The effect of menopause on the skin and other connective tissues.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review without systematic search or quantitative data synthesis
PubMed 21970508 · doi:10.3109/09513590.2011.613970
What was done
This is a narrative review summarizing the physiological effects of menopause and estrogen deficiency on cutaneous ageing and other connective tissues, including carotid artery media, intervertebral discs, and bones.
What was found
The abstract provides qualitative summaries without specific numerical data or statistics. It reports that menopausal estrogen deficiency strongly correlates with skin collagen loss, increased skin extensibility, decreased elasticity, increased skin fragility and susceptibility to trauma, and impaired wound healing. It also notes that postmenopausal estrogen therapy increases collagen content, dermal thickness, and elasticity, while reducing dry skin.
Why it matters
It highlights the systemic impact of estrogen on connective tissue metabolism, outlining dermatologic manifestations of menopause and the biological rationale for hormone therapy.
Limits
The abstract provides no quantitative data, effect sizes, or methodology for study selection. It is a broad narrative overview, and the authors explicitly note that large-scale clinical trials are still required to substantiate recommendations for postmenopausal estrogen use in preventing skin ageing.
Cited by
- supports Women lose 30% of their skin's collagen thickness in the first 5 years following menopause.