ABSTRACT
Besides differential effects on bone mass and the cardiovascular system, sexual steroids are also involved in other extragenital systems due to the different expression of estrogen receptors in various tissues. The clinical success achieved with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in the treatment of urogenital problems,1 arthropathia climacterica2 and psychovegetative symptoms3 is beyond doubt. These extragenital effects of ovarian steroids also include those related to the metabolism of skin and hair, changes in body composition and subcutaneous fat distribution, and are relevant to the esthetic wellbeing of women.
