For those women who are postmenopausal, the lowering of estrogen levels could well lead to their skin aging. There are some normal skin transformations that occur when a women becomes post menopausal such as atrophy or the skin thinning, skin wrinkling, dryness, laxity, sallow complexion and an inability to readily heal wounds. The skin contains estrogen receptors and it is believed the decrease in estrogen levels associated with menopause contributes to a reduction in estrogen functions and leads to the undesirable skin transformations.
It is a common belief that estrogen replacement will not only relieve hot flashes, but also make skin appear more youthful, healthier and the way it looked prior to menopause. Nevertheless, studies conducted in the area have been inconsistent and there is not much existing research to backup the claims. A study was recently carried out to determine if women who were postmenopausal undergoing hormone replacement therapy or [HRT] would see any positive transformations with their skin.
The researchers chose postmenopausal women who had crow’s feet, loose jowl lines and dry skin and began treating some of them with HRT and some with a placebo. There were almost five hundred women contributing to the study and it ran for nearly one year.
Regrettably, they discovered that there were no distinctions in skin creasing or skin texture in the women who underwent HRT in comparison with those who were treated with the placebo.
The women participating in the trial were from five to seven years post menopause, so the potential exists that treating women with HRT directly when menopause commences might make the difference, where it did not have any effect for these women in the study. In addition, the study used lower dosages of hormone replacement, which would lessen the chances of adverse reactions among participants such as blood clots. This being the case, perhaps a higher dose would make some difference to their skin appearance.
Hormone replacement therapy seems to work best when women receive it as soon as possible after menopause ceases. Upcoming studies will observe hormone replacement with an eye toward the skin of premenopausal women and it remains to be seen if there will be any marked improvement in their skin tone.
Hormone replacement or estrogen therapy is not necessary for all women experiencing menopause. You should open discussion with your physician regarding symptoms and medical issues you are experiencing to make determination of whether or not hormone replacement therapy could be the answer for you.
Sat, Jan 30, 2010
Anti Aging, Anti Aging Supplements, Health And Aging