Is TRT going to bring my teenage acne back.. I can't live like that.. Or with low T..

[changeyourlife]

I am extremely worried as I was put on TRT now that I am 30.. my doctor and I tried EVERYTHING possible to bring natural levels up first and nothing worked.. I am now on TRT and i'm 1 week in... 150mg/week and I've been reading it causes acne in people that didn't even really have acne as a teen..

MY ACNE WAS ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING! I used to f**king BREAK DOWN in highschool and was to the point of being suicidal over it . I could not run a needle nosed object more than maybe a few millimeters without hitting another pimple. ALL OVER my face neck chest shoulders and back.. Senior year in high school everything cleared up except my back and I came out of puberty as a decently attractive guy. I have had mildish back acne ever since.. and a clear face other than the occasional pimple. I have had no severe acne break outs since high school.. Occasional pimple on face and legs.. mild on back..

I am absolutely TERRIFIED that TRT is going to bring my acne back. I can't live with the side effects of low T but I also can't live with the acne I had as a teenager.

Do you guys think because I had EXTREME acne during teenage years that I will also be prone to EXTREME acne during TRT? I don't know what else to do if my TRT brings back that acne.. I will go into depression regardless of low T/high T... I don't know how to win this one..


What has your experience been like with acne and testosterone? For you guys on TRT or cycles either one!

Is acne caused more by the fluctuation in hormones or just having higher progesterone in general?

I'm so damn scared.

 

[halfwit]

Acne has many different causes and types. While there are those which do get it from androgenic activity, many actually see it from estradiol elevation or hormonal swings. You can control the two latter by having a good protocol such as injecting every three and a half days, which keeps things stable and helps prevent extra aromatization. There are also aromatase inhibitors that effectively decrease the amount of estradiol you make from testosterone.

Unfortunately, it's very individualistic, so there won't be a general consensus that will 100% apply to you. I didn't have acne problems as a teen (of course I thought I did at the time), and I don't get acne from TRT either. My skin is a little more oily, but I have yet to see any tremendous amount of breakouts over the last 6 years or so because of it.

My .02c

 

[luckypaul]

I broke out on my back the first few cycles. Nothing like puberty though. Really no problem since.

 

[changeyourlife]

I broke out on my back the first few cycles. Nothing like puberty though. Really no problem since.

So puberty was worse for you than being on cycle? How bad was your acne during puberty?? Do you think just because I had horrible acne during puberty mean i'm going to be prone to it from test injections? I'm terrified. Like this is extremely serious to me :/ I can't cut off TRT but I CAN'T go back to having acne like I did. I'd never be able to have another relationship again.. regardless of feeling good.. The acne would just bring me back to depression. I can tolerate mild body acne but I can't do what I had during puberty..

 

[Teutonic]

Impossible to predict. We all are different...all I can say is control the estro and hope the extra oil s do not manifest themselves in acne. This is one of those scenarios where u close your eye s and jump.
I had zero acne as a teen age Master Baiter, zero now but my hair and finger nail growth is alarming ( he say s scratching his head needing another haircut with coke snorting qualified finger nails)

 

[omgmike1]

Reminds me of my first post on this site. I know how it feels man, straight to the core.

The best way to control acne from trt is to find a stability that works for urself.

U want the least amount of hormone fluctuation possible. So find a pinning time and dosage and do it around the same. I could pin my test once a week, but I do it e3d to help remove the coaster ride of hormones.

Either way, u mostly want to be looking at e2. Make sure it's not too low or crashed ever. I've learned from this site that e2 is quite important when it comes to hormonal acne. I don't think u will need a AI ever running trt for whatever reason. So it shouldn't be a huge problem tbh. I'd just focus on keep it stable. I don't suggest doing trt protocol that req 1 pin every 2 weeks.

Also, if u ARE prone to acne. Messing with ur hormones will bring it back. I'm not talking a few pimples from back in the day, I'm saying if it hit u like a rock in the past. it will come back. So best be careful and follow the routine I posted up here.

EDIT: Half basically said the same thing as me. I learned it from him lol. Hes a good guy

 

[Mad- scientist]

I just started TRT about a month ago and It did give me some acne. I feel like the acne did get better over time though. The first 3 weeks being on TRT seemed to be the worst, then it started to level out and get a lot better. I still have a few zits here and there but they are not really bad. I would recommend possibly aiming for lower total testosterone levels while on TRT like 600ng/dl to 700ng/dl the higher your testosterone levels are the more acne you are going to get most likely.

I think the reason why I noticed more acne in the first few weeks was because some of my pours were clogged and since testosterone increases oil production in your skin it caused some of my clogged pours to turn into acne. Then once the pours turned into zits and popped they were unclogged and the acne wasn't as bad. Honestly that is just all a theory I came up with and I could be completely wrong. Managing estrogen is very important in order to not get acne to.

I'll ramble off a few things that can help to keep acne under control. Here is what I have found helps with acne: a clean diet, abstaining from drinking alcohol, drinking lots of water, rinsing off your face a couple times a day, taking showers at a medium temperature, showering after any activity that makes you sweat a decent amount, clean bed sheets, clean pillow case, clean shirts, and avoiding any toxins. Spacing your injections out twice a week is very important to.

If you notice your acne getting very bad I would recommend not wasting any time and go to a dermatologist. Also you mentioned feeling like killing your self when you get very bad acne I would recommend staying away from Accutane if you have suicidal thoughts in your mind when it comes to acne. If you do get horrible acne while on TRT I recommend you start seeing a therapist and possibly get on some anti depressants if you get very depressed about the acne, and start having suicidal thoughts. A lot of times acne will go away and the scars fade over time. When I had horrible cystic acne from to big of a steroid cycle I genuinely hated my life so I understand how you feel.

 

[Gossamer]

FYI,

I had pretty severe cystic acne in high school.

On trt, I have acne again. Right now, it's primarily on my back, but I get pimples on my face and shoulders too. My E2 is at a good level, and I inject twice a week. I believe the acne is from the test itself, not a high or low E2 level.

From what I've read, if you are prone to acne, you will have a greater chance of acne reoccurring on trt.

As bad as the acne can be, the alternative(low t) is much worse.

 

[changeyourlife]

FYI,

I had pretty severe cystic acne in high school.

On trt, I have acne again. Right now, it's primarily on my back, but I get pimples on my face and shoulders too. My E2 is at a good level, and I inject twice a week. I believe the acne is from the test itself, not a high or low E2 level.

From what I've read, if you are prone to acne, you will have a greater chance of acne reoccurring on trt.

As bad as the acne can be, the alternative(low t) is much worse.

Does it come back AS BAD as it was in highschool/puberty though?

 

[Gossamer]

Does it come back AS BAD as it was in highschool/puberty though?

For me, no. Not nearly as bad. I had really bad acne on my face, when I was younger. Only the occasional pimple on my face now. But when I was younger, I didn't really have acne on my back. I do now.

My case may not be your case. I think diet plays a big part in it too. For me, sugar causes breakouts. I know because I'll go days or even a week without having a soda. Then if I drink one, a day or two later, I'll break out. The same with candy.

So your causes of acne may not be the same as mine.

 

[changeyourlife]

For me, no. Not nearly as bad. I had really bad acne on my face, when I was younger. Only the occasional pimple on my face now. But when I was younger, I didn't really have acne on my back. I do now.

My case may not be your case. I think diet plays a big part in it too. For me, sugar causes breakouts. I know because I'll go days or even a week without having a soda. Then if I drink one, a day or two later, I'll break out. The same with candy.

So your causes of acne may not be the same as mine.

That is a massive relief.. I can deal with some back acne or even shoulders.. But I can't deal with a broken out face.. I was one of the extreme examples in high school.. It was so bad I wouldn't even go out during the day.. I only went out at night. ever since maybe junior year in high school my face cleared up and it never came back. Other than the occasional pimple of course.

 

[Bloody Q]

Stable blood levels will solve your problem. Try to hit the needle every day with small doses. For example you use 150 mg once a week right? Hit 20-25 mg every day. If acne was gone, try to hit every other day. Find ur best!

 

[changeyourlife]

Stable blood levels will solve your problem. Try to hit the needle every day with small doses. For example you use 150 mg once a week right? Hit 20-25 mg every day. If acne was gone, try to hit every other day. Find ur best!

Damn I don't know if I could do it every single day haha. That would be my last resort but I WOULD do it if it comes down to that.

I've had one injection so far of the 150.. I'm going to switch it up to 75mg twice a week. if I see acne i'll go eod.. this is awesome advice though thank you!

 

[whitneyhorton]

I understand the way you feel about acne. You might get acne again and it might be worse than the one you had in your teens. I read that people who had acne as teens are more prone to acne when using these medicines than people who didn't have acne as teens. I used to have acne as a teen and I did get acne again when I went on this medication. I have just started to recover from my acne attack after almost a month of using L'Oreal and All Purpose Hydroquinone Cream. I think making myself look good physically is worth having acne for. It heals anyway.

 

[casanovaaa]

I understand the way you feel about acne. You might get acne again and it might be worse than the one you had in your teens. I read that people who had acne as teens are more prone to acne when using these medicines than people who didn't have acne as teens. I used to have acne as a teen and I did get acne again when I went on this medication. I have just started to recover from my acne attack after almost a month of using L'Oreal and All Purpose Hydroquinone Cream. I think making myself look good physically is worth having acne for. It heals anyway.

What are you cycling and what dosages? best way to get rid of acne for me is a tanning bed.

 

[casanovaaa]

I understand the way you feel about acne. You might get acne again and it might be worse than the one you had in your teens. I read that people who had acne as teens are more prone to acne when using these medicines than people who didn't have acne as teens. I used to have acne as a teen and I did get acne again when I went on this medication. I have just started to recover from my acne attack after almost a month of using L'Oreal and All Purpose Hydroquinone Cream. I think making myself look good physically is worth having acne for. It heals anyway.

acne may heal but the majority will leave a scar. what caused your acne attack withney?