NUMEROUS observations point to a relationship between the steroid hormones and certain dermatologic disorders. This is particularly true in certain conditions associated with profound systemic and metabolic changes. Significant sex incidences are common.1 Cutaneous sensitivity to allergens has been reported to have its peak at the time of greatest estrogen deprivations in women.2 Furthermore, the correlation of the time of onset of certain cutaneous diseases, exacerbations or remissions with epochs of life during which hormonal balances are undergoing change is significant. Sterilization in women is known to affect the course of some of these diseases.3
Hormonal determinations have been largely confined to the study of acne.4 Various methods have been employed in these determinations, in most instances making it difficult to compare the results quantitatively. Methods in use at the present time for estrogen determinations do not consider quantitatively or qualitatively the various types of estrogens and,