Acne

[nyrangers30]

Acne is a really common side effect of T, and mine is pretty terrible. I won't be able to go to the dermatologist until next month, but I was wondering if any of you guys found something that works well for you? How are you treating your acne?

[DragonBeer]

My acne due to T is on my upper back just like my first puberty, which is interesting. There's little to nothing on my face. What I do is use an apricot exfoliating cream to scrub that off every time I shower, St. Ives is a good brand.

[Elis]

I'm not on T yet but I still get adult acne. I find using soap and water at night and moisturiser cream in the morning stops it.

[Tysilio]

Those little wipes with salicylate in them work well for me, although my acne is intermittent and mild. The brand I have is called Oxy-something, I think. OTC.

[sam1234]

Keep the effected area clean with soap and water and just as importantly, try not to touch or squeeze the areas. That can make it worse.

sam1234

[Jameson]

Those little wipes with salicylate in them work well for me, although my acne is intermittent and mild. The brand I have is called Oxy-something, I think. OTC.

Thanks for chiming in, I have been wondering about older skin and if it is as severe as the younger guys. I know of (and have) age related skin changes. I'm pretty weather-beat and have loose skin/wrinkles, it would suck to have acne at the same time. I know that tat artists say that older skin is easier to tat because of its reduced changing and flexibility. Just wondering if it's still a genetic grab bag at any age, or if it may be less so with age. Seems like hair and muscle growth along with other things slow down. I'm hoping the same is true with acne. I didn't have much in my youth.

[ridleysw]

I am struggling with the acne right now, as well.  I am coming up on 5 months on T.  Although I was completely against the idea when my doctor offered a prescription for acne (I believe it is a mild antibiotic they give to teenagers with really bad acne) when she gave me the T prescription, I am starting to contemplate it again.  Any guys here try that route and have feedback?

Right now, the best routine I've found is to wash my face 2-3 times a day (morning, night, and after I work out on gym days) with AcneDote Face & Body Scrub (http://www.albabotanica.com/collections/acnedote/face-body-scrub.html).  I also have one of those scrubbers-on-a-stick that I use to scrub my back (which is where it is the worst and, of course, my T-Rex arms can't reach!).  I also use Burt's Bee's blemish stick on the breakouts on my face, which helps reduce their life span on my face.  I am really sensitive to fragrances and chemicals in general, so these two brands work well for me without causing my skin to get too dry or otherwise irritated.

[invisiblemonsters]

i never had like really bad acne, only a pimple here and there but starting T, only one side of my face (left side, near jawline/neck) has actually broken out and continues to sometimes so i wash my face as often as possible, change your pillow casings often and i use witch hazel with aloe. it seems to have reduced the acne and the redness of it. i tried the oxy pads or w/e but they didn't work. my face clears up pretty fast though (day or two) when i do get acne so i don't worry too much about it.

[youngbuck]

I got slapped with a couple bad breakouts back when I was first starting T and my levels had gotten too high. What worked wonders for me -- besides having my dose lowered to where it needed to be -- was getting on clindamycin gel and azelaic acid gel. I can't recommend them enough, especially the clindamycin. I use that nightly before bed, and the azelaic acid is kind of a spot treatment for whenever I need it. I have sensitive skin, and some of the popular acne regimens (like Proactiv/benzoyl peroxide) are far too harsh for me. These gels do just enough without drying me out or causing irritation.

As for the rest of my hygiene routine, I stopped using powerful cleansers and switched to Cetaphil, which is a gentle, no-frills face wash. That alone probably helped my skin a lot. I wash twice a day with that and moisturize daily. I also regularly wipe down my glasses, phone, and anything else that comes into close, frequent contact with my face. I wash my pillow cases about once a week as well.

Good luck -- I'm glad you're going to the dermatologist. I wasted a lot of time and prolonged my misery by trying to solve it on my own, and it wasn't worth it. I definitely should've sucked it up and gone in before I did.

[nyrangers30]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Over the counter stuff helps treat my face, but does absolutely nothing for my back. It also doesn't prevent new blemishes even when I keep it as clean as possible. I had mild-moderate acne before T so T just made it a big worse. I probably need a prescription treatment because everything I've tried so far hasn't worked at all.

[Bimmer Guy]

I didn't have acne in my first puberty, but I had bad cystic acne in my 20's.  The ONLY thing that worked was tetracycline, which I understand is bad-for-you stuff.  It thinned my hair out, which is still thin.

Right now I am having pimples above my upper lip and a bit to the sides of my mouth.  No where else.  I am using this set of products.  http://www.dhccare.com/salicylic-acne-set  Really, I think all the over the counter stuff is the same.  All of them seem to have 2% salicylic acid in the products.  I only have this one because my mother always purchases from this company and asked me if I wanted anything.  I use them twice a day.  Once after my morning shower and then before bed.

I use stridex pads throughout the day.

I probably will have to go to a dermatologist at some point, which is annoying.

[Exus]

I am 10 months and I get crazy acne on my back, it itches like hell and some on my face but not as bad compare to my back.

[Tossu-sama]

I always had a mild constant acne ever since my first puberty and it didn't really get out of control on T until I switched from Testogel to Sustanon. That's when it went crazy and made my face look like a black death bubble wrap. Nothing really worked on that but it's gotten better now that I'm on Nebido (and when I stay away from certain foods, chocolate is a huge no-no).

I haven't got rid of it but it's manageable and I'm happy with that. I use Basiron wash gel every time I shower and I think it's made a little difference. As long as my face isn't red all over like it used to be. I looked like a damn drunk.

[Mr.X]

High T levels due to the spiking effect of sustanon gave me the worst acne ever. I got cystic acne, which resulted in huge blister like blemishes on my jaws. Very painful. I had many antibiotic treatments before the dermatologist had to put me on accutane. That stuff is harsh, but did the job, in combination with switching to androgel, which is a lot more stable. Two months later, the acne was gone.

[Rengar]

You can try a product called "African Black Soap" from Nubian Heritage! I use it on my face and for my upper arm KP. It works wonders for me. Don't sweat about the name either. It's proper for all skin tones.

[Bimmer Guy]

I didn't have acne in my first puberty, but I had bad cystic acne in my 20's.  The ONLY thing that worked was Accutane, which I understand is bad-for-you stuff.  It thinned my hair out, which is still thin.

Right now I am having pimples above my upper lip and a bit to the sides of my mouth.  No where else.  I am using this set of products.  http://www.dhccare.com/salicylic-acne-set  Really, I think all the over the counter stuff is the same.  All of them seem to have 2% salicylic acid in the products.  I only have this one because my mother always purchases from this company and asked me if I wanted anything.  I use them twice a day.  Once after my morning shower and then before bed.

I use stridex pads throughout the day.

I probably will have to go to a dermatologist at some point, which is annoying.

ETA:  Edited to change Tetracycline to Accutane, because that is what meant.  Since this posting my T provider prescribed me Adapalene and that seems to be working ok, but it really hasn't been that long.  She wanted to give me some other gel, but my insurance didn't cover it.

[nyrangers30]

To anyone who did accutane - did you have any trouble getting on it? I've heard its hard to get on especially if you have a history of mental health issues.

[Sebryn]

I had no trouble getting on it but they do require you to be on two different forms of birth control. I took it long enough to treat the acne and then stopped. It can also cause keloid scarring if you get an injury btw so definitely do not take this anywhere near a surgery date.

I use apricot scrub and a loofa (not together) to keep acne under control now and occasionally Epi-Duo, which worked pretty good for me when I first started T before the cystic acne took over.

[Mr.X]

To anyone who did accutane - did you have any trouble getting on it? I've heard its hard to get on especially if you have a history of mental health issues.

Accutane is a last resort and only used when other means have shown ineffective. I had to try two courses of antibiotics and injections directly into the cysts before I was given accutane. But my dermo was rather easy once the decision was made. No need for birth control and he didn't check mental issues. But if you are prone to depression, accutane may not be for you. It has a list of nasty side effects, including depression and suicidal thoughts. My brother became severely depressed because of the stuff. Also, I think it made my TSH (the thyroid gland) levels higher. After I stopped accutane, they went back to normal.

[FTMax]

There was another thread about acne remedies somewhere. In it, someone recommended the regimen that I've been following for the last few months. No breakouts on my face, my skin is clearer than ever, etc. Super cost effective too. I started getting little breakouts on my shoulders where I apply my gel, so I started doing the same thing there, and it's all cleared up.

- Exfoliate with epsom salt/warm water as needed
- Wash face with hydrogen peroxide
- Rinse with warm water
- Apply olive oil as a moisturizer

I'm just using a bottle of H2O2, but I believe they make wipes as well. It's seriously worked better for me than any acne-specific product I've ever used, and I've used quite a few due to terrible skin.