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Did you have noticeable skin changes on HRT?

Posted , 5 users are following.

catherine1966
catherine1966

Hi -

I just started HRT about six weeks ago. I am 51 and have been dealing with terrible perimenopause for years (still having the odd period) and before that even, I've struggled with severe depression and chronic fatigue. My energy levels and cognitive sharpness are already better after getting up to 1 mg of estrodial (of course with added progesterone.)

I could have taken the patch but part of my treatment for depression and Fibromyalgia involves swimming and sauna use a few times a week and the patch would not work.

I've always been conscious of my skin and am wondering exactly what changes manifested, if any, for you from being on HRT and did it take a while? Just starting to notice sagging jawline, etc. Wonder if HRT helps sagging skin on legs as well - or if it reversed any of this for you. Maybe that is too much to expect? Can 1 mg. of estrodial be enough to help skin too? I am still waiting months to see how 1 mg helps my other symptoms.

Thanks!

0 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • gailannie
    gailannie catherine1966

    Posted

    Catherine, I LOVE THIS DISCUSSION!  Thank you for posting this question.  

    Initially I was given vaginal Estrace for atrophy and dryness.  One of the first things I noticed is that my nails were strong and grew quickly.  Then my hair was also growing again.  And my skin got soft, in an overly aggressive sort of way.  Actually I didn't like it.  But at least I wasn't pouring on bottle of lotion for dry skin.  LOL

    Since that initial experience, I have tried other HRTs.  The best "skin" I have experienced, was with a .75 patch and progesterone for 14 days a month. My skin did feel more normal.  

    I have to mention that before I started anything, my skin really didn't droop and sag, yet with HRT I've seen a lot of it.  It's scary actually.  I've heard of women asking the same questions you are.  I'm happy to take HRT if it helps symptoms, yet I wonder if it's helping or hurting in some ways.  

    Here are some of the negative things that I've seen:

    crepe skin on legs and hands

    falling jawline as you described

    sagging or puffiness above and below my eyes

    my skin doesn't seem to "fit" my body any more

    Odd "water filled" fat on my waistline

    Body shape changes

    My breasts are saggy

    Sore nipples

    Sounds great doesn't it?  Love to hear more about your personal experience.  

     

    • gailannie
      gailannie

      Posted

      And I should have mentioned some very BAD changes to my scalp hair.  Sometimes it feels absolutely crunchy.  It doesn't hang or move like it normally would.  That the heck is that?????

    • catherine1966
      catherine1966 gailannie

      Posted

      Wow. That's all interesting. It is supposed to help sagging skin, not cause it. I will definitely update with any notice of changes good or bad the further I go along on HRT. I have noticed that my eyebrows are starting to grow in a bit. I've had very thin eyebrows for years. A friend of mine got off of bioidentical hormones because she felt it put fat or something in weird places.

  • catherine1966
    catherine1966

    Posted

    One thing I am not willing to do is go for any plastic surgery.  I have friends who do that and end up looking strange no matter what. The jawline thing is pretty minimal but starting.
  • jayashree43285
    jayashree43285 catherine1966

    Posted

    I have started my patches 4 weeks ago. I'm yet to notice any difference. Hope I can see difference in my energy levels soon.

    • jayashree43285
      jayashree43285 gailannie

      Posted

      I started using the patches 4 wks ago. This is my first HRT. I'm 51. My skin initially looked pale for a couple of days after removal of the patch. This time it is a bit rough and red. My patch has 1.5 mg estradiol and 0.525 mg levonorgestrel.

    • catherine1966
      catherine1966 jayashree43285

      Posted

      I've been reading that reddish complexion can be a part of menopause. I am thinking that it probably takes a good while for the body to readjust to new hormone levels. Some days I feel like I have new energy and other days I am in the same place as I was before. It's only been six weeks though. I read it can take a few months or more to notice the full benefits of being on HRT. Maybe that has to do with skin as well.

      [b]http://www.dermalinstitute.com/us/library/76_article_Hormones_and_Your_Skin[b].html

    • sheryl37154
      sheryl37154 catherine1966

      Posted

      Catherine - very interesting link.  It confirms a lot of what I have read - I have not finished reading it yet, but thank you.
  • sheryl37154
    sheryl37154 catherine1966

    Posted

    I would not say that hrt caused my sagging jawline - I am 66 so I have to expect it.  My skin is much better than friends who do not use hrt.

    My waist expanded when my gp insisted I take provera to "balance" my hormones which proved the worst thing for me. It reduced the effectiveness of the oestrogen.   In reality, as I had a full hysterectomy, I did not need it.  My hair was falling out too.  Maybe it was the provera which caused the sagging jaw!!!  I was on it for 2 years or more before I realised the culprit of my problems was the provera.  I refused to take it any more.

    My hair stopped falling out (normal loss now), and regrew in the thin patches, my waist returned (I also eliminate sugars and starches from my diet which cause enlarged waists).

    Can't say I have sagging skin on my legs.  My uppers arms are getting a bit cauliflowery.  Goes with age I expect.

    The top of my head hair has become crunchy too - I put it down to all the silver hair that has grown.  Before I wash, I dampen it with a spray and apply a rich conditioner or treatment to that part of my head and leave for as long as I can before washing.  I can't say it totally works - I usually have to apply an after shampoo leave in treatment as well.  Coconut oil pre shampoo is good, but leaves a residue on the bathtub which I then have to clean off.  I wash my hair bending over a bathtub with a hand held hose, as it takes too long in the shower.  If I put any of this stuff on the rest of my hair, it becomes too lank.  Maybe a hair mask pre shampoo might help.

    The best thing I have found for skin treatment is retin-a in the form of Retrieve Cream with 0.05% Tretinoin - you need a script for it.  I apply it at night after cleansing -  nothing else except neck and eye cream separate.  You can put it on you neck if it is crepey.

    Have your Vit D and B12 checked.  A deficiency in either of these causes a lot of problems.

     

    • catherine1966
      catherine1966 sheryl37154

      Posted

      Thank you, Sheryl. I found out I was very low on Vitamin D last year and have been working on getting my levels back up. B12 was too high because I was drinking too much EmergenC. I also use Retin A cream. My skin actually looks pretty good compared to a lot of friends who do not use it. I am thinking of putting some into some lotion for my legs at night. I have some sun damage from years ago that I think finally caught up with me. I live at a very high altitude in a dry climate and I look at the older women here who probably would not use HRT (everyone is very natural here and not into certain things) and they look quite wrinkled.
    • sheryl37154
      sheryl37154 catherine1966

      Posted

      My dr recommended a practitioners brand of Vit D3 forte drops (4 per day - I've taken it up to 6 after reading all the problems caused by a deficiency).  I was not absorbing by tablets even though I had doubled up on them, and I live in the tropics so while I don't hang out in the sun, I was obviously not absorbing from the sun either.  My next Vit D blood showed a remarkable increase.  It is actually a hormone - vitamin is a misnomer.

      Having had a large but shallow melanoma removed from my upper arm, I am supposed to avoid the sun now, and have to get checks every 3 months.

      (My husband cannot absorb Vit B12 by tablets - so he has to have injections which made a huge difference in his demeanour - he is much happier with life now), but he absorbs Vit D ok.

      My mother had some L'Oreal PerfectFirm, a Visibly contouring + firming body gel, and I tried it on my upper arms before I went out.  There was a visible improvement.  Probably not a cure though - just short term cosmetic.  It has ginkgo-caffiene + par-elastyl in it.

       

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