, the advertising- Yeah ... but I feel like people have different access to different things, 'cause I was seeing aestheticians- they're like, "Oh yeah, we have these lasers that help with rejuvenation of the skin." But I'm like, I don't know what the actual mechanism is happening. Although light therapy- Yeah ... is really cool. So I'm not sure if that's something you use in practice or not. 

[00:44:47] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Yes. And lasers is a very general term because there are different kinds of lasers- Sure

[00:44:52] Dr. Rey Hamidi: for different effects, right? So yes, I use lasers in practice, and I think they're great for the most part to doing what they're meant to do. But their purposes are different. So for example, you might have a vascular laser that helps to treat those broken blood vessels that you get- on your face from rosacea or just from like sun exposure- ... and aging. 

[00:45:12] Dr. Rey Hamidi: You can have a resurfacing laser and then there are different subtypes of that too. There's like the more superficial type, and then there are deeper ones. There's ablative and non-ablative. So depending on what our goals are, again, for example, like if we wanna clean up sun damage, I'm talking like dark spots, sunspots, all those things that we talked about previously, something like a Fraxel, which is a superficial, non-ablative laser is amazing for that.

[00:45:35] Dr. Rey Hamidi: , But it's not gonna do much for deep wrinkles, so if you wanna treat the deep wrinkles, then we're looking at an ablative laser- ... that's a little bit more intense a little bit more aggressive. 

[00:45:43] Dr. Rey Hamidi: So lasers are amazing technology and I like to take advantage of them, but they have different purposes, 

[00:45:50] Christa Biegler, RD: yeah. Was there anything I didn't ask or I left completely untouched that you think we should talk about when we're talking about aging skin? We talked a little bit about how the skin starts to change as we age, specific mechanisms that are changing. We talked a little bit skincare, some of the things that have to be in place.

[00:46:07] Christa Biegler, RD: And I always love to be, it's like we're all yeah about sleep, but it's nice to be reminded- Yeah ... of those oh, here's exactly why it sucks if you're not sleeping enough. Here's why you get- Yeah ... tired when you aren't sleeping enough- ... 'cause literally your body can't heal and repair properly- Yeah

[00:46:21] Christa Biegler, RD: if you cannot. And I think that's a good reminder always. Yeah ... and then you talked a little bit about next level, which were actives. There was a three, few there. And then we talked a little bit about other treatments, and I'm sure there's so many, Yeah ... for different things. It's oh, as you start to unpack, it's like what are the real contextual things that someone is actually working on, right?

[00:46:38] Christa Biegler, RD: There's so many pieces. Yeah. But is there anything that I did not cover or another step that you would consider? I just was like , that's how my brain was working, was like- Yeah ... foundations, actives treatments. But I don't know, maybe there's something else in between I totally missed. 

[00:46:52] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Yeah. No, I think it's...

[00:46:54] Dr. Rey Hamidi: I think we covered it pretty well. Yeah, like the external and the internal, and then the next level things. I think we did it, yeah. That's, it was pretty comprehensive. 

[00:47:03] Christa Biegler, RD: Yeah. 

[00:47:04] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Yeah.

[00:47:04] Christa Biegler, RD: How are you feeling in pregnancy now? 

[00:47:07] Dr. Rey Hamidi: I feel good. It's a little different being 46 and pregnant than being 41 and pregnant because you're just like, obviously you're older.

[00:47:14] Dr. Rey Hamidi: You have two kids. 

[00:47:15] Dr. Rey Hamidi: So it's just like the tiredness has been- 

[00:47:18] Christa Biegler, RD: Yeah ... 

[00:47:18] Dr. Rey Hamidi: next, next level. It's next level. 

[00:47:19] Christa Biegler, RD: Yeah. 

[00:47:19] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Yeah. And just feeling like worn out a little bit more. But honestly, I love pregnancy. Pregnancy's been amazing to me all three times. I knock on like very lucky that I don't get nauseous and I don't get morning sickness, so that's been great.

[00:47:33] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Same with this one. I just love being pregnant, the whole journey. And thankful for that progesterone. Thanks for the-

[00:47:37] Christa Biegler, RD: and 

[00:47:37] Dr. Rey Hamidi: thankful 

[00:47:37] Christa Biegler, RD: for that progesterone. 

[00:47:38] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Yeah. Take it whenever you can get it. Not thankful I can't use my Retinoid but other than that it's been amazing.

[00:47:42] Christa Biegler, RD: Yeah. 

[00:47:43] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Fun. 

[00:47:44] Christa Biegler, RD: Dr. Rey, where can people find you online? 

[00:47:47] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Probably Instagram is the best place. I post there regularly. I have if you go to my bio there you can click on the link and there's like free resources there and links to my program and everything is right there in Instagram, so that's probably a great place.

[00:48:02] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Maybe you'll put it in the show notes, but it's dr_rey_hamidi. 

[00:48:07] Christa Biegler, RD: Perfect. All right. Thank 

[00:48:08] Dr. Rey Hamidi: you. Thank you so much for coming 

[00:48:09] Christa Biegler, RD: on today. 

[00:48:10] Dr. Rey Hamidi: Thank you. Thanks for having me.