TMC Skin Creams
The Menopause Clinic · Prescription skin care

Skin Creams

Prescription creams for the skin changes that come with perimenopause and menopause. Each one is made by a licensed compounding pharmacy for you specifically and shipped to your home. Creams like these are only available by prescription from a compounding pharmacy.

Cream 1

Anti-Aging Ultra Cream

This compounded facial cream contains vitamin C, azelaic acid, alpha-lipoic acid, estriol, and progesterone. It is designed to improve the appearance of fine lines, skin texture, tone, firmness, and elasticity.

  • Fine lines
  • Texture
  • Tone
  • Firmness
  • Elasticity
$95per 30 mL pump
60–90 daysestimated supply
5 actives3 skin actives + 2 hormones

What's in it

Tap an ingredient to see what it does

Vitamin C 10% ascorbic acid

How to use it

Weeks 1–2 Once nightly

Apply a pea-sized amount to clean, dry skin at bedtime.

Week 3 on Up to twice daily, as tolerated

If you've done well with once nightly, you may add a morning application.

A pea-sized amount covers the whole face.

  • Mild tingling, dryness, or redness is common at first, mostly from the vitamin C and azelaic acid. That's why you start at once a night.
  • Wear sunscreen during the day.
  • Take a before photo on day one: clean face, no makeup, natural light from a window, looking straight at the camera. Changes are gradual, and a photo is the best way to see them.
  • Wash your hands after applying.

When to expect results

Skin renews slowly, so results build with steady use. Here is a typical timeline.

  1. Weeks 1–2
    Adjusting

    Your skin gets used to the cream. Mild tingling or dryness is normal and usually settles.

  2. Weeks 4–8
    Brighter, more even tone

    The vitamin C and azelaic acid work fastest. Many people notice a smoother texture and fading dark spots first.

  3. Weeks 12–16
    Firmness and fine lines

    Hormone-related changes take longer. Clinical trials measured improvements in elasticity, firmness, and wrinkles at 12 to 16 weeks.2,4 This is when you'll get a short check-in with a new photo, taken the same way as your first.

  4. Around 6 months
    Fullest results

    Collagen builds gradually. In the six-month estriol study, the largest changes were seen at the end.1

What it costs

$95 for a 30 mL pump, which is estimated to last approximately 60–90 days.

$1.27per dayabout $38 per month

What the research shows

Clinical studies support that topical estriol and progesterone improve markers of aging skin in peri- and postmenopausal women. Most of these trials are small, so the evidence is promising but limited.

RCT2% progesterone cream, 16 weeksHolzer et al., 2005 · 40 women

Double-blind, compared with the same cream without progesterone. The progesterone group improved more on skin elasticity, wrinkle count and depth, and firmness. Absorption into the body was minimal and the cream was well tolerated.4

Reduction in wrinkles around the eyes
Progesterone29.1%
Base cream16.5%
Increase in skin firmness
Progesterone23.6%
Base cream13.2%
TrialTopical estriol, 6 monthsSchmidt et al., 1996 · 59 women

Women with signs of skin aging used an estriol or estradiol cream for six months. Both groups had better elasticity and firmness, shallower wrinkles, smaller pores, and more skin moisture. Skin biopsies showed more collagen. No systemic hormone side effects were seen.1

RCTNightly facial estriol, 12 weeksCited in Pennington et al., 2026

In a placebo-controlled trial of postmenopausal women not on hormone therapy, once-nightly facial estriol improved dryness, laxity, thinning, and dullness of the skin.2

ReviewEstrogen and elastic fibersVerdier-Sévrain et al., 2006

Estriol applied to postmenopausal skin thickened and better organized the elastic fibers that let skin spring back.3

ReviewProgesterone, skin, and hairGasser et al., 2021

A review of progesterone studies found that half reported effects on skin aging, with two showing benefit. The authors rated the evidence as low quality but promising and called for better studies.5

Keep in mind
  • Most of these studies are small, and several are older.
  • The estriol studies used 0.3% estriol. This cream contains 0.1%.
  • Creams like this are only made by compounding pharmacies. No drug company makes an FDA-approved version, so it has not gone through FDA review for skin use. Your provider prescribes it off label, based on the research above.

Before you start

Absorption into the body is minimal, but this cream does contain hormones, so it isn't right for everyone. The request form asks about your health history, including hormone-sensitive cancers, blood clots, unexplained bleeding, and liver disease. It is not for anyone who is pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or breastfeeding.

Ready to try it?

If you would like to move forward with it, fill out the short request form. It takes about 5 minutes and includes a quick photo of your skin.

  1. Your provider reviews your information.
  2. If you are approved, you'll get a text with a billing link.
  3. The pharmacy makes your cream and ships it to your home.

Please make sure you can receive texts from 504-389-2078.

Start your request
Cream 2

Facial Hair Reduction Cream

A prescription cream (eflornithine 13.9%) that slows the growth of unwanted hair on the face and under the chin in women. Over time, hair may also grow in finer and lighter. It's for the face and chin only, not other parts of the body.

  • Upper lip
  • Chin
  • Under the chin
  • Jawline
$91+ shipping, per 30 g
30–60 daysdepending on areas treated
4–8 weeksto first improvement

How it works

Hair follicles need an enzyme called ornithine decarboxylase to grow hair. Eflornithine blocks that enzyme in the skin where you apply it, so hair grows more slowly.

It does not remove hair. Keep shaving, plucking, or using your usual method. The cream means you'll need to do it less often. Many women notice more chin and upper-lip hair in perimenopause and menopause as the balance between estrogen and androgens shifts.

Plan your routine

Twice a day, at least 8 hours apart
  1. 7:00 AM
    Morning dose

    Apply a thin layer to the areas you treat and rub it in well. Wash your hands right after.

  2. Until 11:00 AM
    Don't wash the area

    Leave it for at least 4 hours. Once it's completely dry, you can put on moisturizer, sunscreen, or makeup.

  3. 3:00 PM or later
    Evening dose

    At least 8 hours after the morning dose. Bedtime works well for most people.

Tips for using it

  • Wait at least 5 minutes after shaving or plucking before you apply it.
  • Before you start, notice how many days you usually go between hair removals. That number is the easiest way to tell the cream is working. Photos don't help much here, since you'll keep removing hair.
  • Use a thin layer only on the face and chin areas you're treating.
  • Keep it out of your eyes, nose, and mouth. If it gets there, rinse with clean water. If it gets in your eyes, rinse well and contact us.
  • More isn't faster. Using extra or applying more often won't speed results and makes irritation more likely.

When to expect results

  1. Weeks 1–4
    Keep going

    You probably won't see a change yet. This medication works slowly.

  2. Weeks 4–8
    First improvement

    Hair grows back more slowly between removals, and may look finer and lighter. You'll get a short check-in around week 8.

  3. Ongoing
    Keep using it

    Results last only while you use it. If you stop, hair growth returns to how it was before, usually within about 8 weeks.

What it costs

$91 plus shipping for a 30 g tube. It lasts about 30–60 days, depending on how many areas you treat.

$2.02per day, plus shippingabout $61 per month

Side effects

The most common are acne, burning, stinging, tingling, or redness where you apply it. If your skin gets red or irritated, your provider may have you apply it once a day instead, or stop.

Small red bumps around the hair follicles (folliculitis) should be reported to your provider. Serious allergic reactions are rare. Get medical help right away for a rash with swelling of the face, tongue, or throat, severe dizziness, or trouble breathing.

Before you start

The request form asks about allergies (including to parabens, which may be in the cream), sores or infections on your face, pregnancy and breastfeeding, and whether you use testosterone. It also asks how quickly the hair appeared. Hair that shows up suddenly or with other changes can have a hormone cause worth checking first.

Ready to try it?

Fill out the short request form. It takes about 3 minutes.

  1. Your provider reviews your information.
  2. If you are approved, you'll get a text with a billing link.
  3. The pharmacy ships the cream to your home.

Please make sure you can receive texts from 504-389-2078.

Start your request

References: Anti-Aging Ultra Cream

  1. Schmidt JB, Binder M, Demschik G, Bieglmayer C, Reiner A. Treatment of skin aging with topical estrogens. International Journal of Dermatology. 1996.
  2. Pennington L, Haver MC, Fabi S. Perimenopausal nuances in the aging face: a comprehensive perspective. Facial Plastic Surgery & Aesthetic Medicine. 2026.
  3. Verdier-Sévrain S, Bonté F, Gilchrest B. Biology of estrogens in skin: implications for skin aging. Experimental Dermatology. 2006.
  4. Holzer G, Riegler E, Hönigsmann H, et al. Effects and side-effects of 2% progesterone cream on the skin of peri- and postmenopausal women: results from a double-blind, vehicle-controlled, randomized study. British Journal of Dermatology. 2005.
  5. Gasser S, Heidemeyer K, von Wolff M, Stute P. Impact of progesterone on skin and hair in menopause: a comprehensive review. Climacteric. 2021.
  6. Zouboulis CC, Makrantonaki E. Hormonal therapy of intrinsic aging. Rejuvenation Research. 2012.

The Menopause Clinic · 700 Camp St, Suite 203, New Orleans, LA 70130 · 504-389-2078