Thyroid hormone action on skin.
OBJECTIVE
To review the current understanding regarding thyroid hormone action on skin. To provide a historical context for the recent findings.


RESULTS
Although direct thyroid hormone actions have been demonstrated on multiple aspects of cutaneous biology, rigorous study remains scant. Still, there is a slowly evolving literature supporting the concept that thyroid hormone can directly stimulate epidermis, dermis, and hair. That action may be accessed to treat cutaneous disease.


CONCLUSIONS
Here, we review the literature regarding thyroid hormone action on skin along with skin manifestations of thyroid disease. We provide context for more recent findings of direct thyroid hormone stimulation of cutaneous cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo which may portend the use of thyroid hormone to treat cutaneous pathologies.
Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, USA. jsafer@bu.edu
Joshua D
JD
Safer
D049109:Cell Proliferation; D005260:Female; D006201:Hair Diseases / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D009230:Myxedema / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D009260:Nail Diseases / Q000378:metabolism; D011988:Receptors, Thyroid Hormone / Q000819:agonists / Q000378:metabolism*; D017443:Skin Diseases, Eczematous / Q000378:metabolism*; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013971:Thyrotoxicosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*
D011988:Receptors, Thyroid Hormone; D013963:Thyroid Hormones