dht finasteride and acne

[abcdefg]

I found this web page that just briefly mentions that these kids in the Dominican Republic had no hair loss or acne. If that is the case then why is finasteride not approved for acne? Also the 5 ar enzyme type 1 was found to not stop acne I thought I remember reading. So how does acne tie into hair loss or are they not related at all from what we know so far?

It is commonly thought that finasteride was first conceived as a prostate medication and that, only by chance, was found to prevent hair loss. The fact is that in 1974 the researcher Imperato-McGinley described a group of genetically male children from the village of Salinas in the Dominican Republic who were deficient in the enzyme 5-alpha reductase. These male children had very low levels of DHT and throughout their life, their prostates remained small and they did not develop male pattern hair loss or acne.

http://www.bernsteinmedical.com/medical ... nasteride/

 

[Bryan]

It was first reported that the pseudohermaphrodites in the Dominican Republic never experience acne, but that was later found not to be correct. They _do_ get acne, but apparently not as much of it as we Americans do. The difference is probably due just to other genetic differences, and/or food differences and/or lifestyle differences.

By the way, Dominicans (even the pseudohermaphrodites) make about the same amount of sebum as we do. The 5a-reductase activity in sebaceous glands comes almost exclusively from the type 1 enzyme, not the type 2 enzyme that finasteride inhibits, and the pseudohermaphrodites lack.

 

[abcdefg]

Didnt merck try some experiments though with a 5 ar type 1 enzyme inhibitor and it did not stop acne? Why would that be the case if it seems to be caused by type 1 of the 5 ar enzyme?

 

[Ende]

Is it just androgens overstimulating the sebum glands, or are there other reasons for acne too? From personal experience, they're likely to appear during changes in hormone levels, more specific testosterone, estrogen and DHT.

 

[Bryan]

Didnt merck try some experiments though with a 5 ar type 1 enzyme inhibitor and it did not stop acne?

Absolutely! Some big names in the field of dermatology did a careful experiment with patients with acne by giving them Merck's experimental drug MK386, which is a specific 5a-reductase type 1 inhibitor. To the surprise of the doctors, it had no effect on the acne.

Why would that be the case if it seems to be caused by type 1 of the 5 ar enzyme?

I don't know, and the doctors don't know, either. You can sense their puzzlement at the results of the trial. They seemed to be saying: "We need to do more studies, just to find out why this damned thing failed!"

 

[Bryan]

Is it just androgens overstimulating the sebum glands, or are there other reasons for acne too?

The production of sebum by the sebaceous glands is clearly a factor, but there are other ones, too.