Changes in Serum Free Testosterone, Sleep Patterns, and 5-Alpha-Reductase Type I Activity Influence Sebum Excretion in Female Subjects

    August 2014 in “ Skin research and technology ”
    Robert Bissonnette, J. E. Risch, Kevin J. McElwee, Philippe Marchessault, Chantal Bolduc, Simon Nigen, Catherine Maari
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    TLDR Sleep, testosterone levels, and a specific enzyme activity affect skin oil production in women.
    The 2014 study involving 40 healthy female subjects found that sebum excretion rate (SER) is significantly affected by variations in sleep patterns, serum free testosterone levels, and 5-alpha-reductase type 1 activity. Specifically, there was a positive correlation between the time of falling asleep and changes in SER, and a significant inverse correlation between SER and 5-alpha-reductase type 1 expression. No significant correlation was found between SER and other factors such as diet, skin temperature, UV exposure, or facial washing routine. The research suggests that these factors could contribute to the variability in SER observed in clinical studies on acne, highlighting the potential influence of circadian rhythms on sebum production. The study was funded by Innovaderm Research and included 22 women for the testosterone correlation and 40 subjects for the 5-alpha-reductase activity correlation.
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