Last year on the blog, we covered how estrogen facial creams may help reverse some of the unwanted changes in skin brought on by menopause by delivering estrogen directly to the skin to help support skin functions and reduce thinning, dryness, and wrinkling. May is Women’s Health Month, so we wanted to revisit estrogen facial creams for addressing menopause-related skin concerns. We also share how in-person compounding pharmacies can work with prescribers to individualize these creams to meet the specific needs of individual patients.
Estrogen Facial Creams for Treating Menopause-Related Skin Concerns
Because estrogen impacts collagen production, its decline due to menopause reduces the skin’s thickness and elasticity. Estrogen face creams have been investigated in clinical studies due to their potential therapeutic benefits for skin aging, postmenopausal skin changes, and conditions like atrophic vaginitis and hypoestrogenism-related skin conditions.1,2 The daily application of estrogen to the skin may help increase the collagen content and improve the elasticity and hydration of skin, which may help retain skin moisture in postmenopausal women, who often experience drier skin.
These topical treatments aim to deliver estrogen directly to the skin, addressing the hormone deficiency that contributes to dryness and thinning of the skin. They may also enhance skin elasticity and hydration, helping to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
In-Person Compounding Pharmacies and Estrogen Facial Creams
There are currently no commercially available facial creams containing any form of estrogen, so these creams need to be prescribed and then compounded for each individual patient based on their specific needs.
Although large online telehealth services offer compounded estrogen creams and work with licensed prescribers, the online consultations required for these prescriptions are usually impersonal. In many cases, a patient does not actually speak with a prescriber and needs only to upload photos and answer online questionnaires in order to receive a prescription. Patients often don’t know who will be reviewing their case when submitting prescription requests from large companies, preventing them from building a long-term prescriber-patient relationship that helps ensure continuity of care.
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Telehealth and telepharmacy approaches can provide patients with much-needed remote healthcare, especially those who are unable to visit a physical location. When performed the correct way (with full patient histories and in-person or telehealth communications via video chats, calls and texts), telehealth can provide a valuable tool for patients to build relationships with their prescribers over time.
As a community compounding pharmacy, we work with prescribers that have built these relationships and who have histories with patients. This approach gives patients the chance to ask questions about their estrogen facial creams right from the start and get an answer from a prescriber they know and trust, instead of having to wait one to three business days to get a response from an online physician they’ve never met.
Estrogen Facial Cream Formulations
Many of the large telehealth companies offering estrogen facial creams have, at most, two formulations that they prescribe to all female patients. A licensed 503A compounding pharmacy can customize facial creams to meet the needs of specific patients by providing different doses and formulations, of which some of the most frequently prescribed include:
- Estradiol 0.03%
- Estriol 0.4%
- Estriol 0.4%/Estradiol 0.1%
- Estriol 0.3%
Any or all of these can be further altered to fine-tune the dosage if a prescriber deems it necessary for their individual patients. They can also be formulated with other compounds such as alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs), hyaluronic acid (HA), niacinamide, and peptides. They can even be used with other facial treatments, like glycolic acid creams.2
Why Choose VLS Pharmacy and New Drug Loft?
Changes in skin quality are one of the most unwelcome aspects of menopause, but estrogen facial creams may help reduce the appearance of many of these changes. VLS Pharmacy and New Drug Loft are here to make sure that you can meet each of your female patient’s needs at every stage of her life.
Our pharmacists tailor each formulation to meet a patient’s specific needs, including the dose and administration route. As a 503A pharmacy specializing in sterile and non-sterile compounding, we will support you and your patients by creating individualized pharmaceutical therapies. All formulations are compounded with high-quality pharmaceutical-grade APIs sourced directly from PCCA, the leader of superior-quality APIs.
Reach out to our team to learn about best practices and to partner with our experts on custom compounded medications for your patients. All medications from VLS Pharmacy and New Drug Loft are prepared in a lab that follows safety and quality standards per our status as a 503A pharmacy.
Please comment below with any thoughts or questions.
Reach out to our team to learn about best practices and to partner with our experts on custom compounded medications for your patients. All medications from VLS Pharmacy and New Drug Loft are prepared in a lab that follows safety and quality standards per our status as a 503A pharmacy.
References
- Schmidt JB, Binder M, Macheiner W, Kainz C, Gitsch G, Bieglmayer C. Treatment of skin ageing symptoms in perimenopausal females with estrogen compounds. A pilot study. Maturitas. 1994;20(1):25-30. doi:10.1016/0378-5122(94)90097-3
- Fuchs KO, Solis O, Tapawan R, Paranjpe J. The effects of an estrogen and glycolic acid cream on the facial skin of postmenopausal women: a randomized histologic study. Cutis. 2003;71(6):481-488.
- Brown ECF, Wouters OJ, Mehrotra A. Partnerships between Pharmaceutical and Telehealth Companies — Increasing Access or Driving Inappropriate Prescribing? N Engl J Med. 2025;392(12):1148-1151. doi:10.1056/NEJMp2500379
Read More…
- Visit our Menopause Resource Center to learn more
- A deep dive into hormone therapy
- It’s never been easier to submit your prescriptions! Place your order today
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