Does hormonal skin aging exist? A study of the influence of different hormone therapy regimens on the skin of postmenopausal women using non-invasive measurement techniques.

BACKGROUND AND DESIGN

The skin properties of 98 postmenopausal women with hormone replacement therapy (oestradiol gel or patches) or without hormone replacement therapy were studied using non-invasive techniques: skin thickness with skin echography, skin hydration with a dryness score and measurement of capacitance, skin surface lipids with a Sebumeter and microtopography with image analysis of cutaneous replicas.

RESULTS

In this open study we demonstrated an increase in skin thickness and sebum in the treated group in comparison to the untreated group (7-15% according to area for skin thickness, 35% for sebum). Hydration and microtopography were not different in the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Postmenopausal women who were receiving hormonal substitution have a greater thickness and casual level than untreated women. We therefore suggest that hormonal aging exists and that cutaneous atrophy can be prevented with hormone replacement therapy.