In mice, yes. A study published in Nature by researchers at the Université libre de Bruxelles and the University of Cambridge tracked individual skin stem cells in living mice for five months and found that female and male skin renews itself differently. In females, the two “sister” cells made by one stem-cell division usually make the same choice at the same time (both divide again, or both mature), while in males they act more independently.
Sex hormones drive the difference. Testosterone, in the form of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), speeds up how quickly skin cells mature and leave the stem-cell layer, while estrogen (estradiol) boosts stem-cell multiplication and keeps sister cells in sync. Wounds closed substantially faster in female mice, especially in the first few days after injury, and testosterone also sped up stem-cell maturation in lab-grown human skin, which suggests part of the mechanism may apply to people.
Image: “Skin- epidermis and dermis,” unknown illustrator, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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