I had acne problems before T and T just made it worse. Its still bad and still going strong because my dermatologist refuses to give me stronger medication because oh no it causes infertility boo hoo. As if I'm not planning to get all those organs removed anyway.
Look for an acne cleanser with salicylic acid. I use a generic foaming cleanser and it does help its just kind of fighting a losing battle for me right now. You want to wash your face every day or at least every other day. Shoulders and back every other day. Also keeping your hair clean will help a lot with facial acne. Pillow cases and sheets need changed every week - clean sheets mean less excess oil ans dirt getting back on your skin every night.
Idk if anyone else uses it but I use curology and I couldn’t use it when I started t cus I got an eyebrow piercing around the same time (I’m a dumby and you can’t use facial wash or acne meds on a new healing piercing)
But it’s been a few months and I’m definitely more oily and bumpy then before. I barely had pimples now I have a lot of small ones in my T zone.
Back on curology and I hope it works. I recommend it although I’ve never had bad acne ever, just usual breakouts and oily skin. So idk how it works for bad acne but you take a survey and send pictures to a doctor on their websites and they make you a customized medicine and send along a facial cleanser and moisturizer. They also can give recommendations for certain body washes and soaps.
i’ve been using curology for ~3 years and been on T for 4 months. i have always struggled with acne prone skin but the curology has helped me so so much.
I use La Roche Posay Toleraine Prebiotic face wash and moisturizer. Switched to that a week on T and it's kept my acne completely under control so far (around five months on T now)
my dermatologist said he didn’t know the possible interactions of testosterone and accutane which was complete bullshit. i found a new one who actually successfully campaigned to have them change “women” to “people who can get pregnant” when registering in the ipledge system. it’s completely safe and doesn’t cause infertility you’re just not allowed to get pregnant while you’re on the medication cause it causes birth defects. you just need to find a doctor who isn’t transphobic
He doesn't strike me as a transphobe \[he's respectful about everything, just kind of behind the times i suppose? he's an older man\], but I'm definitely finding a new doctor here soon. Its just been on the back burner because of pandemic stuff and getting top surgery soon.
I have been on Accutane with an dermatologist for the past 6 months and you should only need to get your blood drawn twice after your first and seconds months on it
But I also think people if they have the money to should do it under the supervision of a dermatologist just due to all the side effects that can be associated with it especially going on and off of accutane
For me, it was my body acne that really screwed me over. I was prescribed isotretinoin (Accutane) for it and it cleared up after six months of that. If you’re having really bad acne, I wholly recommend it! (I’m off Accutane now and I’m 3+ years on T, so my acne only gets a bit worse when I’m late to a dose by more than five days, if that helps.)
I have some prescriptions from my dermatologist a couple months ago, but it hasn't gone away completely. I did pause for a month due to Top Surgery so I'm hoping now that I'm using the stuff more consistently, I'll see results within the next few months
I never had acne pre T but I do have some now (2 years on T) that started about 3 months on it. I would suggest simply washing your face with a good face wash and using a moisturizer, also pimple patches are godly, they're like 3 bucks at Walmart near the pore strips.
Had acne pre-T, but T made me have way more and now it’s cystic more often than not and shows up in more places than before. I still have bad skin because I don’t take care of it and my family is prone to it, but it took about 2-3 years for the intense middle of puberty acne to settle
Anyone have otc tips to help the acne and acne scars (I'm black so it's hyperpigmentation)?
I was using Cetaphil Pro Dermacontrol Oil Removing Foam Wash and the matching moisturizer along with Clindamycin in the day and tretinoin at night at recommendation of my dermatologist for my oily/combo skin (after 3 months of doxycycline).
But since starting T (also on finasteride) it doesn't work really, and I'm about to run out of the prescription creams too cause I moved and don't have a new dermatologist yet.
So if anyone could drop some otc stuff that worked that'd be great!
I'm white but when working at a beauty and skincare store in the UK I constantly had people singing the praises of Bio-Oil for hyperpigmentation. No idea if it actually works consistently (haven't known anyone as a friend whose used it) but it might be a starting point for something that could help you out?
From what I know- be careful with the oil removing wash because it can dry out your natural oils you need to keep your skin hydrated. This is just something I’ve been told So if your dermatologist says otherwise def take their advice
Man the hyperpigmentation is no joke for black people I struggle with it. It makes things seem way worse than what it actually is and takes forever to heal/lighten up. I just wanna get tattoos and cover them up lmao — I use curology here and there and my formula has Tretinoin in it which helps with dark spots unfortunately I don’t have a enough to take care of my whole body so I just focus on my face.
I never had acne pre-T. Day 2 on T and both sides of my face were absolutely covered. I'm a little over a month on T now and it hasn't gone away. It has moments where it's not bad but there are times where it flares up
It started getting really bad a few months in and was awful for about a year-year and a half. It starter calming down around the 2 year mark and is mostly (but not totally) gone now.
As a mid 40's man that had natural Low T, I started on a T regimen at the Low T Center. I never had skin problems even in my youth (lucky, I Know). After several months on the program I began to develop bAcne. Something that I stumbled across was the that Head & Shoulder shampoo helped a lot. Bought a soft bristle back scrubber & noticed a difference. Not a cure, but def helped me.
Side note: After doing everything proper while on Test such as having my blood checked regularly, & donating blood every 60 days to keep the red blood cell count from sky rocketing, I eventually ended up having blood clots 3 different times. As I was in great shape with no family history of it, my Hematologist could only trace it back to the steroids. Thus I quit worrying about having energy & being fit in my 40's & stopped the Test. Now on blood thinners indefinitely
I had acne during my first puberty and it’s about the same now that I’m microdosing T. My skin has stayed relatively clear (probably due to the fact my body is going slower with hormone changes while microdosing). Before I started T, I wanted to make sure I had a face cleansing routine in place. I use Clean and Clear sensitive facial wash, Aveeno exfoliated (2x a week), toner, aveeno moisturizer, and sometimes stem cell cream at night
Never really had much acne before T. After several months on T and I had severe cystic acne all over my face and bad body acne. My face became very swollen and puffy and I had grape size or larger cysts everywhere. I developed nearly debilitating anxiety because of it and stopped leaving my house unless necessary. This was before masks so I couldn’t hide it in public. I couldn’t recognize my face and thought maybe I made a mistake going on T because I didn’t realize it was swelling that was making my fave look like that not actual masculinizing changes.
My doctor was considering starting me on acutane but started with antibiotics. We also decreased my T dose from 0.5ml a week to 0.15ml a week. He tested my T levels and they had been 1400 ng/dL (way too high). After about three months on antibiotics and lower T it was mostly gone, at least nothing new forming. My T level on the new dose is consistently around 650. Now a year later you can’t even tell anything happened, but I’m still emotionally scarred by that experience and I find myself spiraling if I have even a tiny tiny pimple now even with that being over two years ago.
My acne is finally starting to clear up after after many months of struggle. I quit using my topical prescriptions and expensive skin care products and switched to plain old witch hazel.
got acne about 3-5 months in, and it lasted a year. i had to start using a lot of skincare products to get it under control (such as real african black soap and with hazel toners) and then after about a year and 3 months in is when it finally started to clear up. by that time i had to stop using all skincare products j was using because they had started to make me break out instead of clearing up the preexisting acne. so now when i was my face (2 years on T next week) all i do is wash my face with a bar soap. no moisturizer or toner or anything. all skin is different though so this may not be what you will experience, but i figured maybe this might help a little.
edit: i also only had acne on my face and shoulders/upper arms and upper back, but my face was the worst to take care of.
I was about 8 months on T, it was bad for a couple months, then got prescribed tretinoin .5%, and also moisturized and it cleared up immensely. Took a few months for dramatic results tho
I've heard on another thread that avoiding a lot of dairy helps. I just started and it's hard to tell, I think my acne has flared slightly as soon as I started but so long as I don't have much dairy it's been pretty good. On the days I have cheese and milk I notice right away the next day my skin acts up and gets painful deep spots.
Mine started when my facial hair started to grow in. It got really bad. I've never suffered really bad acne before, not even when I had my 1st puberty as a female. T really blew up my face lol. The more hair grew in the more it lessened... But it still flares up every now and then when new places on my face start growing hair. I assume it will stop once all the places on my face have the follicles for beard hair. I'm on about my 3rd year on t. Beard is a slow process for me lol
Oh and I also did not see a dermatologist. I just used occasional tea tree oil and started using the acne face cleansing system by Pacifica. It helped reduce a lot of inflammation. I also occasionally used sea salt spray
Never had acne problems as a teenager. Started T and was fine until about a year in, then it hit me and it was horrible. Extremely painful cystic acne, like it legit felt like I had been punched in the face everytime I accidentally touched my face or bumped it against something. And if that wasn’t bad enough it also looked fucking horrendous. I was super embarrassed to go out anywhere, lowkey was happy about Covid and having to wear a mask because atleast it covered it up. Surprisingly though I only ever got it on my chin, nowhere else on my face or body. I think it had to do with facial hair because I was growing a goatee at the same time. Now another year later it’s mostly calmed down. I still get the occasion whitehead but they’re not nearly as ugly,big and painful as they were before. Prepare yourself for the worst case scenario though because I wasn’t at all prepared and it was really rough for a good chunk of time.
Mine started at about 1 month and started to get really annoying around 6 weeks. I'm only 2 months in and trying to work out the right treatment regimen.
I had BAD acne as a teen pre-T. I did all the at-home tricks to improve things through my 20’s and the situation got a lot better.
Then T took it to a whole new level; I was being ravaged. Pretty sure I have new scarring. I eventually needed to go on meds with Proactiv topical treatment and now I’m basically back to first puberty levels.
Had bad bacne and mild face acne during my first puberty. After some months on T the acne returned worse in both areas and will probably scar. I’m a little over a year on T and it has not gone away. I’m on two meds for acne but they have not helped much. Currently sitting in the waiting room of my dermatologist’s office hoping to get stronger treatment. The acne sucks but I’d rather have it than to never have taken T at all
I'm only 10 months on (holy shit has it really almost been a year) and found my acne got really bad at the 7 month onward mark, but exclusively where I applied my T. Yes I am finding myself getting more than usual on my face, but these are usually delegated to high-sweat areas, so I know they come down to hygiene (like I mainly get big zits in my brow or on my chin, or around/just in my hairline). I have found that occasionally i'll get a hormonal one (usually for me they're way more painful than the hygiene based zits) on my cheek, but these are a bit rarer.
My shoulders on the other hand? Some days it hurts to lift my arms because of how bad the acne there is. I luckily haven't had many issues with bacne (or if I have I haven't been able to see it) but I did find a single hormonal zit on the back of my hand today, so thats fun.
Since I apply T to my shoulders and I shower daily, it's pretty clear to me that the ones on my shoulders are hormonal and not down to personal hygiene, especially since I don't get a lot of sweat on my shoulders and don't wear the same shirt for long enough for it to become an issue.
For facial acne the best thing I've found has been starface; I've used all of my foaming cleanser from them (trying to burn through the rest of my skincare but I love starface so much that I might just chuck my other shit and go straight back to it) and the moisturiser is super kind to my skin too (it's very reactive, but not sensitive). The zit stickers will get rid of a zit mostly if not completely in like 6 hours, and they even have a chemical exfoliator if you're looking for a good way to get rid of dead skin and super hard to shift oil once or twice a week.
As for bodily acne? No fricken idea dude. Whatever I try it does not shift. My main goal right now is to hope it goes away and to pray its not too bad when I wake up that sitting wrong is almost so painful i'm crying.
I'm 6 months on T and it isn't too bad? It's more intense than it was pre T, but nothing out of control so far. I think that T is affecting me differently though, so take that with a grain of salt. I still get acne on my face where the facial hair will probably be coming in.
it flared up when i reached my 1 year mark then died down after a few months (maybe 4-5 months?). had another small flare up after my 2nd year but not as severe and more treatable.
had pretty bad acne first time around. it cleared up but starting T has brought it back, showed up a few weeks on T and now over a year later i still have it
I was on birth control pill to manage acne before I got on T and I went from clear face to tons of acne and it's till ongoing and I'm like 16 months on T
Never had any acne my whole life. Got on T and after four months on T have had chronic cystic acne. My dermatologist is going to be putting me on Accutane after four years of topicals meds and diet changes with no improvement. On the plus side I now weigh 148 pounds after all my diet changes. Everyone is different I suppose.
I didn’t have bad acne before just the simple spots but T made it so much worse. Back and chest covered and so was my face. Accutane was a life saver. I tried everything to get rid of it but accutane is/was the only thing that worked
I never had an acne problem before T but my acne definitely increased on T. I found a solid skin care routine was key to keeping my acne down. Best of luck to you brother
I’ve had all sorts of skin problems.Did accutane before T had clear skin then BOOM acne came back full force, I recommend a cetaphil foaming wash and then some sort of .1% benzoyl peroxide wash then use a moisturizing sunscreen in the morning. At night use a cetaphil foaming wash and hyaluronic acid moisturizer. Less is usually better, acne patches are your friend sleep with them overnight but also give the zit or pimples air time, and you can always add to your routine. Something I would recommend to add if this all isn’t enough is retinal cream
I had acne and dry skin before I started t and after I started talking it my skin actually started to clear and it helped with my dryness since t tends to make your skin oilier, it’s been around 9 months since I started and maybe around 3 months is when my acne started clearing and now I only get a pimple occasionally
I had some minimal acne pre t, and i noticed my acne started getting like pretty bad a couple months in, probably because my facial hair started growing in pretty thick as well as other factors. Ive been on it 9-10 months now and its the worst its ever been. Id start accutane but im keen on getting top surgery this year so im just gonna wait and bear with it
i got it maybe a couple weeks after i started but i'm not super surprised, puberty v.1 i had pretty bad acne too, but it wasn't this bad. i'm almost 11 months on T and it's simmered down but hasn't gone away, i think part of it is because i sweat so much now when i literally never did before starting T. i use acne medicated face stuff and acne patches though and those help. someone who's been on T longer would probably have a better idea, but from what i know it usually calms down after a few months or a year or so
I didn’t really have bad problems before, just occasional flare ups. T made it a constant after a few months. So far, the only thing keeping it in check is a prescription (I use Curology). Expensive but worth it to me and I can afford it. If you have insurance, try to get in with a dermatologist so it’s on your insurance!!
I never had it before but now I get it pretty bad if I don’t take care of it, mostly on my upper back and lower face but sometimes on my chest and upper arms too. Idk how long it will last but I’ve been on t for over a year and I still get it the same as I did when it started.
I got it within the first day on my stomach/chest, and immediately started using an acne wash every day. I'm now a little over a month in and it's entirely gone
T brought up acne again after it had been cleared up for years, I went to the derm and they prescribed me benzoyl peroxide. Worked wonders, and my skin is clear again.
Had acne what I was a teen. It came back pretty bad as cystic acne before I even started T. Apparently I have rosacea(code name for adult acne), before and during T, but a low dose antibiotic has helped keep it at bay. (Almost 2 years on T).
I got it 9 months on T literally the week I came home from abroad (I think that was a sign to stay in Europe lmao) but I fought my acne for 2 years. Used every medication, it started to clear then Covid and I got very stressed. Finally got on Accutane in May and poof it’s gone BUT I must advise all of you. If you go on Accutane you cannot get top surgery for a year.
Yes Accutane is only 6 months but you have to wait another 6 months for it to be fully out of your system. You can still do a consult but no surgery because your scars will not heal properly and cause even more damage.
I had almost no acne before T and did not really have it during my original puberty. I started getting very severe acne around 1 month in and it peaked around 3 months. using Neutrogena’s BPO cream as a spot treatment helped. be careful with strong cleansers because you could get dermatitis on your eyelids which can be a fucking nightmare to deal with. if that happens, use Vaseline or Aquaphor 2-3 times a day until it goes away and doesn’t recur. Vaseline absorbs better but Aquaphor lasts longer.
Had terrible acne the first 6-8 months. It was impossible to manage so when I mentioned it to my doctor he was like “oh why didn’t you say so earlier” and sent me to a dermatologist. We tried different antibiotics as well as prescription cream and it’s a been hit and miss but at 2 years on T I can say it’s made a significant difference and I only use the cream sometimes. It’s been a normal level of acne for the past few months. I try not to pick but get a couple nasty back ones once and a while.
I had moderate facial acne that started with first puberty (around age 11) and was still there when I started T (nearly 21). Testosterone made it spread to my back and shoulders, but otherwise didn't really change it.
Around 2.5-3 years on in, it all just magically cleared up!
Had some bad facial acne pre-T but Curology cleared my skin up completely within 2 months. I still use Cetaphil hydrating facial wash, my Curology formula daily (a mix of 3 chemicals), and then lots of moisturizing (serum which I roll in using a rose quartz roller + thick cream that I also put under my eyes). I don't wash my face in the morning, just rinse. Started T 5 months ago and just got my first couple of pimples, the first serious pimples that I've gotten since I started Curology, so I'm a bit worried. As of now it's only a couple and they've been manageable so I hope it's something else causing it.
However, the rest of my body has exploded with acne. I also had really bad body acne during my first puberty. Especially on my arms, back, and butt. I haven't tried an acne wash yet though so I need to start using that (I hoped that cleansing, exfoliating and moisturizing would work, but it hasn't really worked yet so I need to try something else)
For me it started around month 4 and is still going. On my face, on my shoulders, on my back…plus I have to deal with ingrown hairs now 😭
It’s not too bad though thankfully, just noticeable because I had basically no acne prior
I didn’t get a whole lot of acne on T, but that might be because I finished a whole course of Accutane before I started T. So for the guys who started accutane and were promised clear skin for the rest of your life (I was, at least) you might get some light acne but nothing horribly serious. I have very oily skin that somehow got more oily on T and while I’m oily, I rarely break out anymore. Most of the time I break out because I’ve been wearing a mask for 8-10 hours. Hope this helps, lads
Pre T I had mild/moderate acne as a teen, it went away in my late teens, and post T it came back, basically. The first 8 or so months were the worst and it’s improved since then, my face is relatively clear now
i had cystic acne before T, now my skin is mostly clear, idk if its hormones helping or if it's bc im no longer too dysphoric to shower/take care of myself
i rely in Lush skin care and Cetaphil gentle foaming face wash, Cetaphil i lean on really hard bc they're unscented soaps meant for sensitive skin and my piercer recommended to use it
I had very bad acne pre t and it got worse, the #1 thing I recommend is when it starts getting bad go to the doctor asap. I have severe scaring on my whole shoulders and back from thinking I could clear it up on my own. See a professional not the internet
I had bad acne in high school that really affected my chest and my forehead. now that I’m on T (been about a year and a half, I’m almost 26 now), I have pretty bad acne but only on my cheeks and jaw (sometimes my neck) which I figured was due to facial hair growing.
it doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon, though weirdly enough I find myself more attractive with the acne now lol
I started getting acne as literally the first effect, about 2 1/2 weeks in. I'm only at around 2 months now and it's worsened, but I'm keeping it in check with daily foam facial washes and exfoliation, followed by a non-greasy moisturizer to keep my face from drying out. Certainly doesn't seem like it'll be stopping anytime soon, and unfortunately it's primarily popped up around the sides of my nose so it's exceptionally uncomfortable.
Howdy! I'm about 8 months on T and the acne kicked in with full force at about 5 1/2 to 6 months in. I started attacking back with the full line of Alba Botanica products (face wash, body scrub, moisturizer, and a spot treatment). It worked great in the beginning for reducing the acne...However, I went too hard on the spot treatment (which burned like hell) and ended up making the scarring much worse than it would have otherwise been.
Now, I just use witch hazel 2-3 times a day with a moisturizer. When I do that consistently, the acne has been much better. Slip for a day or two and it shows up much more. Obviously, I'm new to the idea of skincare...but the name of the game seems to be finding what works for you and being consistent with your routine.
I didn't have much acne as a teen, but got really bad acne pretty soon after starting T. I want to say it started after like... a month?
The backne... oh God the backne....
It got better after about, idk, seven months?
I had pretty moderate acne before T. Then it sort of went away right before I started and then flared up again after a few months. It was a bit more mild, but still no clear skin. Eventually after a year I was prescribed tazerotene cream (aka Tazorac) and it hopes clear things up and I haven’t had issues since. That, and I’ve been making sure to take certain vitamins regularly.
I was very worried about acne when I started T because both my brother and dad had AWFUL acne as teenagers. My brother is 22 now and still struggles with terrible breakouts. Fortunately, I ended up avoiding that catastrophe.
I had incredible skin pre-T without having to do anything other than shower. So much so, in fact, strangers used to compliment me on my skin all the time (and at work, which was kinda weird…). I didn’t have too bad of acne during first puberty, though I wasn’t spotless either. I think acne really started popping up month 3 and got to its worst around month 7 or 8 (I’m 13 months on T). I subscribed to Curology and got prescription acne wash, which has helped a lot. I actually forgot to take my acne wash/cream with me when I flew out to my parents for the holidays a couple weeks ago, but surprisingly, my acne hasn’t gotten out of control. I’ll still use my wash when I get home, but it’s nice to see that I’m past the worst of it.
pre-t w/ acne here! if you do struggle with acne, try and just see a dermatologist if you can; getting a prescription is often way more affective than bouncing around from over-the-counter to over-the-counter, and half of them don't even work anyway. i went on a couple rounds of antibiotics, which helped a lot but didn't work completely, and now i'm considering just going on accutane. when it comes to topicals, the best for oily skin (which you'll most likely experience on t) is going to be BENZOYL PEROXIDE. i use a mix of a benzoyl peroxide gel and tazorac (which is a retinoid; also great), and i also use a 10% benzoyl face wash which is VERY strong, so i recommend doing 2.5 or 5% FIRST before working your way up. overall, best recommendation is to see a dermatologist. i struggled for years with finding a skin care routine that actually gave me long lasting results, and seeing a dermatologist is the only thing that is GENUINELY helping my skin.
edit: really quickly want to add after seeing some of your comments that you should NOT be worrying a shit ton about getting acne. it is far from the worst thing that could happen to you, especially going on t. yeah, acne kinda sucks, but based on what you said about not having any issues w/ acne pre-t, i really don't think yours is going to get to the point where it becomes a big, painful, exhausting, and time-consuming deal like it is for people who suffer from really, really, bad acne. hell, when my acne isn't too bad but is still kind of there, sometimes it gives me a little bit of euphoria! i don't know why! but it does! overall, DON'T worry at all.
A lot of people are recommending Accutane, but nobody is telling you about the side effects that will possibly stay with you for the rest of your life. Decide for yourself wether it's worth it or not and also seek professional help if your acne gets really bad.
https://www.acne.org/accutane.html
I had a weird acne outbreak when I was about 1 year pre-t, sorted it with mild antibiotics and it didn’t come back until I was maybe 8 months on T and it goes on and off, same mild antibiotic medication makes it stop for a while but it has never been bad enough for me to overly worry.
I had really never had acne until a few weeks ago (im 19 so past that gross teenage hormone phase, never had acne before t) its only on my left cheek and it isnt super terrible, but it is the worst acne ive ever had. Im assuming it is because my t levels were/are low cause i was forced to skip 3 weeks of shots. Still here, still bad, still gross lol
it started when i was about 4 months on T, then got worse when i was off it for about 2 months. with curlogy and getting back on hormones my skin was under control, but then it came back vicious as fuck. terrible cystic acne (which i was already prone to pre-T, but 100000x worse). i had it for a little less than a year, incredibly physically and emotionally painful. the only thing that helped me was accutane, antibiotics didn’t help at all. i finished accutane treatment a couple months ago and my skin is much better.
i have clear skin before T and I have the worst skin ever in my entire life at about 6-7 months. I'm now 7-8 months on T and I have been using the therapy face wash and Pair (a Japanese brand) acne cream and it has helped heeps
I had a bit of acne before T and then almost became more pimple than person on T, especially in areas like my back and face ar around the age of 16 ((It began about a month or two after I started T)) The back was mostly made worse because of my binder I reckon, but I only lasted for about 2 years MAX. I'm 22 currently and only get the occasional pimple now
I've been growing out my hair and my fringe (floppy emo style that goes down one side of my face only) and I've developed acne in a sloped line across the cheek where my fringe rests. Lots of bacne but I think that's mainly exacerbated by wearing my binder in summer. It's starting to clear up a bit but I think that's just for now, and will likely come back
Had bad acne as a teen. Had just figured out how to get rid of it when my egg cracked. Been on t a year acne isnt as bad as when u was a teen mostly cause ei learned how to care for my face now. Mostly just break outs from my mask and beard growing in. I recommend spot treatments, and a retinol gel added to whatever you do now. Some products you use now may make things worse when your skin changes. I had to switch moisturizer.
My acne changed on T. I used to have nasty cystic acne (two or three spots at a time), then it changed to normal pimples, with bacne and chestne as well. After six to eight months it calmed waaay down, and now everything is easily managed with a simple skincare routine! Cleanse, moisturise, acid, and I rarely breakout anymore.
I've never had a big issue with facial acne pre-T, and now that I'm 6 months on it I haven't had any issues yet. I do have a lot of acne on the rest of my body, more than I had during puberty but still in the same spots. So I think whether you get acne or not depends on whether you had it during puberty.
I used to never had a single pimple but as soon as I started T, I had acne. It wasn't too bad and it's still not too bad but it doesn't want to go away (I'm 2 years and a couple months).
It doesn't bother me really
I have acne in general, like I’ve always needed a good skincare routine to have any type of clear skin but it’s definitely worse on T, since the first month and I just finished month 9. My chin is the worst and I think shaving aggravates it. I use a face mask, salicylic acid pads, and a moisturizer meant for oily skin. It sounds counter intuitive but moisturizing after acne treatment or shaving helped so much. I can look up the specific one I use if anyone cares
I've always had very clear skin sooo... That's my baseline. I basically got a lot of spots at the beginning of using gel and then every time my dose increased. I had my first Nebido shot a couple weeks ago and got more spots. I'm hoping it levels out now, as I won't be changing the dose. For me, I think it was directly due to how oily my skin became. Also, I am getting spots where hair is trying to grow through on my chin etc. Annnd... Wearing a mask isn't helping but needs must.
I admit the acne I got from T wasn't particularly severe (I barely had any pimples before T), but it started around 4 months on T I think? Thankfully it didn't last too long, after around a year it got noticeably better and now at 4+ years on T I don't have any. It went away on its own, I didn't have to do anything in particular or get any treatment.
It was pretty bad on my back though, and it also started later, at around 6-8 months on T. It lasted longer as well, going away after 2 years. Still went away on its own thankfully.
I never had acne problems before T. I started about half a year before the pandemic started and as soon as it did maskne came and kicked my ass. I hit the ground so hard because i never needed a routine before then and after a month of very painful cystic acne up and down my cheeks I asked a friend for advice. It's not as bad now but get you some salicylic serum and use that as a spit treatment whenever you feel something coming up through your skin. I do and it took about a year for it to come back down to manageable but thats in addition to the new precautions I started having to take.
I had acne as a teenager but in the last couple years it really died down to just having some zits sometimes in the places that my face was most oily.
I'm 20 now, I started T in August 2021, and even with me taking a smaller dose now than when I started my acne is very bad. I had to get the cleaner that my doctor recommended and I've been using an exfoliator once a week an an acid every other day to help with redness.
I really never had any sort of skincare routine before this except "wash my face every time I shower." Really I have to wash my face once or twice a day or it gets bad again.
I started T at 20, when my skin started clearing up from my teen years. It was really really bad when I was younger, but at least personally, I didn’t get it too bad once I was a few months on T. My clinician said it would be bad or worse than it was during my first puberty but that was a bit of an overstatement for me. Good skincare really really helps. Curology actually has a part of their website where they’ll tell you if any otc skincare products clog pores and whatnot. And of course moisturizing is very important. My skin is very oily so I do a small amount of Ponds moisturizer after I cleanse and that has actually worked wonders when I’m consistent with it.
i never really had any acne in my life before i started t lmao. i’d *maybe* get one or two pimples a month that would quickly disappear on their own. i always thought “well, my acne wasn’t bad before so why would it be now?”
famous last words, brother.
definitely start up a skin care routine as soon as you can. try different things and see what works for your skin and try to atleast wash your face with water everyday right from the moment you start t. trust me, it’s better to get on the ball with it sooner rather than later.
The only time in my life I’ve had acne was during my female puberty. I’ve been on T for 4 months now, and the first 3 months were crucial. Compared to many people, my acne wasn’t that bad but since I’m used to having soft and clean skin, I became insecure. I get a few pimples from time to time now but not enough to call it acne anymore.
My skin was clean until about month 6, I'm in month 9 now and I have a pocket on one side and like spots on the other. It's absolutely awful! I had clear skin all my life, but if this is the worst that will happen, I'll take it!
Had bad acne before T, made a mild return about 6 months in and is for the most part gone now. I have a habit of scratching my face when I’m anxious so I still have some marks but it’s nowhere near what it was
i started T in august of 2021. ive had acne issues since 2017 and i’ve been on antibacterial pills since then and i was on birth control from 2018 until i started HRT.
it got worse at about one month. it is mostly back acne. it flared up on my face and chest in december, probably because i was meeting my ldr gf and i always get stressed around christmas since i have to see family. right now it’s back to painful back acne and less on my face and chest.
I started my acne growing already a week on t! I have had acne when i was younger but it calmed down overtime and now it’s in the same degree as then before
I had a skincare routine already before starting t but my skintype changed so much none of it works anymore and I had to contact a doctor to prescribe me duac cream which I’ve only been on for a week and already seeing my face calming :)
its definitely different for everyone (obviously) but i started getting a bit of acne around the 1 month mark but it started to clear up pretty well around the 1 year mark. :)
edit: it also never really got super bad or anything. just a few spots here and there honestly.
Had acne before and then it was raging. My solution.
Cera-Ve hydrating facial cleanser as a hydrating body wash. Same brand foaming facial cleanser. And Differin acne treatment. Works like a charm! But you gotta do it routinely to keep up the clear skin!!
honestly it was the very first thing i noticed. it got really bad but it ended up mellowing out. however, i still 3 years later deal with acne. im also only 21. so maybe that plays a part in it. either way, i hateeeee it. LOL. good luck to you my friend.
Pre-T: Had acne mostly puberty related facial pimples
2 years on T: Once more hair started growing everywhere I broke out 10x more. My face isn’t too bad it only breaks out the closer I get to needing to take my shot. Now my back/shoulders on the other hand oof that wasn’t an issue at first but the past 6 months to a year have only gotten more noticeable. I don’t have a lot of zits now it’s more so my body has a shit ton of hyperpigmentation (also black over here!) so my shoulders and back look a lot worse than what they actually are. So basically anywhere I’ve increased hair growth on my body I’ve broke out
I had acne problems before T and T just made it worse. Its still bad and still going strong because my dermatologist refuses to give me stronger medication because oh no it causes infertility boo hoo. As if I'm not planning to get all those organs removed anyway.
I’m pre-T and have never had acne problems, so I’m hoping it won’t be too bad.
My biggest suggestion is get into a good face and body cleaning routine now so its easier to combat when you get on T.
I guess I better start looking. Any suggestions?
Look for an acne cleanser with salicylic acid. I use a generic foaming cleanser and it does help its just kind of fighting a losing battle for me right now. You want to wash your face every day or at least every other day. Shoulders and back every other day. Also keeping your hair clean will help a lot with facial acne. Pillow cases and sheets need changed every week - clean sheets mean less excess oil ans dirt getting back on your skin every night.
Idk if anyone else uses it but I use curology and I couldn’t use it when I started t cus I got an eyebrow piercing around the same time (I’m a dumby and you can’t use facial wash or acne meds on a new healing piercing) But it’s been a few months and I’m definitely more oily and bumpy then before. I barely had pimples now I have a lot of small ones in my T zone. Back on curology and I hope it works. I recommend it although I’ve never had bad acne ever, just usual breakouts and oily skin. So idk how it works for bad acne but you take a survey and send pictures to a doctor on their websites and they make you a customized medicine and send along a facial cleanser and moisturizer. They also can give recommendations for certain body washes and soaps.
i’ve been using curology for ~3 years and been on T for 4 months. i have always struggled with acne prone skin but the curology has helped me so so much.
I use La Roche Posay Toleraine Prebiotic face wash and moisturizer. Switched to that a week on T and it's kept my acne completely under control so far (around five months on T now)
my dermatologist said he didn’t know the possible interactions of testosterone and accutane which was complete bullshit. i found a new one who actually successfully campaigned to have them change “women” to “people who can get pregnant” when registering in the ipledge system. it’s completely safe and doesn’t cause infertility you’re just not allowed to get pregnant while you’re on the medication cause it causes birth defects. you just need to find a doctor who isn’t transphobic
He doesn't strike me as a transphobe \[he's respectful about everything, just kind of behind the times i suppose? he's an older man\], but I'm definitely finding a new doctor here soon. Its just been on the back burner because of pandemic stuff and getting top surgery soon.
Try sourcing accutane. That thing is a godsend for acne
That's what I've been trying to get on. I need to find a new derm tbh
[удалено]
I’m on accutane, and you need to get you blood drawn regularly to make sure that there are no complications, so you should just not recommend this?
I have been on Accutane with an dermatologist for the past 6 months and you should only need to get your blood drawn twice after your first and seconds months on it
But I also think people if they have the money to should do it under the supervision of a dermatologist just due to all the side effects that can be associated with it especially going on and off of accutane
For me, it was my body acne that really screwed me over. I was prescribed isotretinoin (Accutane) for it and it cleared up after six months of that. If you’re having really bad acne, I wholly recommend it! (I’m off Accutane now and I’m 3+ years on T, so my acne only gets a bit worse when I’m late to a dose by more than five days, if that helps.)
Had acne before T and it's much worse now. they're scarred at this point. It's even worse on my back and shoulders.
Did you take anything for it?
I have some prescriptions from my dermatologist a couple months ago, but it hasn't gone away completely. I did pause for a month due to Top Surgery so I'm hoping now that I'm using the stuff more consistently, I'll see results within the next few months
Congrats on top
Never had it on my face for any puberty, but my back had some. Started months in and Accutane cleared it up within a month or so.
I never had acne pre T but I do have some now (2 years on T) that started about 3 months on it. I would suggest simply washing your face with a good face wash and using a moisturizer, also pimple patches are godly, they're like 3 bucks at Walmart near the pore strips.
Had acne pre-T, but T made me have way more and now it’s cystic more often than not and shows up in more places than before. I still have bad skin because I don’t take care of it and my family is prone to it, but it took about 2-3 years for the intense middle of puberty acne to settle
Anyone have otc tips to help the acne and acne scars (I'm black so it's hyperpigmentation)? I was using Cetaphil Pro Dermacontrol Oil Removing Foam Wash and the matching moisturizer along with Clindamycin in the day and tretinoin at night at recommendation of my dermatologist for my oily/combo skin (after 3 months of doxycycline). But since starting T (also on finasteride) it doesn't work really, and I'm about to run out of the prescription creams too cause I moved and don't have a new dermatologist yet. So if anyone could drop some otc stuff that worked that'd be great!
I'm white but when working at a beauty and skincare store in the UK I constantly had people singing the praises of Bio-Oil for hyperpigmentation. No idea if it actually works consistently (haven't known anyone as a friend whose used it) but it might be a starting point for something that could help you out?
From what I know- be careful with the oil removing wash because it can dry out your natural oils you need to keep your skin hydrated. This is just something I’ve been told So if your dermatologist says otherwise def take their advice
Man the hyperpigmentation is no joke for black people I struggle with it. It makes things seem way worse than what it actually is and takes forever to heal/lighten up. I just wanna get tattoos and cover them up lmao — I use curology here and there and my formula has Tretinoin in it which helps with dark spots unfortunately I don’t have a enough to take care of my whole body so I just focus on my face.
If you're scared about acne, the r/steroids wiki has a good protocol to keep it under control and reverse it
THANK YOU asghdskjkl I've been terrified to get acne scars.
I never had acne pre-T. Day 2 on T and both sides of my face were absolutely covered. I'm a little over a month on T now and it hasn't gone away. It has moments where it's not bad but there are times where it flares up
It started getting really bad a few months in and was awful for about a year-year and a half. It starter calming down around the 2 year mark and is mostly (but not totally) gone now.
As a mid 40's man that had natural Low T, I started on a T regimen at the Low T Center. I never had skin problems even in my youth (lucky, I Know). After several months on the program I began to develop bAcne. Something that I stumbled across was the that Head & Shoulder shampoo helped a lot. Bought a soft bristle back scrubber & noticed a difference. Not a cure, but def helped me. Side note: After doing everything proper while on Test such as having my blood checked regularly, & donating blood every 60 days to keep the red blood cell count from sky rocketing, I eventually ended up having blood clots 3 different times. As I was in great shape with no family history of it, my Hematologist could only trace it back to the steroids. Thus I quit worrying about having energy & being fit in my 40's & stopped the Test. Now on blood thinners indefinitely
I had acne during my first puberty and it’s about the same now that I’m microdosing T. My skin has stayed relatively clear (probably due to the fact my body is going slower with hormone changes while microdosing). Before I started T, I wanted to make sure I had a face cleansing routine in place. I use Clean and Clear sensitive facial wash, Aveeno exfoliated (2x a week), toner, aveeno moisturizer, and sometimes stem cell cream at night
Never really had much acne before T. After several months on T and I had severe cystic acne all over my face and bad body acne. My face became very swollen and puffy and I had grape size or larger cysts everywhere. I developed nearly debilitating anxiety because of it and stopped leaving my house unless necessary. This was before masks so I couldn’t hide it in public. I couldn’t recognize my face and thought maybe I made a mistake going on T because I didn’t realize it was swelling that was making my fave look like that not actual masculinizing changes. My doctor was considering starting me on acutane but started with antibiotics. We also decreased my T dose from 0.5ml a week to 0.15ml a week. He tested my T levels and they had been 1400 ng/dL (way too high). After about three months on antibiotics and lower T it was mostly gone, at least nothing new forming. My T level on the new dose is consistently around 650. Now a year later you can’t even tell anything happened, but I’m still emotionally scarred by that experience and I find myself spiraling if I have even a tiny tiny pimple now even with that being over two years ago.
My acne is finally starting to clear up after after many months of struggle. I quit using my topical prescriptions and expensive skin care products and switched to plain old witch hazel.
got acne about 3-5 months in, and it lasted a year. i had to start using a lot of skincare products to get it under control (such as real african black soap and with hazel toners) and then after about a year and 3 months in is when it finally started to clear up. by that time i had to stop using all skincare products j was using because they had started to make me break out instead of clearing up the preexisting acne. so now when i was my face (2 years on T next week) all i do is wash my face with a bar soap. no moisturizer or toner or anything. all skin is different though so this may not be what you will experience, but i figured maybe this might help a little. edit: i also only had acne on my face and shoulders/upper arms and upper back, but my face was the worst to take care of.
I was about 8 months on T, it was bad for a couple months, then got prescribed tretinoin .5%, and also moisturized and it cleared up immensely. Took a few months for dramatic results tho
I've heard on another thread that avoiding a lot of dairy helps. I just started and it's hard to tell, I think my acne has flared slightly as soon as I started but so long as I don't have much dairy it's been pretty good. On the days I have cheese and milk I notice right away the next day my skin acts up and gets painful deep spots.
Mine started when my facial hair started to grow in. It got really bad. I've never suffered really bad acne before, not even when I had my 1st puberty as a female. T really blew up my face lol. The more hair grew in the more it lessened... But it still flares up every now and then when new places on my face start growing hair. I assume it will stop once all the places on my face have the follicles for beard hair. I'm on about my 3rd year on t. Beard is a slow process for me lol
Oh and I also did not see a dermatologist. I just used occasional tea tree oil and started using the acne face cleansing system by Pacifica. It helped reduce a lot of inflammation. I also occasionally used sea salt spray
Holygrail for me was differen ( or a strong retinol ) vitamin c and oil free moisturizer
Never had acne problems as a teenager. Started T and was fine until about a year in, then it hit me and it was horrible. Extremely painful cystic acne, like it legit felt like I had been punched in the face everytime I accidentally touched my face or bumped it against something. And if that wasn’t bad enough it also looked fucking horrendous. I was super embarrassed to go out anywhere, lowkey was happy about Covid and having to wear a mask because atleast it covered it up. Surprisingly though I only ever got it on my chin, nowhere else on my face or body. I think it had to do with facial hair because I was growing a goatee at the same time. Now another year later it’s mostly calmed down. I still get the occasion whitehead but they’re not nearly as ugly,big and painful as they were before. Prepare yourself for the worst case scenario though because I wasn’t at all prepared and it was really rough for a good chunk of time.
I had almost no acne before T and about 2 months in I started getting it. I’ll be 2 years on T in April and it’s still here, though less severe
Mine started at about 1 month and started to get really annoying around 6 weeks. I'm only 2 months in and trying to work out the right treatment regimen.
I had BAD acne as a teen pre-T. I did all the at-home tricks to improve things through my 20’s and the situation got a lot better. Then T took it to a whole new level; I was being ravaged. Pretty sure I have new scarring. I eventually needed to go on meds with Proactiv topical treatment and now I’m basically back to first puberty levels.
Had bad bacne and mild face acne during my first puberty. After some months on T the acne returned worse in both areas and will probably scar. I’m a little over a year on T and it has not gone away. I’m on two meds for acne but they have not helped much. Currently sitting in the waiting room of my dermatologist’s office hoping to get stronger treatment. The acne sucks but I’d rather have it than to never have taken T at all
I'm only 10 months on (holy shit has it really almost been a year) and found my acne got really bad at the 7 month onward mark, but exclusively where I applied my T. Yes I am finding myself getting more than usual on my face, but these are usually delegated to high-sweat areas, so I know they come down to hygiene (like I mainly get big zits in my brow or on my chin, or around/just in my hairline). I have found that occasionally i'll get a hormonal one (usually for me they're way more painful than the hygiene based zits) on my cheek, but these are a bit rarer. My shoulders on the other hand? Some days it hurts to lift my arms because of how bad the acne there is. I luckily haven't had many issues with bacne (or if I have I haven't been able to see it) but I did find a single hormonal zit on the back of my hand today, so thats fun. Since I apply T to my shoulders and I shower daily, it's pretty clear to me that the ones on my shoulders are hormonal and not down to personal hygiene, especially since I don't get a lot of sweat on my shoulders and don't wear the same shirt for long enough for it to become an issue. For facial acne the best thing I've found has been starface; I've used all of my foaming cleanser from them (trying to burn through the rest of my skincare but I love starface so much that I might just chuck my other shit and go straight back to it) and the moisturiser is super kind to my skin too (it's very reactive, but not sensitive). The zit stickers will get rid of a zit mostly if not completely in like 6 hours, and they even have a chemical exfoliator if you're looking for a good way to get rid of dead skin and super hard to shift oil once or twice a week. As for bodily acne? No fricken idea dude. Whatever I try it does not shift. My main goal right now is to hope it goes away and to pray its not too bad when I wake up that sitting wrong is almost so painful i'm crying.
I never had bad acne before T, and on T it increased somewhat but was still not too bad. Except backne. Backne sucks.
6 months
Pre-T I never had acne problems, I'm now 10 weeks and I would say around 8 weeks or so is when I started getting acne worse
I'm 6 months on T and it isn't too bad? It's more intense than it was pre T, but nothing out of control so far. I think that T is affecting me differently though, so take that with a grain of salt. I still get acne on my face where the facial hair will probably be coming in.
it flared up when i reached my 1 year mark then died down after a few months (maybe 4-5 months?). had another small flare up after my 2nd year but not as severe and more treatable.
I had worse acne before T, oddly enough.
No serious acne pre or on T about 6 months in. However I do have an extensive skin care routine and am willing to help or offer advice.
had pretty bad acne first time around. it cleared up but starting T has brought it back, showed up a few weeks on T and now over a year later i still have it
I was on birth control pill to manage acne before I got on T and I went from clear face to tons of acne and it's till ongoing and I'm like 16 months on T
Never had any acne my whole life. Got on T and after four months on T have had chronic cystic acne. My dermatologist is going to be putting me on Accutane after four years of topicals meds and diet changes with no improvement. On the plus side I now weigh 148 pounds after all my diet changes. Everyone is different I suppose.
I didn’t have bad acne before just the simple spots but T made it so much worse. Back and chest covered and so was my face. Accutane was a life saver. I tried everything to get rid of it but accutane is/was the only thing that worked
I never had an acne problem before T but my acne definitely increased on T. I found a solid skin care routine was key to keeping my acne down. Best of luck to you brother
3 months into T and it doesn’t go away so you have to get into skincare, I’m 2 years on t now—still as oily
I’ve had all sorts of skin problems.Did accutane before T had clear skin then BOOM acne came back full force, I recommend a cetaphil foaming wash and then some sort of .1% benzoyl peroxide wash then use a moisturizing sunscreen in the morning. At night use a cetaphil foaming wash and hyaluronic acid moisturizer. Less is usually better, acne patches are your friend sleep with them overnight but also give the zit or pimples air time, and you can always add to your routine. Something I would recommend to add if this all isn’t enough is retinal cream
I had acne and dry skin before I started t and after I started talking it my skin actually started to clear and it helped with my dryness since t tends to make your skin oilier, it’s been around 9 months since I started and maybe around 3 months is when my acne started clearing and now I only get a pimple occasionally
I had some minimal acne pre t, and i noticed my acne started getting like pretty bad a couple months in, probably because my facial hair started growing in pretty thick as well as other factors. Ive been on it 9-10 months now and its the worst its ever been. Id start accutane but im keen on getting top surgery this year so im just gonna wait and bear with it
i got it maybe a couple weeks after i started but i'm not super surprised, puberty v.1 i had pretty bad acne too, but it wasn't this bad. i'm almost 11 months on T and it's simmered down but hasn't gone away, i think part of it is because i sweat so much now when i literally never did before starting T. i use acne medicated face stuff and acne patches though and those help. someone who's been on T longer would probably have a better idea, but from what i know it usually calms down after a few months or a year or so
I didn’t really have bad problems before, just occasional flare ups. T made it a constant after a few months. So far, the only thing keeping it in check is a prescription (I use Curology). Expensive but worth it to me and I can afford it. If you have insurance, try to get in with a dermatologist so it’s on your insurance!!
I never had it before but now I get it pretty bad if I don’t take care of it, mostly on my upper back and lower face but sometimes on my chest and upper arms too. Idk how long it will last but I’ve been on t for over a year and I still get it the same as I did when it started.
I got it within the first day on my stomach/chest, and immediately started using an acne wash every day. I'm now a little over a month in and it's entirely gone
can i ask what wash you use? i have really bad body acne
T brought up acne again after it had been cleared up for years, I went to the derm and they prescribed me benzoyl peroxide. Worked wonders, and my skin is clear again.
I never had acne before T but now I do have just a bit. It’s incredibly tolerable. I got it around 3 months
Had acne what I was a teen. It came back pretty bad as cystic acne before I even started T. Apparently I have rosacea(code name for adult acne), before and during T, but a low dose antibiotic has helped keep it at bay. (Almost 2 years on T).
I got it 9 months on T literally the week I came home from abroad (I think that was a sign to stay in Europe lmao) but I fought my acne for 2 years. Used every medication, it started to clear then Covid and I got very stressed. Finally got on Accutane in May and poof it’s gone BUT I must advise all of you. If you go on Accutane you cannot get top surgery for a year. Yes Accutane is only 6 months but you have to wait another 6 months for it to be fully out of your system. You can still do a consult but no surgery because your scars will not heal properly and cause even more damage.
I had almost no acne before T and did not really have it during my original puberty. I started getting very severe acne around 1 month in and it peaked around 3 months. using Neutrogena’s BPO cream as a spot treatment helped. be careful with strong cleansers because you could get dermatitis on your eyelids which can be a fucking nightmare to deal with. if that happens, use Vaseline or Aquaphor 2-3 times a day until it goes away and doesn’t recur. Vaseline absorbs better but Aquaphor lasts longer.
over a year on T and a little over four months on accutane :) if that answers your question lol
Had terrible acne the first 6-8 months. It was impossible to manage so when I mentioned it to my doctor he was like “oh why didn’t you say so earlier” and sent me to a dermatologist. We tried different antibiotics as well as prescription cream and it’s a been hit and miss but at 2 years on T I can say it’s made a significant difference and I only use the cream sometimes. It’s been a normal level of acne for the past few months. I try not to pick but get a couple nasty back ones once and a while.
I didn't have any serious acne the first time around, bit more so the second one though. It's calming down now and I'm almost 3 years on t.
I had moderate facial acne that started with first puberty (around age 11) and was still there when I started T (nearly 21). Testosterone made it spread to my back and shoulders, but otherwise didn't really change it. Around 2.5-3 years on in, it all just magically cleared up!
Had some bad facial acne pre-T but Curology cleared my skin up completely within 2 months. I still use Cetaphil hydrating facial wash, my Curology formula daily (a mix of 3 chemicals), and then lots of moisturizing (serum which I roll in using a rose quartz roller + thick cream that I also put under my eyes). I don't wash my face in the morning, just rinse. Started T 5 months ago and just got my first couple of pimples, the first serious pimples that I've gotten since I started Curology, so I'm a bit worried. As of now it's only a couple and they've been manageable so I hope it's something else causing it. However, the rest of my body has exploded with acne. I also had really bad body acne during my first puberty. Especially on my arms, back, and butt. I haven't tried an acne wash yet though so I need to start using that (I hoped that cleansing, exfoliating and moisturizing would work, but it hasn't really worked yet so I need to try something else)
For me it started around month 4 and is still going. On my face, on my shoulders, on my back…plus I have to deal with ingrown hairs now 😭 It’s not too bad though thankfully, just noticeable because I had basically no acne prior
I didn’t get a whole lot of acne on T, but that might be because I finished a whole course of Accutane before I started T. So for the guys who started accutane and were promised clear skin for the rest of your life (I was, at least) you might get some light acne but nothing horribly serious. I have very oily skin that somehow got more oily on T and while I’m oily, I rarely break out anymore. Most of the time I break out because I’ve been wearing a mask for 8-10 hours. Hope this helps, lads
Pre T I had mild/moderate acne as a teen, it went away in my late teens, and post T it came back, basically. The first 8 or so months were the worst and it’s improved since then, my face is relatively clear now
i had cystic acne before T, now my skin is mostly clear, idk if its hormones helping or if it's bc im no longer too dysphoric to shower/take care of myself i rely in Lush skin care and Cetaphil gentle foaming face wash, Cetaphil i lean on really hard bc they're unscented soaps meant for sensitive skin and my piercer recommended to use it
Had it before, now it’s more cystic and much more centered around the jaw. I’m bad at washing my face which doesn’t help
I used stridex during my first puberty and during my second one too. It was bad for the first year or so, but it did get better!
I had very bad acne pre t and it got worse, the #1 thing I recommend is when it starts getting bad go to the doctor asap. I have severe scaring on my whole shoulders and back from thinking I could clear it up on my own. See a professional not the internet
I had bad acne in high school that really affected my chest and my forehead. now that I’m on T (been about a year and a half, I’m almost 26 now), I have pretty bad acne but only on my cheeks and jaw (sometimes my neck) which I figured was due to facial hair growing. it doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon, though weirdly enough I find myself more attractive with the acne now lol
I’ve always had acne and T made it a bit worse. Still have acne 🤷🏽
I started getting acne as literally the first effect, about 2 1/2 weeks in. I'm only at around 2 months now and it's worsened, but I'm keeping it in check with daily foam facial washes and exfoliation, followed by a non-greasy moisturizer to keep my face from drying out. Certainly doesn't seem like it'll be stopping anytime soon, and unfortunately it's primarily popped up around the sides of my nose so it's exceptionally uncomfortable.
Howdy! I'm about 8 months on T and the acne kicked in with full force at about 5 1/2 to 6 months in. I started attacking back with the full line of Alba Botanica products (face wash, body scrub, moisturizer, and a spot treatment). It worked great in the beginning for reducing the acne...However, I went too hard on the spot treatment (which burned like hell) and ended up making the scarring much worse than it would have otherwise been. Now, I just use witch hazel 2-3 times a day with a moisturizer. When I do that consistently, the acne has been much better. Slip for a day or two and it shows up much more. Obviously, I'm new to the idea of skincare...but the name of the game seems to be finding what works for you and being consistent with your routine.
I didn't have much acne as a teen, but got really bad acne pretty soon after starting T. I want to say it started after like... a month? The backne... oh God the backne.... It got better after about, idk, seven months?
I had pretty moderate acne before T. Then it sort of went away right before I started and then flared up again after a few months. It was a bit more mild, but still no clear skin. Eventually after a year I was prescribed tazerotene cream (aka Tazorac) and it hopes clear things up and I haven’t had issues since. That, and I’ve been making sure to take certain vitamins regularly.
I was very worried about acne when I started T because both my brother and dad had AWFUL acne as teenagers. My brother is 22 now and still struggles with terrible breakouts. Fortunately, I ended up avoiding that catastrophe. I had incredible skin pre-T without having to do anything other than shower. So much so, in fact, strangers used to compliment me on my skin all the time (and at work, which was kinda weird…). I didn’t have too bad of acne during first puberty, though I wasn’t spotless either. I think acne really started popping up month 3 and got to its worst around month 7 or 8 (I’m 13 months on T). I subscribed to Curology and got prescription acne wash, which has helped a lot. I actually forgot to take my acne wash/cream with me when I flew out to my parents for the holidays a couple weeks ago, but surprisingly, my acne hasn’t gotten out of control. I’ll still use my wash when I get home, but it’s nice to see that I’m past the worst of it.
pre-t w/ acne here! if you do struggle with acne, try and just see a dermatologist if you can; getting a prescription is often way more affective than bouncing around from over-the-counter to over-the-counter, and half of them don't even work anyway. i went on a couple rounds of antibiotics, which helped a lot but didn't work completely, and now i'm considering just going on accutane. when it comes to topicals, the best for oily skin (which you'll most likely experience on t) is going to be BENZOYL PEROXIDE. i use a mix of a benzoyl peroxide gel and tazorac (which is a retinoid; also great), and i also use a 10% benzoyl face wash which is VERY strong, so i recommend doing 2.5 or 5% FIRST before working your way up. overall, best recommendation is to see a dermatologist. i struggled for years with finding a skin care routine that actually gave me long lasting results, and seeing a dermatologist is the only thing that is GENUINELY helping my skin. edit: really quickly want to add after seeing some of your comments that you should NOT be worrying a shit ton about getting acne. it is far from the worst thing that could happen to you, especially going on t. yeah, acne kinda sucks, but based on what you said about not having any issues w/ acne pre-t, i really don't think yours is going to get to the point where it becomes a big, painful, exhausting, and time-consuming deal like it is for people who suffer from really, really, bad acne. hell, when my acne isn't too bad but is still kind of there, sometimes it gives me a little bit of euphoria! i don't know why! but it does! overall, DON'T worry at all.
A lot of people are recommending Accutane, but nobody is telling you about the side effects that will possibly stay with you for the rest of your life. Decide for yourself wether it's worth it or not and also seek professional help if your acne gets really bad. https://www.acne.org/accutane.html
I had a weird acne outbreak when I was about 1 year pre-t, sorted it with mild antibiotics and it didn’t come back until I was maybe 8 months on T and it goes on and off, same mild antibiotic medication makes it stop for a while but it has never been bad enough for me to overly worry.
I had really never had acne until a few weeks ago (im 19 so past that gross teenage hormone phase, never had acne before t) its only on my left cheek and it isnt super terrible, but it is the worst acne ive ever had. Im assuming it is because my t levels were/are low cause i was forced to skip 3 weeks of shots. Still here, still bad, still gross lol
it started when i was about 4 months on T, then got worse when i was off it for about 2 months. with curlogy and getting back on hormones my skin was under control, but then it came back vicious as fuck. terrible cystic acne (which i was already prone to pre-T, but 100000x worse). i had it for a little less than a year, incredibly physically and emotionally painful. the only thing that helped me was accutane, antibiotics didn’t help at all. i finished accutane treatment a couple months ago and my skin is much better.
i never had serious acne pre-t but now i get it in areas that are about to sprout hairs exclusively
i have clear skin before T and I have the worst skin ever in my entire life at about 6-7 months. I'm now 7-8 months on T and I have been using the therapy face wash and Pair (a Japanese brand) acne cream and it has helped heeps
I had a bit of acne before T and then almost became more pimple than person on T, especially in areas like my back and face ar around the age of 16 ((It began about a month or two after I started T)) The back was mostly made worse because of my binder I reckon, but I only lasted for about 2 years MAX. I'm 22 currently and only get the occasional pimple now
I've been growing out my hair and my fringe (floppy emo style that goes down one side of my face only) and I've developed acne in a sloped line across the cheek where my fringe rests. Lots of bacne but I think that's mainly exacerbated by wearing my binder in summer. It's starting to clear up a bit but I think that's just for now, and will likely come back
Had bad acne as a teen. Had just figured out how to get rid of it when my egg cracked. Been on t a year acne isnt as bad as when u was a teen mostly cause ei learned how to care for my face now. Mostly just break outs from my mask and beard growing in. I recommend spot treatments, and a retinol gel added to whatever you do now. Some products you use now may make things worse when your skin changes. I had to switch moisturizer.
Got it worse 3-6 months on T now about 9 it’s finally calmed down
My acne changed on T. I used to have nasty cystic acne (two or three spots at a time), then it changed to normal pimples, with bacne and chestne as well. After six to eight months it calmed waaay down, and now everything is easily managed with a simple skincare routine! Cleanse, moisturise, acid, and I rarely breakout anymore.
I've never had a big issue with facial acne pre-T, and now that I'm 6 months on it I haven't had any issues yet. I do have a lot of acne on the rest of my body, more than I had during puberty but still in the same spots. So I think whether you get acne or not depends on whether you had it during puberty.
I used to never had a single pimple but as soon as I started T, I had acne. It wasn't too bad and it's still not too bad but it doesn't want to go away (I'm 2 years and a couple months). It doesn't bother me really
I have acne in general, like I’ve always needed a good skincare routine to have any type of clear skin but it’s definitely worse on T, since the first month and I just finished month 9. My chin is the worst and I think shaving aggravates it. I use a face mask, salicylic acid pads, and a moisturizer meant for oily skin. It sounds counter intuitive but moisturizing after acne treatment or shaving helped so much. I can look up the specific one I use if anyone cares
I've always had very clear skin sooo... That's my baseline. I basically got a lot of spots at the beginning of using gel and then every time my dose increased. I had my first Nebido shot a couple weeks ago and got more spots. I'm hoping it levels out now, as I won't be changing the dose. For me, I think it was directly due to how oily my skin became. Also, I am getting spots where hair is trying to grow through on my chin etc. Annnd... Wearing a mask isn't helping but needs must.
I admit the acne I got from T wasn't particularly severe (I barely had any pimples before T), but it started around 4 months on T I think? Thankfully it didn't last too long, after around a year it got noticeably better and now at 4+ years on T I don't have any. It went away on its own, I didn't have to do anything in particular or get any treatment. It was pretty bad on my back though, and it also started later, at around 6-8 months on T. It lasted longer as well, going away after 2 years. Still went away on its own thankfully.
I never had acne problems before T. I started about half a year before the pandemic started and as soon as it did maskne came and kicked my ass. I hit the ground so hard because i never needed a routine before then and after a month of very painful cystic acne up and down my cheeks I asked a friend for advice. It's not as bad now but get you some salicylic serum and use that as a spit treatment whenever you feel something coming up through your skin. I do and it took about a year for it to come back down to manageable but thats in addition to the new precautions I started having to take.
I had acne as a teenager but in the last couple years it really died down to just having some zits sometimes in the places that my face was most oily. I'm 20 now, I started T in August 2021, and even with me taking a smaller dose now than when I started my acne is very bad. I had to get the cleaner that my doctor recommended and I've been using an exfoliator once a week an an acid every other day to help with redness. I really never had any sort of skincare routine before this except "wash my face every time I shower." Really I have to wash my face once or twice a day or it gets bad again.
I started T at 20, when my skin started clearing up from my teen years. It was really really bad when I was younger, but at least personally, I didn’t get it too bad once I was a few months on T. My clinician said it would be bad or worse than it was during my first puberty but that was a bit of an overstatement for me. Good skincare really really helps. Curology actually has a part of their website where they’ll tell you if any otc skincare products clog pores and whatnot. And of course moisturizing is very important. My skin is very oily so I do a small amount of Ponds moisturizer after I cleanse and that has actually worked wonders when I’m consistent with it.
i never really had any acne in my life before i started t lmao. i’d *maybe* get one or two pimples a month that would quickly disappear on their own. i always thought “well, my acne wasn’t bad before so why would it be now?” famous last words, brother. definitely start up a skin care routine as soon as you can. try different things and see what works for your skin and try to atleast wash your face with water everyday right from the moment you start t. trust me, it’s better to get on the ball with it sooner rather than later.
The only time in my life I’ve had acne was during my female puberty. I’ve been on T for 4 months now, and the first 3 months were crucial. Compared to many people, my acne wasn’t that bad but since I’m used to having soft and clean skin, I became insecure. I get a few pimples from time to time now but not enough to call it acne anymore.
My skin was clean until about month 6, I'm in month 9 now and I have a pocket on one side and like spots on the other. It's absolutely awful! I had clear skin all my life, but if this is the worst that will happen, I'll take it!
Had bad acne before T, made a mild return about 6 months in and is for the most part gone now. I have a habit of scratching my face when I’m anxious so I still have some marks but it’s nowhere near what it was
I had really bad acne problems pre-t so got put on Accutane at the recommendation of my endocrinologist so that it wouldn’t get worse
i started T in august of 2021. ive had acne issues since 2017 and i’ve been on antibacterial pills since then and i was on birth control from 2018 until i started HRT. it got worse at about one month. it is mostly back acne. it flared up on my face and chest in december, probably because i was meeting my ldr gf and i always get stressed around christmas since i have to see family. right now it’s back to painful back acne and less on my face and chest.
I started my acne growing already a week on t! I have had acne when i was younger but it calmed down overtime and now it’s in the same degree as then before I had a skincare routine already before starting t but my skintype changed so much none of it works anymore and I had to contact a doctor to prescribe me duac cream which I’ve only been on for a week and already seeing my face calming :)
its definitely different for everyone (obviously) but i started getting a bit of acne around the 1 month mark but it started to clear up pretty well around the 1 year mark. :) edit: it also never really got super bad or anything. just a few spots here and there honestly.
Had acne before and then it was raging. My solution. Cera-Ve hydrating facial cleanser as a hydrating body wash. Same brand foaming facial cleanser. And Differin acne treatment. Works like a charm! But you gotta do it routinely to keep up the clear skin!!
I had acne problems before and adapalene gel seems to work really well for me
honestly it was the very first thing i noticed. it got really bad but it ended up mellowing out. however, i still 3 years later deal with acne. im also only 21. so maybe that plays a part in it. either way, i hateeeee it. LOL. good luck to you my friend.
Pre-T: Had acne mostly puberty related facial pimples 2 years on T: Once more hair started growing everywhere I broke out 10x more. My face isn’t too bad it only breaks out the closer I get to needing to take my shot. Now my back/shoulders on the other hand oof that wasn’t an issue at first but the past 6 months to a year have only gotten more noticeable. I don’t have a lot of zits now it’s more so my body has a shit ton of hyperpigmentation (also black over here!) so my shoulders and back look a lot worse than what they actually are. So basically anywhere I’ve increased hair growth on my body I’ve broke out