Estrogen dermatitis: Case report and examination of estrogen receptor-β in the skin

Many women experience some skin reaction or trouble in their monthly menstrual cycle, including the exacerbation of pre-existing diseases and skin eruptions directly associated with sex hormones. We herein report a Japanese woman who experienced repeated systemic urticaria in her premenstrual period, and was diagnosed as having estrogen dermatitis based on a positive result of intradermal estrogen skin test. Of note, the expression of estrogen receptor-β was increased in small dermal vessels of this case as well as in those of patients with other inflammatory skin diseases. These results suggest that inflammation may induce estrogen receptor-β expression in small dermal vessels, which potentially modifies the pathological skin inflammation during the menstrual period, leading to the development of estrogen dermatitis.