Researchers have found that a female sex hormone may help patients suffering from a serious immune disease which is majorly represented by the thickening of skin. The findings showed that blocking oestrogens -- the female hormones -- might help women suffering from systemic sclerosis (SSc). SSc -- also known as scleroderma which means 'hardskin' -- is an autoimmune disease affecting multiple organs and which predominantly affects women. The excessive production of proteins such as collagen by fibroblasts in the body results in the thickening and hardening of the skin particularly of the hands and face -- a defining feature of