Combating acne for the long run: accutane vs. antibiotics
After the horrid bacne on my first cycle of test e 500mg/week and 50mg var per day, I have always taken an antibiotic while on cycle. However i do notice the bactrim and doxycycline lose their effectiveness after a while and the acne begins to come back.
I've tried all the sialic acid washes, benzyol peroxide products, topical creams from the dermatologist and nothing seems to do the trick.
The bloods I pulled before my last cycle showed my test level at a 63, which is SUPER low considering that was 5 months after PCT and being off AAS. In full disclosure I had been cycling Ostarine and S4 during those "off" months.
Due to those low T numbers, and Being that at this time I can't afford to go through a doctor for TRT, i decided to just blast and cruise (self administered TRT) and monitor with bloods until I can afford to do it under doctor supervision.
My most recent cycle, or "blast" ran to mid August and that consisted of 500mg Test E/week, 200mg Tren Ace/week, 60mg var/per day, 0.5 Adex EOD.
When I dropped down to cruise dosage, Test Cyp 200mg/week, split in 2 doses, 12.5 aromasin EOD, I started getting cystic acne all over my back.
It has only gotten worse and persisted since then. I just recently got bloods pulled this weekend so I will know where I am at shortly.
Im leaning towards accutane, as I don't believe long term antibiotic use is smart or safe to do just for acne. But, is it appropriate to start accutane while on TRT? My derm told me that once you take accutane, you don't break out again. She knows my situation, but I have yet to read of accutane being a 1 and done solution for AAS users.
I'm hoping to find a long term solution for this acne! Any input you guys have or threads already out there to refer me to is greatly appreciated! I navigated around but haven't found anyone's long term solution to controlling acne (or maybe I just haven't found it yet). Thanks in advance fellas!
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After I shower with an antibacterial soap I take Benzoyl peroxide on a cotton ball and massage into the skin, my ol lady does my back. I also use a standup tanning bed 4 to 5 times a week. Although this method has a lot of holes in it and not a proven science, it keeps most of the acne at bay for me, because we all know acne is caused by bacteria. Even if you're the biggest guy at the gym it's still embarrassing to stand up from your impressive 500lb bench and have specks of blood coming through the back of your shirt.
SonofaBitchLiterally just told someone in the other thread about tanning.
Probably the single most effective thing that works for me.
Diet as well plays a big part, cut out the dirty sugars from sodas and shit.
I hope you don't have a genetic predisposition to skin cancer. Benzoyl peroxide is known to increase chances of skin cancer, add the excessive exposure to UV rays and that could be bad news bears.
I was unaware of that, but hey, what doesn't cause cancer these days?
I almost wrote water and then quickly rethought my statement.
Playing the piano? That’s all I got.
lol, I'm sure we've spent millions in studies how playing a piano is linked to Carpal tunnel and carpal tunnel causes stress on the heart and stress on the heart leads to pancreatic cancer.
This statement is facetious and in no way factual.
I like it though. It's a route I didnt' think of. And trust me, I tried. Well done lol.
I get the high and low estro. But hygiene plays a big role.
Shower and shower and shower again. Dirty ass sheets play into factor as well. I understand some don't have the the time to shower four times a day. But I will say cleanliness is the most next to godliness. Eat hard, lift hard, shower hard. It's your dick and soap wash it as fast as you wish. Why add another pill or another cream. When you should shower and most definitely wash your sheets. They do have some nice moisture wicking sheets now.
accutane is strong stuff. If you dont have to take it dont. Only as a last resort.I was dealing with the acne all the time on cycles. It took me years to figure out how to fix it. I believe the issue has to be resolved from the inside of your body. For me i Would break out just on 250mg of test. Not terrible but enough to bother me. If you keep your hormones as stable as possible that helps alot. And a big thing for me was eating good foo. You just have to test things out to see what works for you. Theres always a way to fix it.
Accutane isn't a one and done i had extremely bad acne as a teen and actually ran 2 cycles of high doses doctor supervised. It cleared me up completely after the second but im very lucky I didn't get IBS or crohns which are some of the more severe sides of Accutane.
I would only use it as a last resort if nothing works at all because its honestly really bad for you.
Good luck and good gains brother
Accutane doesn't cause IBS or crohns. After all the bullshit they did a lot of testing and research. The theory is now that it's actually the anti biotics that can cause it, seeing as how literally everyone who goes on accutane was on antibiotics for a long time prior to starting. I spend about a year on various anti biotics and creams. Only side i had from it was chapped lips. Great stuff, absolute life saver.
When swallowing the cap of Accutane if it doesn't go all the way down it opens up in your esophagus and absorbs through there causing the drying to occur where it opens.
Thats where all the problems come from.
This is what I was told by my doctor. Is that you need to take it with food and make sure to drink a full glass of water to make sure that it goes all the way down before opening.
It could be bs I don't trust doctors all that much but these are the instructions to avoid the ibs and chronhs.
I had the extremely chapped lips and even needed eye drops because my eyes would dry out. If the acne is systic acne its definitely the best option.
Doctors full of shit, drinking a glass of water isn't gonna prevent one from getting crohns. And if it does I guess I'm super lucky, cause I've taken thoudands of accuranf pills and never once take it with a full glass of water, just a sip. The reason your supposed tk take it with s meals, preferably a high fat meal is due to absorbtion, the % that gets into the blood. It doesn't absorb well without fat for whatever reason. Same goes for oral steroids.
StevebWithout Aromasin I get acne. With it I don't.
Steve is a zit.
same. If my e2 goes above 45 it's zit city. I get it back in the mid to high 20's and you can call me the clear back kid.
StevebEven with tren I get no acne If I use Aromasin. I actually get a little bit of acne a month after my cycle is over.
Same go for adex & letro? Or does aro control it better for you for unexplained reasons? I’ve honestly never used either of the type 1’s
StevebI have never used adex. Aromasin always works and prevents acne for me. Letro completely wiped out estrogen really fast when I used Tren and took too long to start using Aromasin. But I noticed I had pain in my joints because it dried them out. I used Letro when I had some gyno, it was minor and the Letro melted away the lump. You should always have some Letro on hand in case of an emergency.
+1 for adding GREAT info for peeps to pay attention to regarding e2, but also for a good laugh with your phrase "zit city." Thanks for the chuckle. Well played, good sir.
thanks boss. glad someone appreciates my nonsense lol
towards the end of the summer, I was dealing with some shit that you can see in my profile pics and my e2 got up to 55. On top of my nips puffing up I had some bad back/shoulder acne. My fiancee's exact words were "you're whole body is so hot, and then you turn around and your back ruins it... get that shit cleared up, it's gross". She's so loving lol
That's weird I swear that aromasin gives me acne people's bodies are so different
Hold on here. You mention you’ve done and do bloods but you make no mention of your estrogen numbers. Given the small amount of info you’ve given, with low test numbers following PCT and cycling SARMS I am willing to bet your estro is very low/crashed. If I am right that is probably the cause of all your acne issues. Like many you may have overdone your AI on your first cycle which kicked it all off. Let me know if I’m right and if I am then get your estro sorted and the acne will clear.
Bloods showed Estradiol at a 41.2 and my test levels only at a 446 ng/dL
What’s the range for your estro reading?
7.6-42.6
Well in this case I was wrong. It is borderline high considering though. If it was me I would go and see a dermatologist and be completely honest with your history and work out a treatment plan. Good luck fella.
I'm my experience low estro=no acne. Very dry skin, but clear. High estro gives some peole acne. Bloods will def help.
Is there an optimal range to keep your estro to avoid breakouts? If so, is there a rule of thumb so to say of what the dosage of AI's should be at in order to keep you there, or Are there too many different variables to determine that?
Take a read of this - https://www.eroids.com/forum/steroids-qa/steroid-cycles/first-cycle-when...
You want your AI to be in range and typically at the mid to higher end of the range. Blood tests to find the dosage that’s right for you.
This is 1-0-1 stuff mate.
I know some people that have that same experience. With me, it goes either way. High or low estro & I get cystic bumps. Not a bunch, but enough to be agitating.
The previous bloods I had done there was no prescription to get my estradiol tested. The doctor at the time was giving me a hard time about getting full panel blood work. You could very well be right, and I have since found a new doctor and the bloods I just got drawn will be tested for everything I need to know. I will certainly report back with my estro levels and do my due diligence to figure out to correct it
Glad to hear that. Three things I’ve learned (about myself that is) when it comes to acne. High estro and I will get oily skin and some breakouts but nothing too bad. Low estro and I get dry skin almost everywhere but on my back big disgusting cystic acne. The third is that anything that involves 5 alpha reductase will cause limited breakouts which is why Test is one of the biggest culprits here. It’s not the DHT itself that causes the acne it’s the process of conversion from test to DHT. This is why when I take a DHT derivative but I’m on low Test and controlled estro I get no breakouts - the later is purely a theory and not tested.
X2
I did one little course of Accutane between Cycles. Maybe five or six weeks ,10 milligrams a day.
Pretty much no more acne after that
My understanding is that Accutane will not prevent cystic acne from returning if you continue to run heavy cycles. Plus, Accutane is some nasty stuff- comes with all kinds of funky sides.
For me the best thing I ever done for my acne was drink lots of water. This helped clear mine up significantly but I still get it just not as bad. Now I have started switching acne soap. Different brand ever time I use a vial. I noticed this has helped since I build a tolerance to it within a month or so. My biggest advice to you would be to save your money and go to a doctor for trt if your doctor indicates that you need it. Reason why I say this is because then you will know you have good quality test instead of trusting a underground lab that may not be as clean or use the best of oil.
Thanks for your input brother. So I guess it's safe to assume if the gear is garbage, that could cause an onslaught of acne for the duration you're injecting it.
It could be good test just the carrier oil causes you to break out more.
i cant really imagine a scenario where UGL test causes more acne then pharma test.
The carrier oil can effect acne sides. Not so much the compound....test is test but depending on what oil was used it can play significantly it acne and oily skin.
Different solutions for different people bro. Two things that help me is Nizarol shampoo & epsom salt. I apply the shampoo to my skin & leave it on for at least 5 minutes before rinsing. With the Epsom salts, I soak ed for a week during bad breakouts (mine is usually cystic) & then eod. I like the water hot as I can stand it to!
Another option that worked for me is antibiotic. I tried several before I found one that worked.
If you have to go with accutane, I highly recommend doing it under a dr’s care. Blood work is a necessity while taking accurate also. My done had to take it & it can have some bad sides... one being deformation if the mrs become pregnant.
check this out first brother, the author has a very good protocol on acne prevention without using accutane.
https://www.eroids.com/forum/steroids-qa/steroid-cycles/how-to-treat-acn...
Thanks bro! Much appreciated