Why Acne?

[simplemindedgenius]

What causes the pimples or acne when taking finasteride? Before I started taking it I read that it gets rid of pimples, now I realize that's not the case.

 

[jeffsss]

propecia causes oily skin. when you get oily skin your more prone to acne.

i dont know why exactly propecia caues oily skn.. but at least you got part of your question answered.

 

[Bryan]

An early study with a small number of subjects shortly after Proscar became available showed no effect at all on sebum production from finasteride, but that hasn't stopped the inevitable anecdotal reports on both sides of that issue: some claiming INCREASED oil, some claiming DECREASED oil. Since those reports seem to balance each other over the years, I suspect that all those claims are probably just the result of the placebo effect, or are simply coincidental.

Bryan

 

[Balding_1]

I've never had bad acne and I noticed increased acne on my back when I started taking finasteride. The doctor told me it was caused by hormone fluctuations.

 

[JJ1980]

An early study with a small number of subjects shortly after Proscar became available showed no effect at all on sebum production from finasteride, but that hasn't stopped the inevitable anecdotal reports on both sides of that issue: some claiming INCREASED oil, some claiming DECREASED oil. Since those reports seem to balance each other over the years, I suspect that all those claims are probably just the result of the placebo effect, or are simply coincidental.

Bryan

HIGHLY doubt its placebo affect. Finasteride affects your hormone levels (DHT is a hormone) and may indirectly affect your estrogen/testosterone levels. Most likely it increases your estrogen levels, which in turn as a male, your body wants to keep estrogen levels and testosterone levels balanced and will increase production of testosterone to balance it. Hence, the sudden shoot in libido and acne reported by many in the beginning stages of the regimen.

It is very dangerous to self medicate yourself without having your hormones closely monitored by a doctor.

 

[Britannia]

An early study with a small number of subjects shortly after Proscar became available showed no effect at all on sebum production from finasteride, but that hasn't stopped the inevitable anecdotal reports on both sides of that issue: some claiming INCREASED oil, some claiming DECREASED oil. Since those reports seem to balance each other over the years, I suspect that all those claims are probably just the result of the placebo effect, or are simply coincidental.

Bryan

HIGHLY doubt its placebo affect. Finasteride affects your hormone levels (DHT is a hormone) and may indirectly affect your estrogen/testosterone levels. Most likely it increases your estrogen levels, which in turn as a male, your body wants to keep estrogen levels and testosterone levels balanced and will increase production of testosterone to balance it. Hence, the sudden shoot in libido and acne reported by many in the beginning stages of the regimen.

It is very dangerous to self medicate yourself without having your hormones closely monitored by a doctor.

And on that bombshell..........

 

[Bryan]

HIGHLY doubt its placebo affect. Finasteride affects your hormone levels (DHT is a hormone) and may indirectly affect your estrogen/testosterone levels.

I don't contest that second sentence, although I still think that the claimed effect on acne is probably unrelated to the finasteride. But finasteride _does_ indirectly affect estrogen/testosterone levels, although only modestly.

Most likely it increases your estrogen levels, which in turn as a male, your body wants to keep estrogen levels and testosterone levels balanced and will increase production of testosterone to balance it.

Actually, estrogen DECREASES testosterone (T) production, because estrogen is one of the things that the body monitors as part of its feedback loop that controls T synthesis. It considers rising estrogen to be a sign that too much T is being produced (all other things being equal, of course), so it downregulates the production of T in the testes. If you were to take an estrogen supplement, for example, your T production would very likely go DOWN, not UP.

Estrogen goes up a little when you take finasteride simply because T goes up. And T goes up because DHT is sharply reduced (DHT is another factor that the brain looks at, as a regulator of T production).

Bryan

 

[hair_tomorrow]

Well, here's my cents.

Since I cranked my finasteride intake up from 1 mg eod to 1 mg every day - my back and sides have broken out in a pimply, itchy rash.

It's driving me nuts.

I've used a few different types of medicated powders, changed to an aloe-vera soap, tried a few different types of creams, nothing seems to be helping. I even rubbed some acv on my back a few times - being I keep a bottle in the shower anyway (I can relieve the itch for awhile - but the little bumps won't go away). This is going on 2 months now.

If it is my hormones, I hope they settle the hell down soon.