Why an understanding of hormones is important for aesthetic doctors

When a patient comes in seeking cosmetic treatment, it's integral that the aesthetic doctor keeps at least two things in mind - safety and successful outcomes. However, to maximise both, experts are now suggesting that a focus on hormonal health and functional medicine is important too.

In particular, women experiencing perimenopause and menopause may seek aesthetic treatment for skin changes that are directly linked to significant shifts in their hormone levels – especially in oestrogen and progesterone balance.

Changes to these hormone levels can leave the skin dull, more wrinkled, and less firm over time, meaning "women in their 50's often seek help wanting to look better and turn to aesthetic doctors," reveals the GP, functional medicine and hormone doctor, Dr Sohere Roked. When a practitioner fully understands the hormonal changes that women go through, it can be easier to manage their expectations of treatment.

Moreover, hormones are an important consideration when conducting aesthetic treatments in general: "When hormones are at their lowest (like during a period) a patient is likely to experience more inflammation, bruising and swelling from injections too," explains Dr Roked.

Procedures can also induce stress hormones, triggering inflammatory conditions like acne, as well as impacting wound healing. Acknowledging, and working to counteract this in-clinic, can therefore help improve patient comfort and results.

Indeed, aesthetic and functional medicine doctors "share a joint goal of wanting our patients to look and feel good," explains Dr Roked. "While most patients primarily see me for symptoms such as mood, sleep, flushes, focus and concentration, they often have secondary concerns about their appearance. My approach is to get the hormones in balance and improve skin first, so my patients have the best chance of getting the outcomes they want with their aesthetic procedures."

As for how aesthetic doctors can embed an understanding of hormones into their clinics, Dr Roked emphasises the need for thorough information gathering: "Taking a history about a patient's menstrual cycle, menopause or if they're taking hormone replacement therapy is important. This will factor into how effective their aesthetic treatments and skincare procedures will be."

Then, "working with a doctor who specialises in hormones can help you get the patient physiologically in the best place for better aesthetic results," continues Dr Roked. For example, "oestrogen can help boost collagen production, and progesterone in its bio-or-body-identical form can also add a luminosity to the skin - think of most pregnant women who have that 'glow',"

While hormone treatment alone may not fully improve an individual's cosmetic concerns, a baseline of hormone treatment can make aesthetic procedures more effective. Thus, when it comes to aesthetic enhancement, a holistic approach is likely to be the gold standard, particularly for perimenopausal and menopausal women.

For that reason, Dr Roked often collaborates with aesthetic doctors and surgeons who may refer individuals to her pre-procedure for deeper analysis of their patient's physiology before carrying out surgery or tweakments.

Her Skin-Depth Hormone Review involves an in-depth consultation and prescriptive hormone testing that may involve female hormone, cortisol stress or thyroid testing. After that, an associated treatment plan is formulated, with options including hormone replacement therapy, supplements, and lifestyle recommendations. The plan is reviewed after 3 months and, excluding medication, pricing is between £995 - £1,800 depending on the levels of testing required.

Dr Sohère Roked is a GP, functional medicine and hormone doctor who specialises in combining bioidentical and body-identical hormones and functional medicine to enhance hormone optimisation. Practising at Omniya Clinic in London, she is recognised as one of the few GPs in the UK to cover both conventional and holistic medicine. For more information, visit drsohereroked.co.uk.