Skin temperature of women: A prospective longitudinal study

Abstract

IntroductionThe different phases of a woman's life, such as the reproductive phase and menopause, are points of great hormonal oscillation, especially estrogen and progesterone, which can interfere with skin temperature. ObjectiveTo describe and compare skin temperatures of women during their physiological menstrual cycle, the use of exogenous hormones and menopause over a period of 28 days. MethodThis is a prospective observational study using a quantitative approach. A total of 45 volunteers participated and were equally allocated into three groups: Exogenous Hormone Group (EHG), Physiological Menstrual Cycle Group (PMCG) and Menopause Group (MG). All were submitted once a week to body composition measurements over a period of 28 days using an InBody 120 bioimpedance scale, and skin temperature using a FLIR model T-360 thermographic camera. ResultsNo significant differences were found between the mean skin temperature of women with a physiological cycle using exogenous hormones and menopause in relation to the evaluation time or between groups. However, younger women had higher temperatures in specific skin regions, such as in the breast, lower abdomen and thigh (P < 0.05) compared to menopausal women. In addition, negative correlations were observed between body fat and skin temperature of the breasts, trunk, abdomen, upper limbs and right lower limb (P < 0.05). ConclusionIt was observed that the general skin temperature of women is not altered due to exogenous hormones, menstrual cycle phase or menopause, and that skin temperature tends to be lower in regions with an accumulation of adipose tissue.