Open AccessUnderstanding Hormonal Therapies: Overview for the Dermatologist Focused on Hair
Author(s) -
Karishma Desai,
Bianca Alencar Dias Almeida,
Mariya Miteva
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1421-9832
pISSN - 1018-8665
DOI - 10.1159/000512888
Subject(s) - acne , hormone , medicine , hormonal therapy , estrogen , hair loss , menopause , hormonal contraception , dermatology , physiology , bioinformatics , intensive care medicine , family planning , population , cancer , breast cancer , biology , environmental health , research methodology
Hormones have an intimate relationship with hair growth. Hormonal replacement therapy is used to treat menopausal symptoms and to provide protection from chronic diseases for which postmenopausal women may be at risk. Additionally, hormonal therapies are prescribed for contraception and treatment of acne. Considering the widespread use of such therapies, there is a demand for further understanding of their implications in hair disorders. This article reviews the specific properties of current estrogen- and progesterone-containing hormonal treatments and their implications for the patient with hair loss. The complexity of the task comes from the paucity of data and discrepancy in the literature on the effect of the specific hormonal-receptor activities.