Susan's Place Transgender Resources

ACNE!  noooo!  its like the plague of teens.  how bad was it for you?

I don't remember exactly, but I don't think it was that obvious before 1 month. So 1-2 months. it's not horribly bad but it's there and it's annoying. I also developed it places I never got it before, like my cheeks and shoulders.

I've always gotten zits before T, even on my back and chest. But now it's ridiculous. I'm glad they're in more hidden places than on my face, but my God! I'm interested in at what length on T did the acne die down some.

Pre-T. I've had moderate acne since I was oh I dunno, 13.. It's turning cystic right now  :o
That was  the only good thing about taking estrogens, I became almost acne-free after awhile.

I'm not on T but have loads of spots anyway :(

before T id have maybe 3-4 pimples at a time, now i have too many to count. >_<  i have acne from the bottom of my ribs and up around my whole body.  then again, like radar said, at least its not all over my face.  i probably have like 10 on my face and maybe 100ish on my shoulders, back, and chest.

Before T: I had fairly bad facial acne

After T: Facial acne has improved drastically (but this is most likely not the T and more the fact that I've taken more of an interest in my appearance/personal hygiene since beginning transition), but the acne on my back is out of control!

I'm super worried about this! I get some acne now, not to bad. But im a pretty boy lol i think i am going to ask my doctor for a perscription the day i get my first shot. I dont want to take any chances

ugh.  2 weeks on T tomorrow and my face has gone from an occasional zit to multiple (3-4) scattered around my face (where my hands rest during class/when bored ect.)  its rather unfortunate.  I never suffered acne problems during my teen years and now its seemingly pretty annoying... There are other factors that could have contributed though.  I'm trying to rule them out and mean while am going to attempt invest in some skin care products.

Before T, 13-20: acne on cheeks, chin, forehead; on chest; back and shoulders covered with cystic acne (at least a hundred--ow).

Before T, 21-22: acne cleared up somewhat due to use of some seriously heavy-duty topical medications from my dermatologist.  After discontinuing use of creams (expensive), some acne came back, but it was mostly superficial and not of the nasty infected cystic variety.

After T: it took 3-4 months for the acne to get back to the way it was when I was age 13-20.  Started using same creams at around 6 months on T.  It's getting things under control.  A combination of the creams + doxycycl actually made me almost blemish free (the doxycycl was prescribed as a malaria prophylactic, but apparently it's also used to treat acne), but the doxy messed with my stomach too much so I won't be looking into continuing the prescription.  Since stopping it, the acne has made a bit of a comeback.

Pre-T I never had it, I had one spot when I came on that was about it. NOW though they are all plagued over my face at the moment.. its like an invasion. It gets worse with shaving I find.. I really hate it... I've never had it and now I hate it!   :-\

Jay

I fear the acne. Hopefully I don't get it too bad. Right now I have really clear skin, always have. Usually there is only a pimple or two at a time or none whatsoever. Most pop up on my shoulder back area so no one ever sees them even when they do appear.
I tend to get really busy and stressed, so I rub my shoulders. That's why most of them decide to show up there.
When I go on T I wonder if I will have it really bad or just have a little more since I've never had it horrible. Guess I'll have to find out.

I never had a lot of ache pre-T, and thought I was doing ok on T with only minor ache, then after about 3-4 months I started to get heaps, espically up along the side of my neck and face. Nothing too major but enough to take cream for. It's cleared up for the most part now, so Ill see how it goes

As a teenage boy, I remember being on accutane, and laying in the dermatologist's office having my whole back lanced with special chemicals, several months in a row before giving up and suffering.


You poor dudes are in for a treat.  :embarrassed:

Quote from: Jay on September 18, 2009, 02:33:09 AM
...It gets worse with shaving I find...

same here.  but only if i shave using an actual razor.  its fine if i use an electric shaver.

I only got the occasional zit when I was a teenager, and then my chin and back started breaking out pretty badly when I was in my early 20's.  The only thing that helped was ortho cyclene.  It started coming back shortly after I started T, though that probably had as much to do with having been off the female hormones for a few months, as with starting the testosterone.  I'd say it started getting bad around a month in, and really bad at about 3 months, especially in my beard area.  Now, at nearly 5 month, it seems to be getting a little better.  I'm not sure, however, how much of that is my body getting used to the T, how much is my shaving technique improving, and how much is the tetracyclene that my doctor prescribed me finally kicking in and working.

I know what's causing alot of my problem- my binder. I have more zits on my chest, across the shoulders and on my back. Since the summers here are so hot and humid I sweat alot and the zits seem to follow the top of the binder. I'm hoping when cooler weather comes and I sweat less the zits will die down some.

I've done some research on home remedies for acne and found a few things. As well as using the acne pads I'm also taking zinc and B vitamins. Supposedly that helps. There's no improvement yet but I've only been taking it for a week. I'm curious- any guys out there who have found a home remedy that worked for them? I don't want to have to go to a doctor just for stupid zits.  ::)

not really a home remedy, but a cheap one.  walgreens brand acne gel/cream with benzoyl peroxide.  i say walgreens brand because its 4x cheaper and has the same active ingredient as the name brand stuff.  im sure other pharmacies will have their offbrand version too.

it started to clear up my acne in about 3 days, but i wasnt very diligent, then i somehow managed to lose it so it all came back. >_<

Thanks Josh, I'll try that out.

I definitely developed more pimples and got them in places that I didn't before T (rest of body for instance) but it never got to a stage I'd call 'acne'. So, I couldn't really vote on the poll.

Try scrubbing it (with clearasil ultra) twice daily. That really helps! That and antibiotics and an acne kit (sold in most grocery/drug stores) for severe acne. I went from severe to almost none in about 1-2 months.

As for the original survey: it started to get really bad at 5-6 months. 


ultra)

Quote from: Radar on September 18, 2009, 07:11:19 AM
I know what's causing alot of my problem- my binder. I have more zits on my chest, across the shoulders and on my back. Since the summers here are so hot and humid I sweat alot and the zits seem to follow the top of the binder. I'm hoping when cooler weather comes and I sweat less the zits will die down some.

I've done some research on home remedies for acne and found a few things. As well as using the acne pads I'm also taking zinc and B vitamins. Supposedly that helps. There's no improvement yet but I've only been taking it for a week. I'm curious- any guys out there who have found a home remedy that worked for them? I don't want to have to go to a doctor just for stupid zits.  ::)

QuoteRe: how long before you deveoped acne on T?

1 month.

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Hey guys. I took Josh's advise and got an acne multi-step kit with benzoyl peroxide in it. I got the AcneFree Severe 4-step kit made by University Medical. You use 4 different products- 1,2 & 3 in the morning and 1,2 & 4 at night. I used it last night and this morning and I can already tell a difference! Many of the zits are already smaller, less red and less irritating. Hopefully it will keep working. I got the kit at Wal-Mart for around $22. Of course YMMV.

I got acne around 1-2 months on T, mostly on my back and shoulders.  It's not as bad as I expected though

I'm having almost none. I got a few extra zits but that seems to not be happening at all now, hot weather = sweating a lot and going to the gym and then doing a good scrub in the shower right after may be helping.

I thought I'd go back to like my 20s, zit city but so far no problem - I've been all ready to buy all kinds of zit pads again lol.

One thing though, I um, er, found a BIG one the day before yesterday on my er, um, right nut sack. Pinch. Ow. Cured. Sheesh!

Sigh. This poll is flawed. What if you never had acne problems as a teenager and have never had acne problems while on T? I used to get a zit every month or three when I was a teenager. As a pre-T adult, I used to get a zit or two every once in a while. On T, I get maybe a zit or two every month. The only real difference between now and pre-T is that a few of my zits post-T have been cystic. They go away in a couple of days. No biggie.

I know, I know, it could still happen, but I'm doubting more and more that it ever will. I've suffered from eczema (often quite severe) and chronically dry skin all my life, and even now my skin is so dry that I still have to use my hypoallergenic body lotion. (Good thing, too, 'cause the stuff is expensive and I have half a dozen bottles stocked up.)

It stands to reason that if any transguy is likely to remain acne-free, it would be I.

I had one guy get really pissed at me not too long ago at a support group meeting. Good-looking guy. He was pre-T and was having a huge problem with the possibility of serious long-term acne. Everyone was telling him that his appetite and libido would increase and that he would definitely get zits; I protested that these effects don't always happen to everybody and that he might get lucky and escape some of them. I offered myself as an example; although my sex drive is through the roof, T hasn't changed my appetite or given me acne. Not yet, anyway.

I won't go into the whole thing here, but he reacted with quite a bit of venom. I still don't know what his problem was. After the meeting, other people were going out of their way to tell me that I could still get pretty bad acne and not to count my chickens. They seemed to think that the condition was inevitable.

I'm starting to wish for a monstrous outbreak just so people will stop telling me that I'm surely due for a monstrous outbreak any minute.

There was a study just released that a lack of vegetables/fruits in the diet can cause acne.  Also, lack of sleep.  Also, stress and anxiety.  However, if you sleep like a cat, eat lots of dark leafy greens and orange vegetables along with good, ripe fruit, it's likely your acne will clear up significantly.  Along with that, use any acne medication you find that works for you.  Your milage may vary, as they say.  Maybe AcneFree is good.  I've yet to give it a try.  Also, use some sort of body wash on the chest, neck, and back.  Body acne is even worse than facial acne.  Just gross, if you ask me.

I've always had acne.  Since I was about 12.  My younger brother also has it, not much worse than mine.  So my acne will either clear somewhat on T as it has for others (because hormone imbalances may be less severe, who knows?), or it will worsen to be about as bad as the men in my family have had it.  Genetically, we have oily skin.  Maybe I'm in for a ride. But diet and sleep are important factors, so take care of yourself.

Quote from: Alex_C on September 19, 2009, 11:33:48 PM
One thing though, I um, er, found a BIG one the day before yesterday on my er, um, right nut sack. Pinch. Ow. Cured. Sheesh!

probably an ingrown hair.  i get them there from time to time.  i know what you mean though.   OUCH!

Was a good 8-10 months. now I only get them on my lower chin area..shoulders, and upper back. They're fun to pop, at least.

Ahh one of those guilty pleasures....

I just found this on another website and thought I'd post it here!!! ^_^

QuoteA few years ago when my daughter was about 15 and experiencing some acne, we were at the dermatologists office. An older man was there and started talking to her. He was a retired army vet and he told her something he learned from a fellow soldier he roomed with - a cure for acne and by God it worked for her immediately. She never had acne again after that...
He told her to buy some isopropyl and a bottle of real aspirin (Bayers we bought). Crush up quite a few aspirin and add the powder to the isopropyl alcohol. Shake the bottle well each time you use it and just dab the pimple with a q-tip dipped in the mixture. Those are the usual ingredients in all acne treatments anyway. This way too you aren't drying out your entire face either. The people I have shared this with swear by it.

Cool. Any idea the aspirin to isopropyl ratio?

"quite a few" lol.


There will be a fixed amount of acetosalicylic acid that can dissolve in the isopropyl, so the excess will just sit on the bottom of the bottle and not do harm, I doubt the concentration is cricital so just take a handful and smash 'em up and dump 'em in and shake.


You can get the aspirin and the alcohol for a batch of this for $5 or less at any bargain place.

This is essentially the recipe for Wolfman Jack's fave cocktail, Stridex juice!

And it does work, I've been using just a bit of isopropyl alone as an "aftershave" I learned it from a buddy of mine.

So far I'm only slightly more zitty from T and I'm hardly zitty anyway. Amazing!

Before I began T I had acne worse on my face than I do now (I've been on it for over 2 years, think it died down after the first couple of months). However I also have always had acne on my back and shoulders. This got worse after I began T, almost immediately.

The last few months it seems to be getting much worse though and I am not sure if this has anything to do with the T or something else. I went from having acne mostly on my shoulder, chest and upper back to now having it all the way down my back with even a bit on the top of my ass. It is also beginning to develop more on my sides as well, still not actually on the side of my body but it's as if it is slowly inching it's way there over the months.

I suspect that my chest acne and back acne are plotting to come together... there is so much of it I honestly feel like my body is Risk game board and I am loosing the war haha.