Your Nose and Your Hormones

Hippocrates him self noted that in menstruation or pregnancy the mucosa (lining) of the nose would be swelling and any nose bleeds would be worse during a period as well as during pregnancy. Your nose skin thus has special hormonal considerations as well! We now have a study from Brasil and the Otorhinolaryngology Department at Santa Casa de Sao Paulo that has looked into the nose, and the way it responds to hormones. We have estrogen receptors in the nose! And the type of receptors and their numbers vary during our cycle. In the nose we have more beta receptors than alpha receptors. And beta receptors do relate to local arterial pressures though vasodilatation or opening up of blood vessels. And the numbers of cells can vary if you are on birth control pills, and when you cross over into menopause these tissues can thin. So that you may have noticed that at the same time this affects break outs, the amount you flush, sweating, and how dry or moist your skin is. Right now we don't have tests that can determine how each individual can best use this information. At Hada Cosmetic Medicine we suggest you discuss changes you notice during your cycle with us so that we can help you adjust to these changes.