Skin thickness in different menopausal status.

It is well known that skin thickness will decrease in the years after menopause. Women may have climacteric symptoms including those associated with skin alterations as early as during the perimenopausal period. This study was performed to compare the skin thickness of women in their premenopause (N = 31), perimenopause (N = 35) and early postmenopause (N = 46). The mean skin thickness in each group was 2.28 +/- 0.39 mm., 2.18 +/- 0.35 mm. and 2.02 +/- 0.36 mm. respectively. The skin thickness of women in the early postmenopausal group was significantly lower than those in the premenopausal group, but no difference was found between premenopausal and perimenopausal group nor between perimenopausal and early postmenopausal group. Furthermore, we found no correlation between skin thickness and chronological age. In conclusion, the decline in skin thickness of women entering menopause requires a period of time to undergo significant alterations and the study revealed a significant reduction of skin thickness as early as in the course of the early postmenopausal period.

The predictive value of skin thickness in the diagnosis of osteopenia.

Skin and bone share a similar organic constituent (type I collagen) which decreases with time after menopause due to hypoestrogenism. The interdependence of skin and bone atrophy has been reported. This study was conducted to assess the predictive value of an ultrasonographic measurement of skin thickness in the diagnosis of osteopenia (BMD below -1.5 SD.) in perimenopausal and early postmenopausal women. All patients had skin thickness measured by the same radiologist and had a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan of the lumbar spine and the femoral neck. Of the 77 women studied, the mean age was 50.9 +/- 3.0 years. Thirty patients were in perimenopause and 47 in early postmenopause. Mean skin thickness was 2.1 +/- 0.4 mm. Women with a skin thickness of < or = 1.7 mm carried a higher risk for developing osteopenia at the lumbar spine (odds ratio 8.41, 95% confidence interval 2.19-32.35) and the femoral neck (odds ratio 3.88, 95% CI 1.14-13.17). Patients with a skin thickness of > or = 2.4 mm had a lower probability of osteopenia at the lumbar spines (odds ratio 0.17, 95% CI 0.035-0.845) and the femoral neck (odds ratio 0.22, 95% CI 0.055-0.899). In conclusion, a low skin thickness measurement by ultrasonography may be used as an indicator for osteopenia in perimenopausal and early postmenopausal women.