07: Sunscreen, Skin Aging, and Vitamin D — What Midlife Women Really Need to Know

In this episode of Midlife and Glowing, we’re clearing up the confusion around sunscreen, skin aging, and vitamin D. Alicia and Nicole break down the science behind how perimenopause affects your skin’s structure, what kinds of sunscreen are safest (and which ingredients to avoid), and how to protect your glow without impacting your body’s ability to make vitamin D.

☀️ Whether you’re team mineral or team chemical (or not sure what either means), this one’s for you. It’s real talk that cuts through the noise and gives you actionable ways to care for your midlife skin—inside and out.

00:00 Welcome to Midlife and Glowing
00:34 Understanding Skin Changes in Midlife
00:59 The Impact of Hormones on Skin Health
03:52 Personal Skincare Journeys
06:10 The Importance of Sun Care
10:34 Choosing Safe Sunscreens
13:06 Balancing Sun Exposure and Skin Health
25:43 Conclusion and Resources

📌 Resources Mentioned:
Mineral sunscreen brands we love: Check out our favorites here https://liketk.it/5hbf6
EWG's Sunscreen Guide: https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/
Organic Bunny's SPF shop: https://www.theorganicbunny.com/product-category/spf/

Transcript

0:00

Welcome to Midlife and Glowing, where we're all about glowing through midlife with more energy, confidence, and joy. We're sisters, Alicia and Nicole, wellness lovers, beauty enthusiasts, and your new midlife Hype squad. Here we talk about the real stuff, wellness, rituals, hormone health, self-care, beauty style, and everything that helps you feel like yourself again, because midlife doesn't have to be a downward spiral. It could be your best era yet, let's glow through it together.

Alicia : 0:28

Hey there. Welcome back to Midlife and Glowing. I'm Alicia, your go-to for all things beauty and style. And today we're talking about why your skin changes in midlife and how to protect yourself from the sun.

Nicole: 0:39

And I'm Nicole, and as a wellness practitioner, I'm gonna help break down what's really going on under the surface when it comes to perimenopause and your skin. So let's just get right into it. Why does your skin start changing in midlife? Well, that's a really great place to start because it does catch so many women off guard. So, when we think about our hormones and what is happening in perimenopause, estrogen stimulates cells in your skin called fibroblasts to produce collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid. Estrogen inhibits enzymes that break down collagen. So basically it stimulates collagen production. And it prevents the breakdown of collagen. So estrogen plays a really important role actually in the structure and function and health of your skin. And all of that helps to maintain its thickness, its firmness and hydration. So it also enhances wound healing and barrier function. It also boosts blood flow to the skin, which improves nutrient delivery, and it gives you that glow. And as we know in perimenopause, estrogen levels start declining, which means that your skin doesn't retain moisture elasticity, or thickness the way that it used to. You might notice more dryness, dullness, more fine lines. It's just generally thinner, and you might even notice increased sensitivity. With less estrogen influencing skin thickness, hydration and firmness in perimenopause, you start to notice the effects of the damage that you did to your skin in your younger years, not washing your face at night. Tanning beds, skipping the sunscreen, unhealthy eating habits, partying, not hydrating well. Partying?

Alicia : 2:30

No, no, not so much. The partying, more of the, not washing my face at night.

Nicole: 2:37

Yeah,

Alicia : 2:38

Tanning bed, skipping sunscreen, unhealthy eating habits at times.

Nicole: 2:43

Lack of sleep, excess stress, all of these things, like there are so many things that can impact your skin's health, really by your late thirties, that's when you're starting to notice the effects of this. Also, generally speaking, perimenopause is associated with higher inflammation levels, which can have an impact on your skin. You might be more sensitive, notice more redness, and then slower wound healing, so those are things to keep in mind if you're starting to notice those effects, It's typical given what's happening to our hormones during this time of our lives, and then some people are just lucky. Some people have good genetics and they don't really have to do much, and they have great skin. My mother-in-law is one of those. I was noticing her skin the other day knowing we were gonna do this episode. I was just paying attention to things and I noticed that her skin is amazing. She's in her seventies. And I know that she doesn't really do a whole lot to, you know, she doesn't baby her skin or anything like that. She takes care of it, but she's not, you know, going above and beyond. And her skin is just fantastic. So some people are just blessed with good genetics.

Alicia : 3:52

Yeah. Growing up we weren't really exposed to skincare. It wasn't anything that I noticed my mom doing a lot or anything that we had talked about. But for me, I have very sensitive skin, so anytime I'd try anything I would have bad reactions or get rashes or deal with, you know, dry spots and You know, I didn't know how to best take care of my skin. And definitely sunscreen was optional for me, and tanning beds were a must in my younger years. Uh, not proud to admit that, but definitely, hit the tanning bed a few times, uh, in my youth. So there was definitely some damage done. But when you know better, you can do better. And now I know better.

Nicole: 4:39

Totally. Yep.

Alicia : 4:40

You know, another thing I've noticed is that I've heard several women say that all of a sudden they're starting to break out again in midlife. You know, I wasn't one that typically broke out. I, I had more sensitive dry skin, so I, I didn't have that acne prone skin, but, I know that for women that you know, if they've gotten beyond and cleared up their acne prone skin now in midlife, and they're starting to get acne again, or breaking out again. I can imagine that that is very frustrating.

Nicole: 5:10

Oh my gosh. Yeah, totally. I actually remember mom saying something about that, like, why am I getting acne again all of a sudden, this is so weird. You know, you, you kind

Alicia : 5:19

right. expect

Nicole: 5:20

that once you've gotten beyond that point

Alicia : 5:23

Mm-hmm.

Nicole: 5:24

younger, that you were done with it. Right, but hormone fluctuations. Can trigger unexpected skin conditions, and we've talked before about how specifically estrogen can fluctuate in perimenopause even more than during puberty. So this means that we can start seeing weird changes in our skin that we haven't had for a really long time. And while some of this might sound a little deflating or disempowering, there are definitely ways that we can support healthier, more youthful looking skin during perimenopause. And no, we don't mean Botox. At some point, we're gonna devote a whole episode to skincare routines for aging skin, natural therapies that can be helpful, and even nutrition and supplements that can be effective. So we'll definitely go there. But today we wanna just center our conversation more around sun care because that is a really critical step in supporting the health of your skin, and it's summertime. So it's a perfect time to cover this topic.

Alicia : 6:23

And another thing to think about when it comes to the changes that your skin is going through, is having a good skincare routine.

Nicole: 6:31

Yeah, I mean, I think some people might think that sounds basic if you're used to taking care of your skin, but you'd be surprised at how many women don't actually have a skincare regimen that they follow. Now, we each have slightly different approaches to our skincare. Like I'm more, the less is more and you're more, more is more. But you know, as we've gotten older, I've noticed you're super regimented in your routine and I just, I'd love to know when that started and what prompted that.

Alicia : 7:04

Well, as you know, I've always been a huge makeup lover and I have sensitive skin and dry skin, so I had to be careful with what products that I used. And I actually didn't use a lot because I didn't know what was going to irritate my skin and I didn't wanna have to deal with the bad reactions that I would get when I used a certain ingredient that I, my skin apparently just cannot handle. So it's not been until more recent years that I've really gotten into prioritizing my skincare and figuring out which products are going to actually work and help me. And another thing that factors in is that I love to wear makeup. And when you don't have a good base or foundation to lay your makeup on. Your makeup doesn't always turn out how you hoped it would. You know, like I said, I have dry skin, so you know, if you have the dry patches and you're just putting your makeup on over the dry patches without having proper skincare, it's really gonna accentuate those dry patches or imperfections because you're not properly laying down the good base. So it became really important for me to work on my regimen so my makeup would turn out how I'd hoped it would. And now as I'm aging, my interest is more in supporting youthful, glowing skin. So my regimen has started to include active ingredients, that focus along with helping out with my dry skin and, you know, making sure that I'm using sensitive products. I've also been on a low-tox Quest, so that's been another challenge in finding those skincare products that perform but aren't toxic and also don't cost an arm and a leg.

Nicole: 8:45

Right. Yeah. So essentially your skincare routine is developed out of a need to support your dry sensitive skin, then creating a great base for your makeup, which you love to do, and then also layering in trying to reduce toxins and really keep the focus on youthful, glowing skin.

Alicia : 9:04

Right, exactly. And also my skincare routine is my self-care. It's my way to wind down at night and show my skin some love because it's not something I always used to prioritize. So maybe I'm making up for the lost time of what, I wasn't washing my makeup off at night or using, the makeup wipes or, you know, I wasn't always caring for my skin. So now I'm, I'm just trying to, uh, make up for lost time.

Nicole: 9:30

when you know better, you do better. So there you go. And I love that. I can definitely see where that's a point of self-care for you. My own routine is definitely more basic, uh, and the things that drive my choices are definitely as natural, simple, and non-toxic as possible. And personally, I don't actually, I don't love spending a lot of time on it unless I'm making like a DIY mask or a natural skin cream or something like that, and making it a ritual type of thing. But otherwise, my daily skincare is pretty simple and relatively quick. But I think you know, ultimately whether you have a really in-depth, multi-step regimen that's an integral part of your self-care, or you have a super simple paired down regimen, just having a routine is the key. Taking care of your skin in some way, whether it's complex or basic, is crucial for your best skin health in this time of life.

Alicia : 10:21

Right, because your skin does change. So you may need to update your skincare routine along with that. But keeping a consistent regimen is really the most important thing.

Nicole: 10:33

Yeah, for sure. And Sun Care should definitely be part of it.

Alicia : 10:36

Yeah. Sunscreens I know are so important, but it seems like there's so much conflicting information about it. You know, like, use this kind. Don't use this kind. You know? Why is it such a hot topic?

Nicole: 10:49

Well, I think there's a few layers to the answer here, and one is the toxicity associated with a lot of commercial products. And then another is sort of the fear factor that we've built up around sun exposure. So let's

Alicia : 11:02

Yeah.

Nicole: 11:03

first.

Alicia : 11:03

You know, it's funny, I just got an email yesterday from Ulta, and, you know, it was like a sale on sunscreens or something, and it was titled, Sunxiety. So it's definitely something that a lot of us are programmed to fear or have anxiety about.

Nicole: 11:22

Yeah, totally. There's definitely a fear factor that is put out there and it certainly is important to protect your skin. Definitely, especially now that we know better and know how vital it can be to protect our skin from oxidative damage from the sun. we've really taken the fear of sun exposure to a new level and it's portrayed that any sun exposure is, you know, gonna give you skin cancer and you have to be covered up and screened up at all times. But I think we need to take a step back and take a more balanced and common sense approach to our sun care. Being safe and smart, but not fearful. The sun actually provides really wonderful things to both our physical and our mental health

Alicia : 12:08

Yeah, I think about when I go on vacation and being out in the sun, it is such a rejuvenation and like it puts my soul at peace. Like something about being out in the sun, just completely calms my nervous system and is like a total reset.

Nicole: 12:30

Yeah, absolutely. Think about how many people get seasonal affective disorder in the winter too, and that's from a lack of sun exposure, right?

Alicia : 12:38

Yeah. Winter blues are no joke. One winter when I was really like in the thick of, it's been 800 years since I've seen the sun, uh, I found myself Googling what is the sunniest place and it was Yuma, Arizona. So I really considered there for a minute that I needed to, uh, move out of the Midwest into someplace where the sun shines the most.'cause that really does wonders for you.

Nicole: 13:05

Oh, absolutely. So the vitamin D that we get from sun exposure does play a huge role in so many different aspects of our health. Obviously mental health from the standpoint of we notice it when we don't get it in the winter, right? But also from inflammation to immunity and even gut health. Vitamin D is so important, and when we cover our skin and use sunscreen, We're actually reducing our ability To produce vitamin D. I don't think people realize that so the fear of the sun exposure really is impacting our ability to naturally produce a really essential nutrient. That we need for great health, but over exposure really is the key here. A little bit of sun, say 10 to 30 minutes a day is a great way to support your vitamin D levels. But then making sure to sunscreen up or cover up or seek shade beyond that point is just a great way to prevent the damaging effects of too much sun exposure. And then the other reason that sunscreen, I think is such a hot topic is that there's a lot of toxic products out there. There are products that are formulated with chemical ingredients that are known endocrine disruptors, which means they disrupt your hormones, so estrogen, progesterone. Thyroid hormones, even testosterone. And in perimenopause we have enough hormone regulation issues to deal with. So we don't need to be adding fuel to the fire, so to speak, by applying hormone disrupting chemicals to our bodies. A few chemicals to watch out for that can disrupt hormones include oxybenzone, octinoxate, homosalate, octocrylene and avobenzone. Fragrances are another endocrine disruptor to look out for on ingredient lists, and I actually just noticed the other day that a sunscreen that I thought was a good natural healthy option has fragrance in it. So, which is totally annoying and I'm usually pretty good about reading labels, but for some reason that one escaped my scrutiny before I bought it. So really, we have to be really diligent with label reading and making sure that these endocrine disrupting chemicals aren't in the products that we are slathering all over our skin because again, perimenopause, we have, you know, we're, we're doing our best to just keep things in as much balance as we can. We don't need to be putting those endocrine disrupting chemicals on us. So that's one aspect of the toxic chemicals associated with sunscreens. Another issue is that there've actually been some products, mostly aerosolized sunscreens, that have been found to be contaminated with benzene, which is a potent carcinogen, meaning it's a cancer causing chemical that we absolutely do not want to be inhaling or applying to our skin. In 2021 through 2023, there were a bunch of sunscreen recalls actually, because of this contamination.

Alicia : 16:04

You know, I think it's just such a shame that we need to have this long list of ingredients to watch out for. Like it just is so frustrating that we can't purchase a sunscreen from the store and not be worried that it's gonna cause cancer or other harmful diseases or hormone disruptions. It's just really frustrating

Nicole: 16:31

I know what you're saying. And it is, it's so annoying. Like I said earlier, I don't, again, I don't know how I missed the fragrance on the ingredient list because I, I like really usually look at ingredient lists

Alicia : 16:42

right.

Nicole: 16:43

with, you know, a little microscope

Alicia : 16:44

Right.

Nicole: 16:45

And I find it so damn annoying every time I look at an ingredient list and I see something on there that just doesn't need to be there, it's like it, it's really frustrating that you're right like that. We can't go to a store, pick up a product off of the shelf and trust that it's safe. It's really actually

Alicia : 17:07

Right.

Nicole: 17:07

kind of ridiculous that

Alicia : 17:08

Mm-hmm.

Nicole: 17:09

have to do so much research ahead of time to make sure that what we're putting on ourselves, is safe And healthy. So actually I was looking at the EWG's website. EWG stands for Environmental Working Group and every year they come out with a safe sunscreens guide. And I was just, you know, reading their guide the other day, taking a look at it and, they kind of go into a little bit of the history of, you know, why they even have to do this, why they even have to come out with a safe sunscreen guide. And you guys, they evaluate over 2200 products, only 498. So less than 500 of those products meet their criteria for being safe and effective.

Alicia : 17:51

That's that. It's crazy.

Nicole: 17:54

absolutely ridiculous. But they go into talking about how the FDA hasn't updated guidelines since 1999, like majorly updated guidelines since 1999. They do go on to say that some of that is because the manufacturers of the sunscreens aren't complying and providing the appropriate safety data. So a lot of it, it falls that blame falls on the companies not really complying and, and sharing, being transparent about what is in their products, which, again,super frustrating,

Alicia : 18:32

Mm-hmm.

Nicole: 18:33

What we can do is, you know, sort of take control and send a message by choosing only the products that are

Alicia : 18:41

Mm.

Nicole: 18:41

safe. And I'm so grateful that EWG has this guide and we have resources that can help us figure out which sunscreens are the safest. Because otherwise it would, you know, it would be really probably a bit of a daunting task to figure out. What those great options are.

Alicia : 19:00

Right. I mean, not to mention the ingredients are things that I could never even dream of pronouncing.

Nicole: 19:08

Right.

Alicia : 19:09

A try and I'll call you up, Hey, is this clean? Is this safe? And I try that. You're like, okay, what are the ingredients? I try to pronounce'em. It's probably comical to you because you're like, oh, da da da da, and you know exactly how to say it. But come on, make things easier to pronounce, please.

Nicole: 19:26

Right. Let's keep it a little more simple.

Alicia : 19:29

Right? Yes. So how do we know what sunscreens are safe?

Nicole: 19:35

So really a few things to keep in mind are that, so I mentioned earlier that aerosolized sunscreens were shown to be contaminated with benzene. There's other issues with aerosolized sunscreens too, in terms of like uneven application so you might be at risk for burn if you aren't applying, uh, evenly and breathing in the chemicals that are in them aren't great. But the other factor is that most of those aerosolized spray sunscreens use those hormone disrupting chemicals as the sunscreen active ingredient. So it might be blocking the sun, but you're also getting some endocrine disruption with it. So generally speaking, I think aerosolized sunscreens are probably best to avoid. As annoying as that is, I know it feels like they're like easier to apply and everything, but they have a number of issues associated with them that I think that's maybe not the best option for us. The active ingredient that's really best or safest is non nano zinc oxide. So your mineral sunscreen options are ideal. EWG does also say in their guide that titanium dioxide is another option that is a safe choice. So that's potentially an option. My only hesitation with that one is that as I was doing some research, I saw that there's some international organization that has it listed as a potentially carcinogenic substance. The caveat there is that that's only if it's inhaled in high quantities. So if you're using a spray with titanium dioxide and you are inhaling it, that could be potentially carcinogenic. So if you're using a lotion based sunscreen that has titanium dioxide as the active ingredient, that should be safe. It's just not meant to be inhaled. So the two resources that I really like for figuring out which sunscreens are the safest options are the EWG sunscreen guide that I mentioned. Every year they come out with a safe sunscreen guide and. we'll make sure to link to their guide below as a resource for finding safe non-toxic options. The other resource that we'll share in this show notes is Organic Bunny's website. She's really great. She also is really diligent about recommending products that are non-toxic. She has some pretty rigorous standards for the products that she lists on her site. So we'll make sure to share a link to the SPF products that meet her standards as well.

Alicia : 22:10

And wearing your sunscreen isn't just for summertime or when you're going to be directly in the sun. It's a good practice to wear it every day actually.

Nicole: 22:17

Yeah, absolutely. Your skin is more vulnerable in midlife, not just to sunburn, but to hyperpigmentation, sunspots, loss of elasticity. So daily. SPF is a non-negotiable,

Alicia : 22:32

Right. And don't forget your hands and neck and chest as well. And obviously the face. Those areas show age the fastest and get the most sun exposure.

Nicole: 22:44

Yeah, we do need some sun exposure without sunscreen. But if there are parts of your body that you should always have sunscreen on, it's definitely the face, the neck, the hands, because they're always exposed, right? I mean, they're always out there, so they're gonna be the most vulnerable to overexposure. So keeping those areas screened up is a good idea. And then this is where common sense comes in, around 10 to 30 minutes of direct sun exposure without sunscreen on areas like your torso, your arms, your legs. That can be a helpful way to get that natural Vitamin D production while still protecting the parts of your body that are always exposed. And then of course after that 10 to 30 minutes of sun exposure without sunscreen, that's when you wanna start applying the sunscreen. You know, put a sun shirt on, or getting into the shade.

Alicia : 23:36

Right, exactly. I like to think of it like this intentional sun, not incidental. Step outside and get your vitamin D then put on your sunscreen and go on with your day. I'm one that. I love a good tan. You know, like I, I feel better when I have a little bit of tan going on my skin. I feel like I look better, you know, all the things, like, it just gives me a little bit of a, a confidence boost when I have a little, color on my skin. but I don't wanna speed up the signs of aging.

Nicole: 24:09

Right.

Alicia : 24:09

the wrinkles and the sunspots and you know, all the things. So, you know, I, I like to get the intentional sun, but then load up on the SPF and do a little non-tox self tanner, I love self tanners and I know those can have a ton of, of toxins and things like that. So make sure you find yourself a good clean self tanner and we can link some too because if you're anything like me and you, you feel better when you have little color

Nicole: 24:40

I do too. I feel like I'm just a little bit, less, maybe, I don't know if lazy is the word to use, but I just don't like taking the, I like having a little golden glow on my skin, but I don't like taking the time to do it. and in the past I haven't found, i, I don't like to put things on my skin that might be filled with chemicals. Right. But there are, products out there that actually do, fit the bill in terms of my personal standards for, you know, not being toxic. We'll link to the ones that we've used, and then also Organic Bunny has some on her site too, so we'll make sure to link to some of those products. So if you're like us and you like that little golden glow and you want a little something extra, but you don't wanna expose your skin to potentially speeding up the aging process, we'll make sure you have some options on hand.

Alicia : 25:33

Right. And don't worry, we'll link some of our favorite mineral sunscreens, ones that don't leave you looking like a ghost with that white cast.

Nicole: 25:41

yeah, for sure. So. If your skin's been feeling dry, dull, or different lately, you're not alone. It's hormonal and there are ways to support it. A good start is by using safe sunscreen.

Alicia : 25:54

You should be supporting your skin in the same way that you support your hormones with nourishment intention and consistency. I mean, I think in with everything, consistency is key.

Nicole: 26:05

Definitely absolutely with pretty much every aspect of your health. Right

Alicia : 26:09

Mm-hmm. In the show

Nicole: 26:09

notes, we'll link to our favorite midlife safe sunscreens in our LTK store, as well as the resources that we talked about in this episode to keep your skin sun safe.

26:20

Thanks for hanging out with us on Midlife and Glowing. If you love this episode, it would mean the world to us. If you'd follow the show, leave us a review or share it with a friend who's glowing through midlife right alongside you. Let's make it our best era yet. We'll see you next time.