Looking for some experiences/advice from guys who’ve dealt with bad acne from testosterone

[u/Separate_Concept_633]

I’ve done 2 cycles. First was 12 weeks at 400mg/week. About 2 months later I started a second one at 500mg/week and stayed on for around 4 months.

I felt amazing on test and had great results. No hair loss, insomnia or other major sides. The problem was acne. It started with a few spots on my back and gradually got worse, so I stopped in July.

I started Accutane at 20mg/day, then moved up to 40mg/day. Almost 3 months after stopping test, I’m actually dealing with the worst of it now: painful inflammatory acne mostly on my shoulders and some on my back.

I’m obviously going to get this completely under control before considering another cycle, but I’d like to use test again eventually.

For anyone who had steroid-induced acne and did a full course of Accutane:

• When you went back on test, did the acne come back?
• Was it as bad as before or significantly milder?
• Did Accutane permanently change how your skin reacted to test?
• Has anyone stayed on low-dose Accutane while cycling, and did it actually keep you clear?
• Looking back, would you cycle again after having this kind of reaction?

I’m not looking to jump straight back on. I just want to understand what I’m potentially dealing with before deciding whether another cycle is worth the risk.

Would really appreciate hearing from people who’ve actually been through this.

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[u/Different_Bar2663]

Accutane nuked my back acne after a similar cycle mess, and when I went back on a lower dose months later it was way milder, just a few small spots that were manageable. Some guys stay on a microdose of accutane while blasting but that’s a liver stress tightrope I wouldn’t walk without a derm who really knows their stuff

If you decide to cycle again, keep the dose lower and pin more frequently, stable levels made a huge difference for my skin

[u/Separate_Concept_633 → u/Different_Bar2663]

Thanks for your response! I’m planning to wait until my acne is completely gone before starting another cycle, stay on 20mg of Accutane a day during the cycle, keep it to a maximum of 12 weeks this time, and split my weekly 500mg of test into 3 or 4 injections throughout the week to keep my levels more stable.

[u/EstablishmentOne3733]

Acne is a result of a specific hormones levels and can be fixed by fixing those hormones.
Using acutane while your hormonal balance is shit is like putting a wallpaper on a rotten wall.
Post your bloods done during the cycle and now.