Short‐ and Long‐Term Clinical Skin Effects of Testosterone Treatment in Trans Men
January 2014
in “The Journal of Sexual Medicine”
TLDR Testosterone treatment in trans men increases body and facial hair and may lead to hair loss over time, but severe skin issues are rare.
The study from 2014 investigated the effects of testosterone treatment on the skin of trans men, including 20 hormone-naive participants in a short-term study and 50 participants in a long-term study. Testosterone treatment significantly increased facial and body hair growth, with the median Ferriman and Gallwey (F&G) score rising from 0.5 to 12 after 12 months, and nearly all participants showing scores indicative of hirsutism after long-term treatment. Mild frontotemporal hair loss was observed in one participant after one year, while 32.7% experienced mild hair loss and 31% had moderate to severe androgenetic alopecia after long-term treatment. Acne severity peaked at 6 months but was mild or absent in most participants following long-term treatment. The study concluded that testosterone treatment leads to increased facial and body hair and that severe skin problems were generally absent after both short- and long-term treatment, with the risk of androgenetic alopecia increasing over time. Dermatological outcomes were not strongly associated with individual serum testosterone or dihydrotestosterone levels.
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