Some of our most treasured memories come from our younger years. We frequently don’t appreciate the worth of such blessings until they diminish, even when we are bursting with energy with flawless skin and flowing hair. Holding onto specific parts of youth may be respectable and beneficial in many ways, even if aging is a lovely process in and of itself.
The desire to keep healthy at heart, body, and mind is affected by hormonal changes brought on by menopause, andropause, or natural aging. The effects of hormone shifts might make us look older than we would want, whether through aging symptoms like wrinkles, diminished sexual function, or attention problems. Remember that maintaining a youthful appearance is excellent for your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
Hormone treatment is one method of combating those alterations. Learn more about how hormone therapy may make you feel and look younger.
What is hormone therapy?
Menopausal symptoms and long-term health were formerly regularly treated with hormone therapy. Female hormones are included in medications used for hormone replacement therapy. You take the drug to replenish the lost estrogen caused by menopause.
The main goal of hormone replacement treatment is to replenish the estrogen your body no longer produces after menopause. The two primary forms of estrogen treatment are as follows:
Systemic hormone treatment: A more significant amount of estrogen is often present in systemic estrogen, which can be taken as a pill, skin patch, ring, gel, cream, or spray and is absorbed throughout the body. It is used to treat any of the typical menopausal symptoms.
Vaginal products with low doses: In cream, pill, or ring form, low-dose vaginal estrogen treatments reduce the amount of estrogen absorbed by the body. Due to this, low-dose vaginal treatments are often solely used to treat menopausal symptoms of the vaginal and urinary systems.
Who are suitable for hormone therapy?
The advantages of hormone treatment may exceed the drawbacks if you’re healthy and if you:
- Experience mild to severe heat flashes. Systemic estrogen therapy continues to be the most effective option for the management of bothersome menopausal hot flashes and night sweats.
- Any other signs of menopause. Menopause vaginal symptoms include dryness, itching, burning, and discomfort during sexual activity can be relieved with estrogen.
- Need to stop bone deterioration or fractures. The bone-thinning condition known as osteoporosis is helped by systemic estrogen. To treat osteoporosis, however, physicians frequently advise taking drugs called bisphosphonates. But estrogen therapy could assist if you can’t stomach other treatments or they aren’t working.
- Have either estrogen insufficiency or early menopause. Your body has been exposed to less estrogen than the bodies of women who go through typical menopause if you had your ovaries surgically removed before age 45, stopped getting periods before age 45, or lost normal ovarian function before age 40 (primary ovarian insufficiency). Your chance of developing illnesses, including osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, dementia, and mood swings, can be reduced with estrogen treatment.
Will taking hormone therapy change you?
While many HRT users claim to have improved skin, scientific research doesn’t always support these claims. Let’s examine the possible effects of HRT on the skin.
Benefits of estrogen for cisgender women’s skin
Doctors have provided estrogen to cisgender women going through menopause for many years. During menopause, estrogen levels decrease, and this hormonal shift is associated with wrinkles and thinning skin. According to some research, estrogen can help maintain healthy skin, stretch the skin, and both prevent and treat wrinkles.
However, as medical science has learned more about the effects of estrogen, the formulations and suggested dosages for estrogen treatment for cisgender women going through menopause have altered repeatedly.
According to anecdotal evidence, more recent formulations, both topical and oral, improve the skin. Complete research is still required on the effects of estrogen on the skin at the dosage and formulation that are now most often recommended.
Benefits of estrogen on transgender women’s skin
The advantages of estrogen on transgender women’s skin health haven’t been thoroughly investigated. However, many transsexual women claim that using estrogen positively affects their skin.
After starting estrogen therapy, transgender women frequently notice improvements in their skin’s hydration, smoothness, elasticity, and firmness.
Benefits of testosterone on cisgender men’s skin
There is ongoing research and discussion on the advantages of testosterone supplementation in cisgender males. While doctors disagree on whether HRT should be administered for cisgender males whose testosterone has decreased with age, it is frequently prescribed for cisgender men with diseases such as hypogonadism.
Some medical professionals believe testosterone prescriptions can improve sexual, mental, bone, and muscular health. Some cisgender guys who use testosterone medications notice enhanced skin elasticity and tighter skin. Additionally, gains in skin health might likely occur if testosterone supplementation does enhance general health.
Benefits of testosterone on transgender men’s skin
When transgender men use testosterone, their facial volume frequently changes, which can affect how their skin looks.
The look of the skin can also vary due to other changes, including facial hair development and transient acne as the body adjusts to changing hormone levels. Although some transgender males claim different results, such as skin tightening and increased elasticity, they have not yet been thoroughly investigated and evaluated.
Benefits of HRT for intersex and nonbinary people’s skin
Intersex and nonbinary persons, for health or gender affirmation, occasionally use HRT. Usually, smaller dosages are used for this. Furthermore, it might be used for shorter periods.
Our takeaway
Hormone therapy has an impact on the whole body. Some consequences have been extensively researched and examined. Additional study is required for a few effects, especially those on the skin that affect both sexes.
People using hormone therapy, regardless of gender, claim advantages, including firmer, more youthful-looking skin, enhanced skin elasticity, and improved skin tone. For cisgender women going through menopause and using estrogen-based HRT, there is some research to support these reports. Still, there isn’t much information on hormone therapy types for other groups.
Most persons who use testosterone hormone therapy get acne. Your body is adapting to the changing hormone levels due to this. With time, it frequently lessens and disappears. When acne is severe or difficult to manage, a dermatologist can assist.
Before beginning any hormone treatment, people thinking about hormone therapy should see their doctor. HRT has risks and side effects; therefore, it’s crucial to utilize the proper dosages. Without a doctor’s supervision and direction, never begin a hormonal treatment since it might significantly increase your chance of developing major medical problems.
Get in touch with us at The Well Med Spa to learn more about hormone therapy today!
