One of the reasons why facial skin wrinkles happen is that our natural hormone production declines with age. As women enter menopause, their estrogen production decreases dramatically resulting in deficits that manifest as sagging facial tissues and a reduction in skin elasticity. Estrogen has a profound impact on our skin’s physiology, through its cell growth-promoting mechanisms. Estrogen generates skin collagen and helps to maintain skin thickness. Without estrogen, skin tends to become thin and easily fold and creases.

Estrogen Promotes Youthful Skin

In a 2006 scientific study, estrogen was found to increase hyaluronic acid. A chemical made and used in the body to lubricate joints and tissues. It is also used in cosmetic creams as a firming agent to hydrate and plump up the skin.

In a large-scale study done in 2007, a group of women who were given estradiol 0.01% cream to apply topically, show a remarkable improvement in collagen levels and in the thickness of skin after just 4 months. The study showed that topical estrogen rapidly produced anti-aging skin effects in women. Because blood circulation decreases with age thereby decreasing hormone circulation throughout the body, applying estrogen topically helps to increase systemic levels of estrogen for the purposes of hormone replacement and anti-aging therapy.

 

New Thoughts About Hormone Based Anti-aging Creams

Estrogen is not the only hormone with anti-aging properties. The hormone progesterone also promotes a healthy more youthful skin. A study of topically applied progesterone 2% cream found that progesterone can significantly decrease the number and depth of wrinkles as well as increase skin firmness and elasticity.

At Towne Lake Family Pharmacy, our compounding pharmacists use special bases to compound estrogen and progesterone into anti-aging creams that can be applied on the face for a more youthful skin appearance.

Call Towne Lake Family Pharmacy with any questions you may have. 770-635-7697

 

References:

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3. Patriarca MT, Goldman KZ, Dos Santos JM, et al. Effects of topical estradiol on the facial skin collagen of postmenopausal women under oral hormone therapy: a pilot study. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2007 Feb;130 (2):202-5.

4. Thornton MJ. The biological actions of estrogens on skin. Exp Dermatol. 2002 Dec;11(6):487-502.

5. Brincat M, Moniz CF, Studd JW, Darby AJ, Magos A, Cooper D. Sex hormones and skin collagen content in postmenopausal women. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1983 Nov 5; 287(6402): 1337-8.

6. Schmidt JB, Binder M, Demschik G, Bieglmayer C, Reiner A. Treatment of skin aging with topical estrogens. Int J Dermatol. 1996 Sep;35(9): 669-74.

7. Lee John MD. What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Premenopause. New York, NY: Wellness Central/Warner. 1999.

8. Dunn LB, Damesyn M, Moore Aa, Reuben DB, Greendale GA. Does estrogen prevent skin aging? Results from the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I) Arch Dermatol. 1997 Mar;133(3):339-42.

9. Schmidt JW, Wollner D, Curcio J, Riedlinger J, Kim LS. Hormone replacement therapy in menopausal women: Past problems and future possibilities. Gynecol Endocrinol. 2006 Oct;22(10):564-77.

10. Kainz C, Gitsch G, Stani J, Breitenecker G, Binder M, Schmidt JB. When applied to facial skin, does estrogen ointment have systemic effects? Arch Gynecol Obstet. 1993;253(2):71-4.

11. Lee, John MD. What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause. New York, NY: Grand Central Publishing/Warner. 1996

12. Head, KA. Estriol: Safety and efficacy. Altern Med Rev. 1998 Apr;3(2):101-13.