One hundred and ten women who were scheduled for osteodensitometry were invited to participate. Skin thickness was measured with a mechanical calliper. The coefficient of correlation varies greatly among these studies and is not consistently statistically significant. These differences can be explained by the methodologies used by the different authors. Although skin thickness cannot replace BMD in identifying women with low bone mass in whom estrogen replacement therapy is indicated, we think that skin thickness may become a helpful tool in screening women.
Further research is needed before clinical recommendations are given.