Rosacea, facial redness (acne?) on low dose compounded testosterone cream - can't figure out?

[Chipusa15]

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[OMI100]

FWIW
The daughter had me researching face creams etc for sagging skin, wrinkles etc.
I came across a number of articles referencing MSM and Silymarin (Milk thistle).
You can find it OTC.
You can make your own for cheap.
Google rosacea, MSM and Silymarin.
Look at paragraph 3.7:
http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/9/3/290/htm
Methylsulfonylmethane: Applications and Safety of
a Novel Dietary Supplement

and a bit about Silymarin:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3586829/
Seems to be a LOT of anecdotal reports of very positive results on rosacea.
Hmmmm
Might work on acne?

 

[Dave B.]

I am totally like you. Testim has totally given me Rosacea. I cannot go out in sun without a huge flare up. I thought it was alcohol too, but stayed away for a month and rosacea was still there. My Dr's have been no help....I feel some sort of hormone imbalance maybe causing this due to the testim. Have you been prescribed anything that has helped?
Thanks.

How old are you? My rosacea did not start until I was about 44 or 45.

I'm starting to realize that it is not *ONE THING* with rosacea. I've lowered my flare-ups by avoiding all sugar, processed foods, grains and especially bread or wheat. I used to get a big flare-up eating at a pizza place until I suspected the wheat in the crust coupled with sugars in the tomato sauce were a toxic combination.

Since I stopped eating that stuff, no flare ups. Experimenting on myself for the last couple of months this way and I think I have found several of my triggers. It can be different for everyone. I can actually drink red wine in small quantities and be OK, but absolutely no beer. It flushes me instantly.

 

[Saul]

Agreed Dave B. I have rosacea and it is really good right now, but was bad in the past. Based on my search there are many different causes. I now just consider rosacea to mean red face because it can be caused by so many different things and everyone is different. I avoid food triggers. The sun and wind cause it too, but I still get out. I don't use face soap, but a special cleanser and you don't need to wash your face (and even hair everyday). The natural oils help protect your face. I also use face lotion. Shaving (and shave cream) is also really hard on the skin and causes flair ups. Laser treatments have helped some people that I know but I have not tried.

If you want to freak yourself out, check out these links. (my advice - don't click)

https://rosacea-support.org/just-how-do-you-kill-demodex-mites.html


https://www.rosacea.org/patients/demodex

 

[JonathanPiner]

Well, too much hormones such as androgen can be the cause of your acne. Tea tree oil is used to acne prone spots can assist keep your skin clear. Tea tree oil is a natural item that relieves acne without drying your skin. It also lowers oil accumulation within your pores. With natural remedies you might continue our supplement course.

 

[Tman]

mlongtin,

Damn, I injected for the first time ever today and what do you know, facial flush. It feels like niacin flush except not as intense. My face is visibly red It is exactly 4 hours since I injected, and the redness is in my cheeks and forehead, exactly the places rosacea flares. Dang.

My gut instinct is that this has nothing to do with the testosterone itself, but maybe the solvent is the culprit. Quick google says that test cypionate contains benzyl alcohol and benzyl benzoate.

Drugs & Medications

The link lists so-called INFREQUENT side effects, specifically:

Giant Hives
Hives
Itching
Rash
Redness Of Skin
Skin Inflammation Due To A Topically Applied Medication
Stinging Of Skin

I have lots of different allergies and so maybe this is just part of the genetic cards we were dealt. I wonder if a compounding pharmacy can blend the testosterone without these compounds, or just with alternate compounds that I'm not allergic to?

I believe was Dr. Mclain (ask the doc) talks about this in one of his YouTube videos referring to it as the Celtic curse for some people on trt.

 

[antelopers]

My rosacea has been almost non existent since changing my diet. It does come back if my e2 or T are too far out of range as well.

 

[BradTX22]

I was on TRT for 6 years, weekly injections. My Rosacea started a few weeks into treatment and lasted the whole time I was on it. I stopped for about 5 months and the rosacea/acne cleared up completely. All the things that cause Rosacea to flare, I had no flare and no acne the entire 5 months I was off TRT. I went back on TRT after 5 months. I’m now 4 months back on TRT and the Rosacea on my nose is back! BTW when I started TRT I was 45, I’m now 51. What will I do about it? Talk to my dermatologist and find out the best way to control it. It’s obvious as long as I’m on TRT, I will have Rosacea of the nose and small tiny bumps on my forehead. But at least I feel great and I can still get aroused, which was almost non-existent when I was off TRT. There’s a prescription cream called Soolantra you can apply to your face/nose that helps; it’s not a cure but it helps. Off topic, the reason I stopped TRT was to see if my migraines would go away. Frequently, the entire 6 years I was on TRT I had migraines. I averaged about 9-12 a month. I take all kinds of drugs for migraines, but still have them. I got off TRT to see if they would clear up, and they did. So along with Roaacea I get migraines from TRT. You would think that would be enough to make a person stop TRT, but I’m not done living yet. When I got off TRT for 5 months I felt like an old man. I’m 51 but felt 71.

 

[sammmy]

If you are not on drugs, you may want to try ginger powder in water - it is anti-inflammatory that some studies show is as effective as the standard anti-migrane drugs. Ginger can irritate stomach and interact with drugs.

Your "rosacea" may be an inflammatory reaction. The Soolantra cream is topical Ivermectin, which works mainly as a topical anti-inflammatory. You could try oral anti-inflammatories such as Milk Thistle extract (Silimarine), Quercetin, Turmeric etc. as long as you don't take other drugs that may interfere with those.

 

[sammmy]

Another possible anti-inflammatory for migraines is high doses of vit B2 (riboflavin), about 400mg a day - there are migraine studies about it. It will make your pee neon-yellow, typical for supplemented B vitamins. For some people, it works in much lower doses.