HT doesn?t improve wrinkles

Low-dose hormone therapy doesn’t offer statistically significant benefits to postmenopausal women with mild-to-moderate skin aging changes, researchers report in the September issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Tania J. Phillips, MD, of the Boston University School of Medicine, and colleagues analyzed data from 485 women with mild-to-moderate age-related skin changes. Women were randomized to a daily schedule of 1 mg of norethindrone acetate and 5 μg of ethinyl estradiol, 1 mg of norethindrone acetate and 10 μg of ethinyl estradiol, or placebo. Average age was 53.6, and roughly 95% of the women were white.

No significant differences were seen between the treatment groups and the placebo group for the primary efficacy end points, which were investigator's global assessment of fine and coarse facial wrinkling at week 48 and the subjects’ self-assessment of wrinkling changes from baseline to 48 weeks, the researchers report.

“It is possible that longer treatment duration, or different formulations or doses of estrogen, might have more positive effects. Differing progestogen combinations and examination of non-photodamaged skin might also demonstrate different outcomes. Subgroup analysis revealed marginal improvement in women who were less than 24 months postmenopausal. Future studies in this group would be of interest, particularly as hormone therapy given close to menopause appears to be safest,” the authors conclude.

Pfizer provided funding for the study. Phillips disclosed a relationship with Hygeia Therapeutics, and a co-author has past or present affiliations with Pfizer and Meditrina Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Phillips TJ, Symons J, Menon S, HT Study Group. Does hormone therapy improve age-related skin changes in postmenopausal women? A randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, placebo-controlled multicenter study assessing the effects of norethindrone acetate and ethinyl estradiol in the improvement of mild to moderate age-related skin changes in postmenopausal women. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2008;59:397-404.e3.