Effects of T on Acne

[kyril]

Anyone have (moderate) adult acne prior to starting T? If so, what effects did the T have? Did it get worse for a while and then return to normal? Did it eventually go away entirely like it seems to in adult men? Did it just get worse and stay worse?

I'm wondering because my acne seems to be triggered exclusively by sudden changes in hormone levels. I can almost make it go away (on my face) over a period of a couple of weeks, but then it just flares back up again and I have to start over. My back is hopeless because it takes longer to clear up than the time between monthlies. So would having a more stable hormone level improve things? Or would it just make it worse? Will my skin get less delicate so I can use stronger treatments without it all peeling off? What can I expect?

[Nero]

Well, I think I'm still in the acne stage at just about a year. I had moderate acne beforehand. It's not that it's gotten worse, it's that it now covers a larger area - mostly upper arms but a little all over. Though it has calmed down a lot in recent months. As for the face, I now get them on weird places I never did before like my cheeks.
Skin texture is different, though I think it's due to the whole facial hair/shaving thing.
I don't know if your skin condition now or your first puberty are reliable indicators. There's a reason that most crater faces are male. Maybe look at male relatives.

[kyril]

Yeah, my male relatives have perfect skin. Bastards. It's only the women who have acne (going on into their 80s, in my grandmother's case...) so maybe T will be good for me?

[myles]

I had acne before T. At first I had less acne, well now it is coming back with avenges. I now have rally bad acne, I am actually going to schedule an appointment with my doc next week so I can get something for it. Hoping it will go away on it's own, been on T about a year and a month.
Myles

[jet3]

I had some acne befrore I started T, but I would only get it on my face.  Now that I am on T I don't get as much on my face, but I get some on my shoulders now.  I might be a bad example though because I got a perscription for acne from my doctor right when I started.  I think the perscription has helped a lot though because for the most part my face is usually clear and my shoulders don't get bad at all. I'm also a lot better about washing my face every morning and every night. I recently started using clean and clear 3 in 1 exfoliating cleanser and clearisil ultra action pads, and they have helped a ton! I also use the pads on my shoulders now and I barely get any acne on my shoulders anymore either.

[Teknoir]

I also had acne before T, but it wasn't too bad.

First 3 weeks it cleared up a bit as my skin texture changed. Then it came back worse than it was pre-T. It got about as bad as it did the first time around.

6 weeks, and it's starting to clear again. I have had to adjust my routine though. I've noticed the increase in acne tied in with my face getting a whole lot greasier. Fixing that with more frequent cleansing helps a lot.

Also - change your pillow case more often. Daily if you can. It collects a lot of face grease.

Thankfully, I've so far escaped backne.

[Jamie-o]

It's really hard for me to say.  Pre-T the only way I could control the acne was to use the BC pill.  I went off the pill about 2-3 months before starting T, so it started getting bad again right around the time the testosterone was hitting my system. Not sure if it was the presence of T, or the absence of E, or both that was at issue then.   It continued to be a problem until about 4 or 5 months ago when I finally worked out something with my doctor that worked reasonably well for me.  I still have some problems with acne, but now it's mostly small eruptions on my forehead and cheeks, rather than the cystic acne I used to get on my chin and back.  Shortly after starting T I also got a little bit on my chest, which I had never had (other than occasionally under the dread fat bags.)  Fortunately, that seems to have finally cleared up.  My skin is definitely more oily than before.

P.S.  I have found that I get less "bacne" if I use dandruff shampoo when I wash my hair.  A lot of dandruff shampoos use the same ingredients as acne medications.  I thought I'd throw that out there as something to try, for those of you who are having trouble with acne on your backs. 

[Greg]

pre T I had moderate acne on my face and shoulders. Since I started T the skin on my face is much more clear, not completely spotless but noticeably better. I have more spots on my shoulders and chest but that could be to do with taking testogel.

[peterrabbit]

My mum had it really bad as a teenager and it has left her skin pretty scarred, but my dads side of the family has nice skin. Luckily I only copped it mildly when I went through puberty at 12 or so. But I still have atleast 2 pimples on my face at a time.. but hey im 16, lol.

I'm just hoping the acne gene doesn't somehow pull from my mum side of me when im on T.

[Luc]

I had a decent bit of acne on my face during the first puberty, but since being on T (I think I'm about 2 years in), it's only been cropping up on my arms and back, and once in awhile on my neck. For some reason, though it can be really severe on my back, I've only had one or two zits on my face in the past year or so. Prior to going on T, I only had problems with acne around the monthly horror (I was 25, so WAY past first puberty). So I guess you could say it got better or worse, dependent upon your definition.

SD

[Devin87]

I just started T a little less than a week ago and I'm already noticing I'm starting to break out on my chin.  I have maybe a pimple or two pre-t, but I've currently got 8 or 9 coming in on my face.     I'm happy to see it because it's proof the t is starting to affect my body, but still...

[LordKAT]

The acne is minor, the ton of oil dripping off my face is what drives me nuts.

[Radar]

I had acne pretty bad as a teenager but lucked out on it not scarring my face. All my adult life I've gotten acne- face, neck, back, chest, you name it.

I've tried different things and while many things help I'll tell you the best thing. This was recommended awhile ago here. Get some isopropyl alcohol, crush up some asparin and add it to the alcohol and mix. Clean yourself with it twice a day and you will notice a HUGE difference. Not only does it work better than anything else I've tried but it's super cheap too.