This is an amazing breakthrough by the medical community and we need to keep pressing this!!! This is huge people. I developed (along with other typical female syndromes such as mal debarquement and TMJ) a condition called Melasma. I developed brown sun spots on my skin, typical of women because of estrogen to progesterone ratios!!! Read this study, these dermatologists are noting an increase in the amount of male patients with Melasma!! They believe, like I have screamed all along, it’s possible from a estrogen to progesterone imbalance! This needs to be advanced for our cause ASAP
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Man calm down. Since the italian studies we know pfs involves neurosteroid imbalance.
And about the study you posted, if someone doesnt have melasma does it mean that his estrogen/prog ratio is in check?
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Costa, are you really not smart enough to see the significance? 1) these dermatologists were able to link a highly common female condition, one which relates to prog/estrogen imbalance with the use of finasteride, meaning it was probably very prevelant 2) they not only made the link, but found it significant enough to publish a study!
My feeling is any amount of estrogen is a problem with something that has happened with the prog receptor, so ratios are unimportant. Remember also, not all conditions have the same symptoms. I believe the guy with low libido and mild ed suffers from the same root cause as the guy who has the full whammy of side effects
im always trying to make some connection and send some mesagges to doctors (especially at ncbi) who made this researches but they dont never answer it. i would like to share pfs informations to other doctors but they dont care or just busy…
Depressedguy- I know what you mean. I have told everyone there is something wrong with the balance of estrogen and progesterone, convinced and screaming it from the top of the hills. No doctor listened because there was nothing out there. Now there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel with this alarming study that might just point to the problem.
But I have to ask myself why 2 years ago was I complaining about estrogen/progesterone problems and now a study reveals it could be just that
Why Am I the one who has to make these connections? Your telling me doctors cannot really come together and piece information?
Let’s hope the studies reveal something
I don’t think most of you realize how important this study is, it’s a huge piece of the puzzle
Can anyone tell me whether I’m making matters worse by following the advice on this forum to use Progesterone cream?
The protocol is 5mg twice daily for 2 weeks, then 4 days off, for 6 months.
I admit I’m not smart enough to understand how taking Progesterone could possibly benefit my PFS situation, but I’m willing to try pretty much ALL potential remedies.
My latest labs show Estrogen at an acceptible 20 pg/ml, down from 34 pg/ml 6 months ago.
Unfortunately, my doc is not testing for Progesterone levels so I have no ‘ratio’ to analyze.
The progesterone protocol is really something you have to feel out. Bloodwork isn’t going to tell you anything.
I agree: Any time a reputable clinical study shows that finasteride causes permanent damage of any kind to the human body, it’s a move in the right direction.
Thanks for posting this link.
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PR123- absolutely, it shifts the focus away from the “complaints of low libido, and erectile dysfunction” to now a side effect that was important enough to put in a medical journal. It’s giving our condition the legs it’s needs! I also love the fact that they point to estrogen / progesterone!
This also is significant because it highlights that many men are being affected without even knowing it
Exactly.
To boot, this is a side effect that the world can SEE: Brownish patches on the face.
Over time, there will be enough of this research that no halfway sane person will ever take Propecia.
And no halfway sane juror will be buy the argument that the drug is safe.
steer clear of that shit my friend,i ended up with even more sides after a few weeks of progesterone cream,my dick became 100% numb,my vision became very blurry,couldnt focus etc,my hands and arms were trembling,loads of my hair fell
out overnight almost,it took me around a year to get back to where i was before the cream,some fucking cure,what a load of bull,taking hormones is very dangerous…
Has anyone here got Melasma ?
Definitely.
It’s important to note that the publication - The Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, founded eight years ago by renowned New York-based Dr Perry Robins, MD, now the fastest growing publication in dermatology - includes references to the devasting sexual side-effects induced by Propecia. These include sexual dysfunction, reduced libido, depression, and gyencomastia.
The journal goes on to comment that “These side effects are thought to be subsequent to the hormonal changes induced by finasteride.”
I hope this gets more publicity and shows researches that it ain’t just DHT being affected
Mark2012- yes I had Melasma when I was on finasteride
foundatıon shared thıs melasma study on theır twıtter account…
I know nothing about Melasma but the link to progesterone/estrogen is intriguing. Although I can’t say I’ve noticed any on my skin, has anybody on here?
Is it caused specifically in relation to the estrogen to progesterone balance, or by the absolute level of each?
Quick scan of google throws up this anecdotal account by a woman, interestingly she state she was diagnosed with adrenal fatigue. (again, progesterone is a component of adrenal synthesis)
healthylivinghowto.com/1/post/20 … lasma.html
"How Adrenal Fatigue and Melasma is Related
Stress of any kind causes an adaptive response from the body. The stress response begins in the brain in the hypothalmus. The hypothalmus sends a signal to the pituitary gland to secrete adreno-corticotropic hormone (ACTH). ACTH stimulates the adrenal glands to release cortisol. The adrenals convert cholesterol into pregnenolone which is the building block for both sex hormones and cortisol. When the body is under chronic stress, such as during adrenal fatigue, the body uses pregnenolone to produce more cortisol, limiting what’s available for producing sex hormones. In a female, the result can be low testosterone (reduction in sex drive) and low progesterone which throws off the balance of estrogen. And, here is the connection to melasma; elevated estrogen (or estrogen not balanced by progesterone) increases MSH and as we learned above, this causes an increase in skin darkening or melasma."
I’ve requested the full study so will have a scan through later to see exactly what the findings are. Hope it’s not just a speculative observation and there is some real data behind it.
I have a few brown age spots on my upper cheeks although not melasma as such.
This was not a fruitless observation by the dermatologists. This is going to provide an incredible amount of insight into our condition! In my two years on the forum, this may be the biggest discovery