Hormone Replacement Therapy Improves Skin Thickness After Menopause

Aim. To evaluate the effect of two hormone formulations on skin thickness of postmenopausal women. Methods. Forty postmenopausal women were randomly designed to receive two hormone replacement formulations; one containing 2 mg/day estradiol valerate during 21 days combined to 1 mg/day cyproterone acetate during 10 days and the other containing 0.625 mg/day equine conjugated estrogens during 21 days combined to 5 mg medroxyprogesterone acetate during 10 days. Both therapies were administered in a cyclic regimen during twelve months. Neither the women nor the researchers knew the randomization of groups, hi all participating women the measurement of skin thickness at right femoral trochanteric region was made by ultrasonography with the help of a computer, before and after one year of treatment. Results. After twelve months of treatment a significant increase in skin thickness has occurred with estradiol valerate/cyproterone acetate formulation (+ 3.14; p