effect of hormone therapy on facial skin/wrinkles

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but if you do go on an AI, chances are your skin will become very thin and dry. I used to look 12 years younger than my actual age, no wrinkles, oily to normal skin. Now my skin is paper thin and I have wrinkles around my mouth (I have never smoked) and I look older than my age. It was a slow process, but after 5 years of AI, I have 65+year old skin. I am 55. I do know that other women don't seem to be that affected, maybe you will be lucky. Also my hair got very thin but that seems to have stabilized for now. Good luck.

arabiansrock:

Tamoxifen has had a positive effect on my skin. Also my hair has reverted back to it's 16 year old state; greasy even after washing.

Tamoxifen doesn't block estrogen production. Moreover, this drug increases estrogen levels. With AI your estrogen level will be lower than menopausal women normally have. It's like a very deep menopause

I’ve been on AI’s (anastrozole) for three years. I was a young looking 49 when I started and now at 52, I look like I’ve aged 10 years. I look at photos of myself when I was first dx and even when I was bald from chemo and my skin on my face was full and healthy looking. Now it has lost its luster. I loved my hair also. I had such thick hair and after it grew back it has progressively gotten thinner. I was not in menopause when I was dx and was getting regulars periods. I had my last period my first day of first chemo treatment and then after chemo, I did Zoladex injections to suppress ovaries so I could go right to AI’s & skip tamoxifen and then had ovaries removed a few months later. The being thrown into menopause and the AI have definitely aged my skin and hair. I just hope that because I can ‘see’ the effects of the lack of estrogen that the meds are doing their job where they need to and there’s not enough estrogen left to feed any lingering pesky cancer cells as my cells apparently really liked estrogen. I am sad I look older. I don’t think it’s vain at all to be concerned about it and it’s a very valid concern.

We absolutely need estrogen for all vital organs including heart, bones, brain, bladder, hair and skin!

My mother was a religious Retin A user until these past few years but I develop post inflammatory hyperpigmentation from it.

Other than that, I've generally had good skin but my hair is fine and thin and splits and breaks easily. When I developed hypothyroidism, one of the most visible signs was my hair became dull as in completely lost it's shine. I found V05 hot oil to temporarily remedy this. My mother swears by Argan oil for hair though.

I was on Arimidex 5 years with no bad effects to my skin (or hair either). Stay hydrated, use a very good moisturizer, good makeup, good sunscreen, and exercise. Exercise will keep the blood moving and give your skin a youthful glow (as well as giving your body that youthful, toned look). I would say that I look AND feel many years younger than my actual age (which is 67).

thank you Ruthbru, indeed, that gives hope. I am now spending considerable amounts of time to moisturise / hydrate every conceivable part of my body , hope it pays off in the medium term. I'm seeing deflated skin and awful hair now after just a few months of Femara , but that could also be from the stress of surgery , and of the diagnosis itself. Plus I stopped HRT overnight in early June, so my body has had a lot to adjust to I guess. Hopefully the changes from now on will be slower.

All the best to all of you!

flashlight...do you have more information on the newer prescription retina A? I've been using retin A for 30 years but would love to know about the newer version. Thanks so much!

Mountain, it is absolutely a combined effect of everything your body has been through! Stress alone can wreak havoc on the body. I had been on HRT too (and had chemo).....so yikes, I know how you're feeling! It took my body about a year after 'active treatment' to feel 'normal'.......so it takes time to process, both physically and mentally, what you have been through. An interesting note about hair, my beautician told me that your hair takes 6 months to bounce back after anesthesia! (I've had a couple, non-cancer related, surgeries in the past ten years. After learning that, I make sure I get my hair colored before the surgery so it will 'stick'.) There is a fun thread on the fitness forum called, "Lets Post Our Daily Exercise" if you want some fitness buddies. I really attribute exercise to be the KEY to getting back to feeling and looking good.

Thank you dtad. Any good brand you recommend with 100% hyaluronic acid?

dtad thank you! I didn't know there was a product so cheap . I have used a yoghurt and honey, some for eating and the left over for face

I've been on an AI for 3 years. My hair grew back as thick as it was before chemo and it's now curly. I opted not to colour it so it's grey. With COVID, most people are goingback to their natural colour so I fit right in. My skin is a bit dry but not too bad. I try to exercise and hydrate. Herbal tea is my go to since I can't seem to drink much water.