Can HRT Help Win the War on Wrinkles?

Is finding the Fountain of Youth a matter of balancing hormones? Move over pricey Botox, fillers, facials, dream creams, lotions, and potions. There may be a new treatment in town that looks to be a tough (balancing) act to follow.

Over the past several years, bioidentical hormones have been shown to increase skin hydration and boost overall skin health, leaving patients with a rejuvenated appearance as a welcoming byproduct of their BHRT. Replacing and optimizing hormones that decline with age looks to be your best bet in the fight against aging and a great way to elevate your anti-aging arsenal, it seems. Not only do your hormones affect the hydration levels of the skin responsible for a youthful glow, but they also affect skin’s major support system – collagen production. Found in cartilage, eyes, and skin, collagen is the connective tissue responsible for keeping skin tight, elastic, firm, lifted, plump, and oh so dewy. Findings demonstrate proper production of DHEA, testosterone, estrogen, thyroid, and progesterone are the key players that keep your complexion youthful longer.  

DHEA
DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) is a natural steroid produced in the adrenal glands, reproductive organs, and brain and is associated with reducing abdominal adipose tissue, improving insulin sensitivity, increasing bone density, boosting energy, and enhancing overall well-being. Natural DHEA helps produce other hormones, including sex hormones, testosterone and estrogen, with levels peaking in early adulthood and declining with age. In fact, by the time an individual has reached 70 years of age, their body is hardly producing any DHEA, which can lead to a variety of adrenal and pituitary gland disorders. DHEA treatments are widely used to help boost physical performance, improve sexual function, ease menopausal symptoms, treat depression, as well as an effective anti-aging strategy. DHEA helps tighten and thicken skin’s density, preventing tears, dryness, and cracking.

Thyroid
The thyroid gland regulates metabolism and burns fat to help maintain healthy weight. As menopause and aging progress, the thyroid levels decrease, leaving many women with unwanted weight gain, particularly around the midsection. Hard-to-budge subcutaneous fat in the chin and facial areas are experienced as well.  

Estrogen
The primary female sex hormone is what gives expectant mothers that coveted “pregnancy glow” to their complexions, due to its natural ability of imparting plump, skin-perfecting dewiness. A number of corroborated studies have indicated estrogen plays a protective role in skin physiology, such as accelerated wound healing, hydration, and prevention/reversal of photoaging. Low estrogen contributes to thin skin density (sallowness), hyperpigmentation, dryness, wrinkles/increase in wrinkle depth, and laxity, which many women report soon after menopausal symptoms begin. BHRT has been shown to boost epidermal hydration levels, skin elasticity, and thickness, mimicking the appearance of skin during menstrual cycles and pregnancy. Also, visible reduction in wrinkles/wrinkle depth and collagen production is enhanced. In post-menopausal women, skin density decreases by 1.13% per year with a 2% associated decrease in collagen content per post-menopausal year. A decrease in skin density, firmness, and collagen production appears to be the result of significant estrogen deficiency. Post-menopausal women can be treated with bioidentical estrogen replacement therapy to alleviate menopausal symptoms and bring back their youthful glow. 

Testosterone
Generally associated with the vigorous male libido and much-admired muscle-building, there’s a softer side of testosterone that hasn’t received too much attention – until recently. This primary male sex hormone helps harness its resiliency prowess to boost skin elasticity and strength. Its fat-burning properties also regulate energy levels, which have profound, aesthetically-appealing effects on the skin. Bioidentical testosterone replacement therapy can be given to both men and women that show low testosterone on their lab results.

Progesterone
Synergistic with the female sex hormone estrogen, progesterone works to improve skin – and sleep – which is fundamental to skin vitality and aesthetics. We all know what our complexion looks like the morning following a sleepless night. Better sleep is a common improvement our patients show after receiving our hormone therapy pellets.

What to Expect from HRT in the Fight Against Aging
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy is an integrated, holistic, proven approach to regulating hormone levels for both men and women experiencing debilitating symptoms associated with menopause and andropause. BHRT can not only help improve mood, energy, libido, concentration, sleep, and overall quality of life, but rejuvenate your skin, too! When you undergo BHRT, you may find your face becomes more “feminine” and softer-looking/feeling. Estrogen contributes to facial composition (bone structure, nose shape, eye size, pout plumpness, etc.) and is responsible for hyaluronic acid production, which regulates healthy hydration levels, giving skin that youthful, beautiful “bounce.” While BHRT cannot technically stop the hands of time, it can help salvage skin from its effects for the long term as you continue our pellet therapy treatment every 4 months.