Probably there are threads about this already but still asking:
Does going on T automatically cause acne? I had a pretty bad case the first time around - and been grateful I didn't have to endure that ever since... until now.
Is there any possibility that you may not develop it after all? I mean... erm... ::) technically you already had puberty in your childhood, right? And going on T is just... erm... increasing your natural testosterone levels... isn't it? One can hope at least ;D!
Did you have it the first time you went through puberty? Did you have it now while on T? Was there any difference? Or was it even worse on T.....?
Did you get treatment? When? What? Did that help ya out?
Was it bad? Did that phase last for long?
That's one of the things I'm not looking forward to at all with T...
T is known for causing acne in bodybuilders and FTMs... I never had acne during puberty and I don't have it now I'm on T - on the face that is. I got a bit on my back though. Not excessive, but I've never had spots on my back till T.
Chances are you'll get a few more spots than before just because T causes more oil in the skin.
It's not bad enough for me to get a prescription for it, but I can't do much about it at the moment.
Quote from: Kylo on March 18, 2018, 07:01:15 AM
Chances are you'll get a few more spots than before just because T causes more oil in the skin.
Oh no. That's one thing I wouldn't wanna experience again.... :P
Wearing binders and stuff contributed to it. I shouldn't have to wear anything like that in a matter of weeks, maybe that will help keep it down.
It's one of those things the body gets used to. I know I had a few spots on the face at the start of T and I don't get them anymore. Not enough to call acne, but I knew it was from the oil. I just used tea tree products to get rid of it.
It was really light for me the first time, and at least from what I remember it's been equally light the second time as well. In the summer, using one of those cleansing scrubs helps keep the few spots I get at bay. In the winter, even that is too much and just dries me out, and my skin stays clear with just water.
It's way worse on my chest, granted, but that's because I'm binding. And since no one can see my chest acne, it doesn't bother me.
I've always been prone to acne. Got my first zits when I was around 10 or 11 years old. Then it was bad but not "needing medical care" -kind of bad throughout my teens. It calmed down a bit when I was around 18-19 but still got some acne every day. Then I started T at age 21 and the acne got just as bad as it was before again. Then I was off T for a while before I got on it again (for unrelated reasons), and not until I had been on it for about 2-3 years after starting it the second time the acne calmed down again. By then I was around 26 years old. Now a month shy of 29.
Since then and now I still get acne but it's fairly little/mild. Like 2-3 zits a day, on average. Usually on my face, but on rare occasion I get some on my back, chest, arms, stomach or even legs. Like wherever. If I'm stressed it gets worse. It's never been completely gone. I haven't gotten it diagnosed but I suspect I have some form of cystic/adult acne. My mother still gets zits too and she's 58, so it's likely hereditary for me. I have tried several different treatments but nothing has worked. Most treatments I tried made it worse. Nowadays I just wash my face about once a week and moisturise when needed cause I have dry skin too. Yes I have dry skin and acne, which makes the acne more difficult to counter cause most acne treatments dry out the skin, and a lot of moisturisers tend to worsen the acne or even cause flare ups. Also it's a lot worse in my beard for the same reason with the additional lack of oxygen in there. So that sucks. On occasion I put makeup (concealer/foundation) on it but usually I don't. Only if it's really bad and I need to show my face outdoors on that particular day.
As far as I know, testosterone is likely to cause acne, especially if you had it during first puberty. But it may not cause acne for those who did not get that during their first puberty. Testosterone is more likely to cause acne than estrogen. I expected to get acne from T and did get it. It sucks, but for me the pros of taking T still outweigh the cons. Also, if you get acne from it it's likely just gonna stay/be bad for the first year or so, but can last longer if you have acne for other reasons as well like I likely do.
I don't really care that much about my own acne nowadays, like it doesn't bring me down, unless it's hurting and itching at the same time. That drives me crazy. But otherwise I'm okay with it, and the scarring I got from it doesn't bother me. I know it doesn't make me ugly or anything, and other people don't judge me for it. Unless they're jerks, but why would I listen to the opinions of jerks anyway.
For me, i had about as much t as my initial puberty. maybe a tad bit more on T. a new thing for my was cystic acne, which is extremely annoying, and more back acne than i had through my first puberty. My face is more oily in general. try tactupump if you have coverage (as it is like $200/bottle here in canada). it helps, i mean, my face is still oily and i still get acne, but it dries up my skin a bit. my doctor prescribed it to me along with a bottle of antibiotics.
i swear, the cystic acne was so bad i once asked if i got punched in the face due to the bruising around it.
I started using an astringent during my morning skin care and it seems to help :)
Quote from: jay.c on March 19, 2018, 01:11:42 PM
i swear, the cystic acne was so bad i once asked if i got punched in the face due to the bruising around it.
Oh ->-bleeped-<-!!!
I'm prone to being dry rather than oily so I had minimal acne during puberty, and I used to get one or two tiny spots immediately before shark week. Now I have the same small amount after being on T since November, so I'm not really upset as basically nothing has changed...
You've probably heard the standard advice before but I'll repeat it anyway: cut down refined sugar and dairy & drink more water...
Also you can get these little oil absorbing sheets to keep the oil levels down on your face during the day
Lifelong acne sufferer here. Runs in my family. It was needed medical intervention before and after. Just finished my second round of Accutane actually. Removed dairy from my diet and reduced sugar drastically to help. I'm even reducing my T dosage and changing to gel in a few months to see if that helps. So yea for me acne on T has been a horrible experience but it always was.
Quote from: CMD042414 on March 21, 2018, 09:57:58 PM
So yea for me acne on T has been a horrible experience
Oh no xD
didn't have acne pre-t and didn't have acne after T. if i got a pimple, it was gone the next day. i got lucky with that.
Quote from: invisiblemonsters on March 22, 2018, 10:56:06 AM
didn't have acne pre-t and didn't have acne after T. if i got a pimple, it was gone the next day. i got lucky with that.
Hey that's so unfair ;D