Posted by Laura Porter
on October 05, 2026
By Laura Porter | Professional Skin Therapist | 6 minute read | Updated October 2026
How many times have you looked at your skin and thought, what on earth is going on? One week your skin is glowing, your products are working, your makeup is sitting perfectly and everything just feels great. Then the next week you look in the mirror and think, what happened to me while I was sleeping?
I’ll be honest, there is definitely at least one week of the month where I feel like I look more bedraggled than the rest. My skin can look duller, I can feel more tired in my face and I just don’t quite look like myself. Please tell me it’s not just me.
Suddenly, we might be breaking out, the skin is more oily in places we’ve never really been oily before, or it feels dry and sensitive. Naturally, our first thought is that something in our skincare routine has stopped working.
One of the things I hear all the time in the clinic is, “It must be the change in weather.”
And to be fair, living in Scotland gives us plenty of reason to blame the weather. Cold temperatures, wind, lower humidity and central heating can absolutely affect the skin barrier and make the skin feel drier or more sensitive. But after almost 20 years of working with skin, I really think we need to talk more about what is happening inside the body too.
Your skin does not work independently from the rest of you. It responds to your hormones, stress levels, sleep, nutrition, age, medication and lifestyle. Sometimes we become so focused on what we are putting on the skin that we forget to ask what is happening everywhere else.
Hormones and Your Skin
Hormones are a huge part of that conversation, especially for women. Oestrogen, progesterone, testosterone and cortisol can all influence the way the skin behaves. They can affect oil production, hydration, inflammation and collagen, so it makes complete sense that our skin can look and feel different at different stages of our lives, and even at different points in the same month.
I don’t think we talk enough about how much a woman’s skin can change throughout her menstrual cycle. You can have a week where your skin feels calm, balanced and glowing, then a week later that familiar breakout appears around the chin or jaw and suddenly you’re questioning every product you own.
As hormone levels shift throughout the month, some women notice changes in oil production, sensitivity, hydration and breakouts. During the first half of the cycle and approaching ovulation, rising oestrogen may be one of the reasons some women feel their skin looks particularly good. Then, as we move towards our period, that hormonal picture changes again. For some women, this is when congestion, oiliness or breakouts start to appear.
This is why I always think it is so important to get to know your own skin rather than constantly chasing someone else’s routine. Start paying attention to patterns. When is your skin at its best? When does it become oily? When does it feel dry? When do you normally break out? You might start noticing that the changes are not as random as you thought.
Skin Changes Through Different Life Stages
The menstrual cycle is only one part of the picture. Pregnancy is another enormous hormonal shift. Some women get that famous pregnancy glow, while others experience acne, pigmentation, dryness or increased sensitivity. Then, after pregnancy, the body goes through another huge adjustment.
I hear women say all the time that their skin has never been the same since having a baby, and I think that is something we should actually listen to rather than immediately trying to sell them stronger products. Hormones are changing, sleep is probably very different, stress levels can change, routines change and nutrition can change too. There can be so much happening at the same time.
Later, during perimenopause and menopause, women can suddenly find themselves with skin they simply do not recognise. Someone who has always had balanced skin might suddenly start breaking out. Someone who was always oily might become dry. The skin can feel thinner, less firm or less able to hold on to moisture.
As oestrogen begins to decline, it can affect collagen, elasticity, hydration and skin thickness. But this is the bit I really want women to understand: your skin has not suddenly become bad skin.
It has changed.
And I think that distinction is really important.
The beauty industry has spent years making women feel like every change in the skin needs to be fought. Fine lines need to be fought. Dryness needs to be fought. Ageing needs to be fought.
I don’t think we need to fight our skin. I think we need to understand it.
The skin you had at 25 is not necessarily going to need the same support at 42 or 52, and that is completely normal. Once we understand that, we can stop panicking every time something changes and start making better decisions about what our skin actually needs.
Hormones and Men’s Skin
And men, I’m not leaving you out either.
Men’s skin is also influenced by hormones. Testosterone and other androgens can influence oil production, hair growth and the overall characteristics of the skin. Men can experience oily skin, blocked pores, breakouts and irritation too, especially when shaving is added into the mix.
Hormonal changes in men tend to be more gradual than the reproductive hormonal changes women experience, but men’s skin still changes with age, stress, sleep, diet and lifestyle. This is why I have never really believed skincare should simply be divided into “men’s skincare” and “women’s skincare”. We should be looking at the skin in front of us.
The Impact of Stress and Sleep
Stress is another huge part of this conversation and one that applies to everyone.
Cortisol is one of the hormones involved in our stress response, and when we are going through prolonged periods of stress, it can have an impact on the skin. Think about those times when life is completely manic. You’re not sleeping properly, you’re grabbing food when you can, you’re drinking less water, your routine is all over the place and suddenly your skin kicks off.
We are so quick to blame the cleanser we started using three weeks ago, but sometimes we need to look at the bigger picture.
What is happening in your life?
What is happening with your sleep?
What is happening with your hormones?
What are you eating?
How stressed are you?
Your skin is part of your body, so it makes sense that what is happening elsewhere can sometimes show up there too.
Nutrition, Hydration and Gut Health
The same goes for nutrition and gut health. This is something I find fascinating, but it is also an area where I think we need to be sensible because social media can make it sound like every spot means there is something wrong with your gut.
It doesn’t.
Not every breakout needs a detox, a supplement or some miracle drink.
Skin is far more complicated than that.
However, there is growing interest in what is called the gut-skin axis and the relationship between the gut microbiome, inflammation and skin health. We also know that overall diet can play a role in how the skin functions, and research has suggested that high-glycaemic diets may contribute to acne in some people.
For me, it always comes back to looking at the whole person. Are you getting enough protein, fibre, healthy fats, fruit and vegetables? Are you sleeping? Are you stressed? Are you drinking enough? What is happening hormonally? And then, of course, what are you actually putting on your skin?
All of these things matter.
How the Weather Affects Your Skin
So can we still blame the weather? A little bit.
Seasonal changes absolutely can affect the skin. When temperatures drop and we spend more time indoors with central heating, the skin can become drier and more irritated, and the skin barrier can be affected. Wind and lower humidity can also contribute to moisture loss and sensitivity.
But I don’t want us blaming the weather every single time our skin changes. It may be one factor, but it is rarely the whole story.
What to Do When Your Skin Suddenly Changes
Before you throw out your entire skincare routine and start again, think about what else has changed.
Has your cycle changed? Are you approaching perimenopause? Are you under more stress? Are you sleeping badly? Has your diet changed? Have you started a new medication? Have you introduced several new products at once? Have you suddenly started exfoliating far more than you normally would?
Sometimes the answer is not sitting inside another bottle.
If there is one thing almost 20 years of working with skin has taught me, it is that we need to get better at listening to it.
Our job is not to punish the skin every time it breaks out. It is not to strip away every bit of oil and it is not to attack it with the strongest ingredient we can find.
It is to understand why it might be behaving differently and support it accordingly.
Skincare absolutely matters, and the right products can make a huge difference to the health and appearance of the skin. But skincare is still only one part of a much bigger picture.
Listen to What Your Skin Is Telling You
So the next time you wake up, look in the mirror and wonder what on earth happened to your face overnight, don’t automatically blame the Scottish weather.
Your skin isn’t just responding to what is happening outside.
It is responding to you.
Love, Laura x
