Hormone Replacement Therapy
responsible for regulating most processes within the body.
HORMONES - THE FOUNDATION TO GOOD HEALTH
Healthy and beautiful skin reflects your overall health, both inside and out. As we age, our hormones decline over time and this presents opportunities to restore our hormones and balance. At Hubbell Dermatology & Aesthetics, Jennifer Piker PA-C leads our Wellness Program. She is an experienced age management practitioner who utilized blood and biologic test results to best understand your base health, and then recommends an advanced and unique-to-you treatment regimen to restore your hormone and health balance. Her patients speak highly of their renewed selves and improved energy, weight management and healthier body functions and skin.
Hormones are responsible for regulating most processes within the body. Our hormones play complicated roles within the body, but to simplify them: there are sex hormones, immune hormones, sleep hormones, stress hormones, growth hormones, cardiac associated hormones, digestive hormones, and Vitamin D (yes, this is a hormone).
Changes In Our Hormones
Both men and women experience hormonal shifts. Throughout our lives, our hormones are changing day by day. As we age and approach our “golden years”, our hormone levels start to change for the long term.
As women enter menopause, their estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone start to fall. Effects may include hot flashes, vaginal dryness, thinning of the vaginal skin, sleep problems, reduced sex drive, anxiety, irritability, depression, weight gain, muscle aches, fatigue, poor memory focus, night sweats, decreased bone mass, and increased cholesterol. Surgical menopause (women who have had hysterectomies) can experience these symptoms sooner.
Men experience andropause which is the male version of menopause. A man’s testosterone levels start to decline after the age of 35. Effects may include decreased sex drive, erectile dysfunction, mood changes, decreased muscle mass and strength, decreased bone mass, fatigue, weight gain, insulin resistance, and increased cholesterol.
We cannot forget about the thyroid gland-it is a vitally important hormonal gland. Hypothyroidism, or low thyroid hormones, symptoms may include fatigue, lethargy, sleepiness, depression, cold intolerance, dry skin, weight gain, joint pain, constipation, and elevated cholesterol. If you have low thyroid levels, it is important to optimize these hormones as well. Thyroid imbalance can play a part in many diseases including cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, obesity, diabetes, and female infertility.
ABOUT BIOTE MEDICAL
BioTE Medical exclusively offers bio-identical hormone replacement therapy in the form of subcutaneous pellets, and with over one million insertions performed in the company’s history, we have seen many lives changed through the implementation of optimized hormones. These tiny pellets are about the size of a grain of rice. They are made of bio-identical estradiol and testosterone. Each patient is dosed according to their weight, metabolism, hormone levels, and symptoms. They are placed beneath the skin of the hip. The area is numbed to make the procedure painless.
FAQ's
Where Do Hormones Come From & What Do They Do?
Hormones are made by glands that belong to the human body’s endocrine system. The main glands are the hypothalamus, thyroid, thymus, pancreas, adrenals, pituitary gland, pineal gland, ovaries, and testes. Hormones are secreted directly into the bloodstream, which carries them to organs and tissues of the body to exert their functions including cognitive function and mood, development and growth of the body, digestion, and metabolism of food materials, maintenance of body temperature and thirst and reproductive growth and health.
Do Hormones Affect Our Skin & Hair?
Yes! To get ahead of the aging curve, it is important that we have balanced hormones. Hormones are involved with all of the processes that affect the maintenance of skin health. These processes include: collagen content (think volume), skin lipid levels (helps the skin barrier), elasticity, wound healing, moisture content and hair patterns.
What Are The Benefits Of Hormone Optimization?
Bio-identical hormones can improve energy, improve memory focus and concentration, reduce night sweats and hot flashes, better sleep, improve sexual performance and libido, improve our skin and hair, reduce mood swings, and reduce irritability, anxiety, and depression. Your muscle aches and joint pains are often improved. Your bone density score may also improve.
How Can Hormones Be Tested?
Proper hormone testing is needed to understand which hormones are out of balance. There are various ways that hormones can be tested including blood, saliva, and urine. Hormone testing can help determine your hormone levels, so if your symptoms and lab values indicate that you might be suffering from a hormone imbalance, Hubbell Dermatology & Aesthetics, a Certified BioTE Provider, can help you optimize your hormones.
What is BHRT?
Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy, or BHRT, uses hormones that are bio-identical to the hormones found within the human body. They are plant-derived compounds that have the same molecular structure as those made by the human body. Studies have shown that bio-identical hormone therapy may have fewer side effects and greater benefits than conventional methods. The foundation of effective BHRT lies in its ability to provide people with the optimal amount of any hormone they may be lacking.
What forms of BHRT are offered at Hubbell Dermatology and Aesthetics?
BHRT can be prescribed as topical preparations like creams, gels, and patches; oral tablets or capsules; injections; or pellets. At Hubbell Dermatology and Aesthetics, we use BioTe Medical for pellet BHRT.
Who is a candidate for Pellets at Hubbell Dermatology and Aesthetics?
At Hubbell Dermatology & Aesthetics, we consider the ideal female patient for pellet insertion to be a female that has not had breast cancer or cancer of the reproductive organs and is no longer able to get pregnant due to menopause or a hysterectomy.
An ideal male candidate for pellet insertion is a male with low testosterone who has no history of breast, prostate or testicular cancer and who does not plan on having more children.