Women with low estrogen look older

A study published in the medical journal The Lancet found that women with low estrogen look significantly older than women the same age with more optimal levels of estrogen

Low estrogen levels are associated with loss of collagen and moisture content of skin, which leads to increased facial wrinkling.

In this study, independent reviewers estimated the ages of 100 women. The women’s estimated age was then compared to their real age and their estrogen level
. The women in the study were between 35-55 years of age. The reviewers estimated the women with low estrogen to be significantly older than their age and those with more optimal estrogen levels to be much younger than their age.
 The women with the lowest level of estrogen looked 8 years older than their age and those with the most optimal levels looked 8 years younger than their age (a 16 year differential).


According to the authors, “The age of women with low estradiol serum concentrations was systematically overestimated; with increasing serum estrogen levels the reverse was the case. Women with high estrogen concentrations looked younger, women with low estradiol concentrations older than they really were. The discrepancy between estimated and real age could be as high as 8 years in either direction [16 year differential]. These data suggest that serum estrogen concentrations have a pronounced impact on the estimation of age.”


Lancet. 1999 Jul 17;354(9174):224.
Oestrogen and age estimations of perimenopausal women.
Wildt L, Sir-Petermann T.