Iron is crucial for healthy functioning, but scientists first discovered nearly 40 years ago that in excess, it is implicated in a range of diseases (e.g., diabetes, Alzheimer’s, ALS, certain types of cancers, liver fibrosis, etc.), and the link between excess iron and skin degradation has been understood for more than 20 years. Iron can damage the body because it is a component of a chemical process called the “Fenton reaction” where iron and hydrogen peroxide can interact to create hydroxyl free radicals. Free radicals are naturally occurring, unstable extra electrons that seek out other extra electrons from healthy cells, damaging them and creating more free radicals in the process. Among the free radicals, hydroxyl free radicals have the most active chemical properties and cause the most harm. Excretion via the skin is one of two ways women can remove excess iron from the body. The only other way is menstruation. In postmenopausal women, the skin accumulates larger deposits of ferritin carrying excess unused iron. There, it can react with ultraviolet light and promote more creation of free radicals.