"It started out small, like little coarse black chin hairs popping up everywhere, as though I were one of the three little pigs. Now, it's an incredibly irritable itch down in the deep recesses of my ear. My ears have always been a little extra waxy, but the itching is new, and I honestly didn't think much of it until a recent episode of the podcast Good Hang."
"Kara McKeown, PT and certified menopause coach from Cape Concierge Physical Therapy, says that thanks to that pesky loss of estrogen, your entire body - including your ears - can be impacted when it comes to dryness. Because of this estrogen loss, she says we begin to lose collagen and our skin produces less natural oils. Inflammation in the body is also more likely, and we have a "more sensitive histamine response.""
"Because skin has estrogen receptors, this hormone also affects the physiology of our skin cells and overall skin health," says Dr. Nora Lansen, a Menopause Society-certified clinician and chief medical officer of Eleketra Health. "Estrogen's skincare notable mentions include providing skin elasticity and firmness, supporting wound healing, and helping skin maintain moisture. When levels begin to fluctuate and progressively decline in perimenopause, we lose some of those benefits."
Perimenopause leads to fluctuating and declining estrogen levels that affect the whole body, including skin and ears. Declining estrogen reduces collagen and natural oil production, leading to drier, less elastic skin and slower wound healing. Reduced moisture and increased systemic inflammation can heighten histamine responses and skin sensitivity, producing new or intensified itching. Heat sensitivity and hot flashes can stretch skin and trigger itchiness. New coarse facial hair can appear alongside these changes due to shifting hormone balances. Ear itchiness can result from these skin and hormonal changes but is not an absolute diagnostic sign of perimenopause.
Read at Scary Mommy
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