Episode 71: Dr. Keira Barr, The Skin Whisper

Dr. Keira Barr turns conventional methodologies on their heads so midlife women can feel comfortable in their bodies and the skin they are in.  Dr. Barr creates a bridge between hormones, skin, mind, and body to optimize a woman’s midlife experience!  Dr. Barr empowers women worldwide to take control of their health, and their hormones in menopause.  She is also the best-selling author of The Skin Whisper!  I’ve always known that our skin is our largest organ but Dr. Barr goes into more detail about how to honor ourselves and pay attention to our skin! 

Dr. Barr’s experience with her skin goes back to her childhood where she had a painful experience being bullied for birthmarks on her face.  Her skin became a source of pain, shame, and embarrassment.  She then tried to conceal these birthmarks by spending too much time in the sun and as a result, suffered a consequence later in life which was her wake-up call.  I’m sure we’ve all been there as teens. I recall being on the beach in California putting baby oil on my skin to “get tan” only to have a severe sunburn. I think a lot of us ladies, unfortunately, had our share of burnt stories.  

After this event, Dr. Barr realized that everything she thought she was doing right for herself, she was doing wrong and she was stressing her body physically and emotionally.  The stress pushed all her hormones out of whack to create imbalances in the body.  Experiencing migraines, anxiety, and bloating the doctors were not connecting the dots. 

Thankfully Dr. Barr was able to navigate a new path and found functional and integrative medicine to heal herself.  She admits that she is still on the journey as she is always learning new things.  Her mess became her mission!  She was wanting to help women see their skin differently and as a source of information. She wants to empower women to take control of their health in midlife! 

During Covid, Dr. Barr started a new practice that is 100% virtual.  Dr. Barr works with women to create a strong foundation of health and then looks at hormone replacement therapy.  To create a strong foundation she does a deep dive into looking at how we move, the food we eat, nutrition, and sleep! She helps women peel back the layers on what is holding us back, keeping us stuck and feeling unwell.  Dr. Barr works 1:1 but also supports women in the community so that we can learn from others how to transform our traumas into triumphs!  Which is so beautiful.  Knowing that you are not alone and that you can hold space for one another to learn from one another is powerful.  

Dr. Barr has found that for women sleep and stress usually take a back seat.  We tend to think “I’ll get to it later”. So often we have that one more thing we need to get done in the evening or we stay up way too late in the evening? Sound familiar? Guilty!  Generally, we push through until we hit a breaking point.  She goes on to share that normally we don’t realize how much things are impacting us until our body shows us a sign.  Our body and skin both give us signals. 

The goal of The Skin Whisper is to communicate that our body is sending our skin messages. It’s best to hear those messages when they are whispering rather than a shout! Unfortunately, most of us don’t get that message until it is a SHOUT! We dive into how our skin shows us messages especially in midlife! Dr. Barr shares with us some of the ways that we might see these changes in our bodies.  I can tell you that I have started to notice them heading into my 60th birthday month!  

We also discuss estrogen and how it plays a significant role in creating collagen in our skin.  Progesterone plays a role in skin elasticity too.  As these hormones decrease, you may notice more fine lines, skin sagging, and dark spots on your skin. So cortisol does break down the collagen and elastin in your skin which accelerates aging and inhibits healing. 

Your skin is a wonderful information center that you may need to give yourself a little more tender loving care.   Take some time to look under the hood and see what it might need.  

The discussion continues to follow the path of bioidentical hormones.  Dr. Barr shares some insight into an old study, its data, and findings.  Then say that recent studies recanted their findings that there was not an increased risk. This information was very helpful to hear and may bring some clarity to past misinformation.  In looking at bioidentical hormones, it is looking at protection our brain health, cardiovascular health, bone health, vaginal health, and musculoskeletal health.  

Dr. Barr shares that “we are a constant work in progress and we need to celebrate every single win along with the way because those small wins add up to huge triumphs”  

During our conversation, Dr. Barr shares what is included in her book The Skin Whisper so it leaves you with some nuggets to look into further when reading the book.  Your skin is a reflection of your overall health and well-being. Not just on the surface but beneath.  

Your skin can be your greatest cheerleader and confidant!