Hormones and the pilosebaceous unit

Hormones can exert their actions through endocrine, paracrine, juxtacrine, autocrine and intracrine pathways. The skin, especially the pilosebaceous unit, can be regarded as an endocrine organ meanwhile a target of hormones, because it synthesizes miscellaneous hormones and expresses diverse hormone receptors. Over the past decade, steroid hormones, phospholipid hormones, retinoids and nuclear receptor ligands as well as the so-called stress hormones have been demonstrated to play pivotal roles in controlling the development of pilosebaceous units, lipogenesis of sebaceous glands and hair cycling. Among them, androgen is most extensively studied and of highest clinical significance. Androgen-mediated dermatoses such as acne, androgenetic alopecia and seborrhea are among the most common skin disorders, with most patients exhibiting normal circulating androgen levels. The "cutaneous hyperandrogenism" is caused by in stiu overexpression of the androgenic enzymes and hyperresponsiveness of androgen receptors. Regulation of cutaneous steroidogenesis is analogous to that in gonads and adrenals. More work is needed to explain the regional difference within and between the androgn-mediated dermatoses. The pilosebaceous unit can act as an ideal model for studies in dermato-endocrinology.