This panel provides an assessment of hormones, which affect skin health. Estradiol and progesterone have significant effects on skin physiology and modulate epidermal keratinocytes, dermal fibroblasts and melanocytes, in addition to skin appendages including the hair and the sebaceous gland. The sebaceous glands have receptors that are affected significantly by androgens- testosterone and DHEA. These androgens increase the production of sebum during puberty in both sexes, which can lead to noticeably oilier skin, and may progress to acne. Cortisol is a stress hormone and is known to affect skin health. High cortisol levels due to stress can aggravate psoriasis, rosacea and eczema. It can also cause hives and other types of skin rashes. Constant high levels of cortisol can be very damaging to the skin’s health and appearance. In addition to sex hormones and androgens, overactivity or underactivity of thyroid hormones may result in alterations in skin, hair or nails. Thyroid hormone plays a pivotal role in embryonic development of mammalian skin as well as in maintenance of normal cutaneous function of an adult skin. Thyroid hormone stimulates epidermal oxygen consumption, protein synthesis, mitosis, and determination of epidermal thickness. Vitamin D has several biological functions in skin, including regulating the proliferation and differentiation of keratinocytes, hair follicle, and tumor suppression. Vitamin D is also known to modulate inflammation and may be involved in wound healing. Results illustrate hormone levels with respect to normal reference ranges.
