Holy relentless acne BATMAN!

[Drummer]

Its been almost 2 months since ive been done my pct (HCG, nolva, aromasin), and the acne just wont clear up! Blackheads, and even more zits! Some squirting mirror-hitting bad ass zits I tell ya! WTF! None on my face thank god. All shoulders and back. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

~D~

[Andre]

One word... Accutane!

[C-money]

i only get acne after a cycle aswell....

[daande]

Try tanning, hot baths with epson salts, using a loofa(sp?) with some high quality soap...If you do not want accutane.

[Drummer]

Ill try the tanning/lufa/bath thing first. I wont take accutane. Permanently changes your skin.

~D~

[tiramisu]

oral antibiotic, benzyl peroxide for the acne. 2% salycilic for the the blackheads

[daande]

Ill try the tanning/lufa/bath thing first. I wont take accutane. Permanently changes your skin.

~D~

All this will help dry out your oily skin. The lufa is just good for getting rid of blackheads and such.

"A hot Epsom-salt bath twice a week will be highly beneficial in all cases of acne. This bath is prepared by adding one and half kg of Epsom-salt to 50 liters of water having a temperature of about 100F. The patient should remain in the bath for 25 to 35 minutes till he perspires freely and after the bath; the patient should cool off gradually. "

[kloan]

Try Vitamin B5... bulk powder, put it in your shakes... 5 grams/day.

I was having problems with acne after my cycle, was already taking ACV, but that didn't seem to do shit... so started taking B5 (mine came with a 4 gram scoop), skin started clearing up within a couple weeks. Was all cleared up after a month or so. I continue to take it.

Don't drink it in juice on an empty stomach though... unless you need a colon cleanse.

[Bowlcut]

Tersaseptic anti bacterial soap. Works wonders.

[Kronis]

I had to get anti-biotics and prednisone after my pct. I'll be going on accutane soon to shrink the sebaceous gland so it won't happen again.

I was all clear until half way through PCT then BAM, garbage skin.

[BAM]

Apple cider vinegar caps will help.

[waderow]

try apple cider vinegar

[Drummer]

wow sweet lots of suggestions here... i only get acne during pct, seems when your trying to get back to normal is when the skin goes out of wack

~D~

[elmatador]

not to sound like a prick but make sure you wash your bed sheets often. When you sleep shirtless all that grease gets absorbed by your sheets and will make the zit situation worse. A friend had some serious zit issue on his back and this really helped him.

[kloan]

^^true.. i started sleeping with tshirts and changing my pillow case every few days which also helped.

[Kronis]

^^^ sometimes you're just out of luck, and once it gets to be painful you'll need some sort of medicine.

ACV, Salicylic Acid, AHA's, tanning, frequent showers, fresh linens will all help (or at least helped me) but when your body decides to go haywire there's not much you can do. I was lucky and didn't get any on my face but my upper arms from elbow to shoulder blade got right ****ed.

Antibiotics killed off my 90% acne pretty quick (about 6 days) but I still have red marks on my arms where deep pimples used to be that are going to take a while to clear up. The alpha hydroxy acids are supposedly good for fixing that because it increases skin turnover rate.

Just get accutane, why deal with this every post-cycle?

[gicantor]

Accutane

[Mr Ontario]

Tea tree oil/witch hazel/alcohol mixed in a small spray bottle....

[gsxr750]

Scrubbing the nizorol shampoo I use for keeping my hair more handsome than Mr.O's onto my chest got rid of chestne pretty quick.

Maybe try some nizorol if other suggestions aren't helping.

[Mr Ontario]

You mean the hair on your back :)


Scrubbing the nizorol shampoo I use for keeping my hair more handsome than Mr.O's onto my chest got rid of chestne pretty quick.

Maybe try some nizorol if other suggestions aren't helping.

[gsxr750]

Lol nice!

Steroid Side Effects: Fight Acne with Shampoo?
by Anthony Roberts

One of the most notorious side effects experienced with the use of Anabolic/Androgenic Steroids is the development of Acne. This is, for the more hardcore users, not too big of a deal. Granted, if you are three hundred pounds ripped, are balding with a permanent red face from high blood pressure, and develop a bunch of zits suddenly, that last part is probably the least of your concerns. Large oil filled zits just aren’t a pressing concern to the next Mr. Olympia. However, for most of us, and especially first time steroid users or females, zits are usually something we want to avoid. Acne is the most media-popularized side effect of Anabolic Steroid use, and (next to weight gain) the most outwardly recognizable.

Females especially, want to avoid this for aesthetic reasons, and it’s actually through interaction with one of the female moderators on a bodybuilding message board that I was most recently reminded of this point. She had been experiencing pretty bad acne from Anavar use, but she couldn’t find a suitable answer for how to get rid of it. The most typical answer to the question was “use Retin-A,” which was spouted by nearly everyone she spoke to. It is unfortunate that Retin-A, for many reasons, is a very poor choice for her purposes (one reason being it doesn’t address the cause of the acne appropriately, and it is also a prescription medication). In this particular case, I told her to take some Nizoral (Ketoconazole) Shampoo and rub it on her back and face as a body wash. Huh? What? Shampoo on your face and back? Shampoo is for your hair! Yeah, well that’s what everyone thought. Until now. Okay, I know: shampoo on your face is weird. But, I wouldn’t be writing for Mind and Muscle if I wasn’t three things:

a.) Weird (in the public’s eye)

b.) Creative

c.) Weird

Now, let’s talk about DHT and how it causes acne. We will then discuss why using Nizoral shampoo would be good for getting rid of acne. Development of AAS-related acne and the extent to which it is experienced can be due to a number of varying factors, with the steroids and dosages used being primary factors. It has been established that the receptors of the sebaceous glands have a particularly high affinity to Dihydrotestosterone (1)(2)(3). Anecdotally, it would also seem that DHT-derivations (Winstrol, etc…) cause more acne than others (Testosterone or 19-Nor derived steroids). Thus, we can also safely assume that steroids, which are affected by the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme and turned into DHT in the body, will also be highly probable to cause acne. Increased sebaceous gland activity causes oily skin, and this, in combination with bacteria and dead skin caused by normal wear and tear, then causes pores to become clogged more quickly than the body can deal with them (or than you can exfoliate or unclog them). This causes visible acne and generally terrible looking skin.

So DHT is a primary culprit in all those nasty zits, right? Well, stay with me here, because the next part may get slightly complicated. Nizoral shampoo (the chemical in it is Ketoconazole) is actually a topical anti-androgen. Remember, the catalyst for acne is initially DHT (an androgen) and the sebaceous activity it causes. When used topically, in shampoo form, this particular compound’s effects are limited to the skin/scalp and are not systemic (affecting the whole body) unless you take it orally (drink the shampoo). Ketoconazole’s pharmacokinetics have been studied with oral ingestion (they make a pill, you don’t drink the shampoo of course), and it has been determined that even orally, it is effective against acne, because oral ketoconazole has three delivery routes to the skin (4):

1. Passive uptake by keratinocytes in the basal layer

2. Excretion through the sweat glands

3. (The important one) A massive excretion through the sebaceous glands

In that same study, sebum levels compared with the plasma levels are very high, even with oral ingestion (4), which prompted researchers to simply create a shampoo from the base chemical (Ketoconazole) to prevent androgenic alopecia (balding) caused by DHT. Unfortunately, oral ingestion of an anti-androgen will cause an anti-anabolic effect as well. However, there is almost no effective plasma level to cause an anti-androgenic effect in your body when you topically apply it (4). So this should keep anyone from needlessly worrying about the possibility of an anti-anabolic effect to be had from topically applying Nizoral (even though it’s technically an anti-androgen).

Lets back up a bit and let me give you a little background on how I stumbled on all of this roughly 8 years ago.

I figured out that Nizoral would prevent acne when I had some acne on my forehead during my first cycle. I had been using Nizoral to prevent hair loss, and I always got some shampoo on the top of my forehead when I washed my hair. I soon noticed that the area the shampoo came into contact with was free of acne. So, long story short, I started using it as a topical acne treatment and my steroid-induced acne cleared right up. I tried it on my back acne, and it went away. My girlfriend at the time had some acne, and it cleared that up too. A few years ago, I actually looked for validation on my theory, and found it. The study I first found (4) examined the pill form, but the shampoo is the same active ingredient, and won't have a noticeable systemic effect, but rather will have a localized one wherever you apply it.

Interestingly, about the same year that I had discovered the use of a topical anti-androgen for use in preventing DHT-caused acne (steroid related in my case) scientists completed a study basically saying the same thing. Although I had discovered this use for topical anti-androgens in my shower, and they discovered it in a lab, it’s basically the same idea.

The study I found from that year examining a topical anti-androgen and its effects on the sebaceous glands was very interesting. When a topical anti-androgen was used on rodents, the scientists noted that sebaceous glandular and ductal regression was quite profound. This strongly suggests that a topical anti-androgen could effectively counteract endogenous androgens resulting in a suppression of growth of the sebaceous glands while leaving serum concentrations of both testosterone and dihydrotestosterone intact and not reduced (5). This means, for all intents and purposes, that Nizoral’s anti-androgenic effect on your skin will prevent acne, without it having a systemic effect on your body. In simplest terms, it will leave 100% of the muscle building effects imparted by the steroids you are taking totally unaffected.

Shampoo. It’s not just for hair anymore.

[physique]

acne gel. awesome stuff. if u can get it

[Ritch]

Like the obove post says, Nizoral shampoo works very well, just hopefully you don`t have acne where you can`t reach.

[daande]

Like the obove post says, Nizoral shampoo works very well, just hopefully you don`t have acne where you can`t reach.

Get a loofa on a stick put some nizoral shampoo on it and scrub away.

[ironwill]

i had that 2 times in my life, cystic acne...both times was from tren, never ever get a zit anywhere hardly....tren ****ed me up real bad for 3 months and all back, chest and shoulder zits....Ill never touch it again..tried twice to be sure....

[Drummer]

Yea... i get it from deca. Prolly cause they are both from the Nor-9 family. Its too bad, cause deca is awsome for my joints and i pack on some serious mass fast with it. However, next time im trying test/EQ. Test E 250mg, EQ 200mg, 200iu HCG every other day for 16 weeks. Hope i dont get acne with that.

Awsome responses so far! I will be going to get some Nizoral and a lufa stick tonight. I will report in a few weeks how it has worked. If i remember last time i took deca, it was over 3 month after PCT that it started to clear up.

~D~

[Drummer]

Got the Nizoral. Got a lufa. Scrubbed till i bled. Washed with nizoral and let it stand for 5 min. Woke up with no acne.

Just kidding. Ill keep you guys posted on the progress, just started with it today.

~D~

[daande]

Got the Nizoral. Got a lufa. Scrubbed till i bled. Washed with nizoral and let it stand for 5 min. Woke up with no acne.

Just kidding. Ill keep you guys posted on the progress, just started with it today.

~D~

Goto shoppers or somewhere and do the epsom salts bath it apparently works wonders. It also helps relieve muscle pain apparently!

[Drummer]

Ok been using the nizorol and lufa for a week... seeing little results. I realize that the oil glands have had lots of time to grow and over produce, it will take time to shrink them again. Im thinking a few weeks will show good results if the shampoo truly has an anti androgen effect. I will also try the epsom salts.

~D~

[Mr Ontario]

Bro, the nizorol will only dry out your pores and then your body will want to produce more oil glands to compensate which = more zits. Someone I know is a dermatologist :)


Ok been using the nizorol and lufa for a week... seeing little results. I realize that the oil glands have had lots of time to grow and over produce, it will take time to shrink them again. Im thinking a few weeks will show good results if the shampoo truly has an anti androgen effect. I will also try the epsom salts.

~D~

[Drummer]

Bro, the nizorol will only dry out your pores and then your body will want to produce more oil glands to compensate which = more zits. Someone I know is a dermatologist :)

That was my take on any shampoo or whatever... but the above post was telling me that there is an anti-androgen in the shampoo? Thats what im looking for, a non systemic anti androgen i guess. I realize that over washing dries you out and prompts your body to make more oil. Just want to slow that down quick if I can, and without accutane.

~D~

[punkrock]

If DHT causes the hair loss and zits. Then wouldn't it be best to find something to get rid of the dht?

Like Mr Ontario said, when you dry out the skin, your body produces more oil. I did that when I was a teen. haha

Does Finasteride/procepia/proscar do an effect job of blocking or removing dht?

[Mr Ontario]

Well lets just put it this way....where in the acne community have you heard that the Nizoral works for acne. If you will see it mentioned anywhere is here in the bodybuilding community, passed on from rumour to rumour....just because it may have worked temporarily for one person does not mean it going to work for you.

[methadone]

what would be an average dose of accutane, and how long should it be taken for?

what are the side effects? will i horribly break out before i start to clear up while on it?

[LIVEHARD]

Ill try the tanning/lufa/bath thing first. I wont take accutane. Permanently changes your skin.

~D~

Spectro gell with a anti acne body wash

spectro on the face solo

[LIVEHARD]

wow sweet lots of suggestions here... i only get acne during pct, seems when your trying to get back to normal is when the skin goes out of wack

~D~

Mabey your just a DIRTY F'Ker LOL JK 'ing

[Drummer]

Well, the nizoral did shit. Seemed to make things worse to be honest. Now, in the morning, at night, and after shower or after picking anything, i rub with rubbing alchohol then go over it with hydrogen peroxide and in 3 days i see things getting better. I believe peroxide is the best topical solution externally, and accutane internally.

~D~

[PdH]

Panoxyl Cleansing Bar works really well. Seems to work much better than the gel for some unknown reason. Just leave it on for a few minutes before you rinse it off. You can buy it OTC at 5% or get a script from your Doc at 10%.

[Mad-Bull]

Once you do one cycle of accutane you will never have to do it again correct?

[natenator]

Once you do one cycle of accutane you will never have to do it again correct?
not true.

[Kilburn]

not true.

yup ive taken accutane 3 times now.

first was prescription, the proper way. had really bad acne in highschool. accutane is far from a permanent fix.

and ya, i can't stand the break out after a cycle. fuking horrible. partly why i just cruise on low dose test.

[Mr Ontario]

Witch Hazel/Alcohol/Tea Tree oil :)


Well, the nizoral did shit. Seemed to make things worse to be honest. Now, in the morning, at night, and after shower or after picking anything, i rub with rubbing alchohol then go over it with hydrogen peroxide and in 3 days i see things getting better. I believe peroxide is the best topical solution externally, and accutane internally.

~D~

[Drummer]

Witch Hazel/Alcohol/Tea Tree oil :)

I hear a lot of ppl mentioning the tea tree oil, so im gonna try the above concoction. Hi ho, hi ho, Off to the health store i go! :O


~D~

[Kronis]

I really like tea tree oil, I think it helps a lot.

Sea salt baths apparently work really well, I've been on vacation swimming in the ocean almost every day for the last week and it's made a gigantic difference.

[Mr Ontario]

Get one of those colourful small spray bottles and mix them in together with that....makes it easier to spray your back by looking in a mirror from behind,...


I hear a lot of ppl mentioning the tea tree oil, so im gonna try the above concoction. Hi ho, hi ho, Off to the health store i go! :O


~D~