Relationship between dermato-physiological changes and hormonal status in pre-, peri-, and postmenopausal women

We previously reported that hormonal changes in perimenopausal women are associated with dermatologic changes. In the present study, we evaluated such dermatologic changes by means of dermato-physiological testing methods in perimenopausal women with various types of hormonal conditions. The study group consisted of 46 consecutive women 41-70 years of age (mean, 54.0 years), attending a climacteric outpatient clinic for a healthy check-up is whom no abnormalities were recognized. The women were divided into four groups according to menstrual history and sex-related steroid hormone values: a premenopausal group (n = 9); a perimenopausal group (n = 8); an early menopausal group, in which 5 years or less had elapsed since menopause (n = 12); and a late menopausal group, in which 6 years or more had elapsed since menopause (n = 17). We found that: (1) after menopause the sebum cutaneum content of the forehead decreased significantly, but that of the subocular region was unchanged; (2) the water content of the stratum corneum of the forehead was significantly higher in the late menopausal group than in the premenopausal group and the perimenopausal group, but there were no significant differences among the four groups at the other sites studied; (3) on psychological stimulation, sweat production was found to decrease significantly after menopause; (4) the skin temperature of the forehead and cheek fell significantly after menopause, but that of the nose, back of the foot, and tips of the toes, did not differ significantly among the four groups; (5) The perimenopausal period was associated with increased skin permeability and vascular responsiveness; (6) fingertip plethysmography revealed significant decreases in peripheral circulatory function in the perimenopausal group and the late menopausal group.