posted Thu, 07/02/2026 - 07:58
332
Acne
ad
Has anyone experienced acne? If so what’s best to control it while on test? I heard daily injections and lowering e2 is a go to. Want to hear others experiences.
- Bookmark
- 0
- 0
l8marshallyeahhhh, acne is one of the most common sides reported, especially on the back/shoulders/chest, less so face for most people. Few things that come up a lot in this context:
Daily or EOD injections instead of once or twice weekly does help some people because it smooths out the peaks. Big spikes right after a pin tend to correlate with more oil production and breakouts for a lot of guys, so flattening the curve can reduce it even at the same total weekly dose.
E2 is the other lever people point to, and it makes sense biologically since estrogen also plays a role in sebum production, not just testosterone itself. But chasing E2 down with an AI carries its own tradeoffs, joint pain, libido crashes, lipid issues, mood, so it's not a free fix. If your E2 is already in a reasonable range, over-suppressing it to chase clearer skin usually backfires.
Other things that show up in most people's stacks for this: benzoyl peroxide wash on affected areas, keeping skin drier (not overwashing which paradoxically increases oil rebound), zinc, and for stubborn cases some go to a derm for topical retinoids or even low dose oral accutane run alongside TRT (derm-supervised).
Worth getting actual E2 numbers before assuming that's your driver. Some guys get bad acne with normal E2 and it's more just individual sensitivity to androgens at the skin/sebaceous gland level, in which case fixing E2 won't move the needle much and you're better off treating it topically
Accutane worked wonders for me, i ran the standard titrated dose and never looked back.
IntenityDoes it come back when on cycle ?
nope, its totally cleared it. currently running 1000mg test, confirmed by blood work and zero AI. feeling great and acne free. did my accutane about 10 years ago too btw
IntenityI did accutane 8 years ago and never got it on my face again just my back and chest but since being on test my chest and back got bad but face is clear so hopefully it goes away completely now that I’m back on it
I think the important thing is to stay on accurate until you get through the full therapeutic dose timeline if I’m not mistaken. That’s all I did, even when my acne cleared I stayed on until it was fully dosed over the entire recommended time frame
Ya I get acne when my e2 is high, I've always had trouble dialing in my ai dose. I've been on 30 mg accutane daily for a week now should start clearing up
IntenityBeen on 60mg daily and today will be 2 weeks but it’s getting worse before it gets better. I heard it takes 2-4 months before it starts clearing up
Great info below. I always had 5 or 6 on my back at all times when on cycle, switched to eod pins and i havent really had any at all since.
If it is acne stemming from e2 then daily injections should help. Most people report acne from e2 flaring up when you have large fluctuations ( going from blast to TRT etc..). Stabilizing E2 at an acceptable level should help.
I experience cystic acne when using any 19-Nor. I thought it was the prolactin causing the issue at first, but prolactin levels have always been about the same 19-Nor or not. I then noticed my HS-CRP would always elevate with any 19-NOR, so now I think it is just a side effect of the increased systemic inflammation.
I’ve ran Accutane, and it helped but acne did not disappear until I ceased using all 19-NOR’s. I’ve had the minor occurrence of whiteheads when transitioning from blast to TRT levels, but that was when I was pinning twice a week. I now pin prop daily, and all acne has been managed by doing so.
I also utilize African black soap, antibacterial bar soap, tretnoin, and regular limited sun exposure. I’m pre-disposed to some bacne I’ve had it since my teens, but these things have helped.
Try to identify the common denominators when you have a flare up, and this will help you determine your plan of attack.
IntenityCurrently on accutane and will consider eod injections and I’m trying to lower my e2 right now. Just worried since Ive had acne in my teens it’ll just keep coming back each cycle.
If you stay on Accutane long enough it will eventually shrink your oil glands to the point your acne will become minimal. Properly taking Accutane is all about getting the cumulative dose in. Whether you do that with a higher dose and shorter time or a lower dose for an extended period doesn’t matter. I can’t remember the numbers in cumulative total, but we’re talking an extended period of time even on 60mg. Don’t forget to monitor liver and lipids as Accutane can impact them.
Just from my personal experience as crazy as it sounds my skin never looks better than on high test and a DHT derivative. I’m still digging into this each cycle to see if I can identify why, if you can’t tell I kind of nerd out on this shit.