DRY SKIN - Could Perpecia cause a 24 year old to Wrinkle up?

Symptoms Physical
#1

Fist of all, I would like to say that I am grateful that a forum like this exists on the internet, since many people has no place to go with these issues caused by this horrible drug.
Thank you so much for standing up for our rights and helping those in need.

I am a young man of 24, who recently started balding, and as a result started a Propecia treatment. Soon after I started (3 months or so), I started to experience heavy dryness all over my face, especially in the under eye area. Soon after, other side effects started to occur relating to my skin.

  1. Fine lines started to develop randomly around my face (Prob. because of the dryness), leaving my skin in a Leather kind of state.

  2. My facial pores opened up wide and my skin now seems as if I have scars from acne or such related condition, even though I never experienced anything like that.

I Acknowledge that we all grow older, and that our skin changes gradually, however I find this shift in appearance has to be caused by some other factor, since it basically happened over night. It happened after I started a Finastride treatment. Perhaps it was the use of the Propecia drug?
It should be noted here, that I am only 24 years old, and that none of my family members have any history of fine lines appearing in the same fashion as it has in my case. Further more, nether of my family members have open facial pores, like I am all of the sudden encountering. All family members have been known to have young and elastic skin, ever though the years go by, so why are my having these troubles?

I hope that I can get some good advice form the good people on this site, since my doctor doesn’t seem to know much about Propecia-related problems. Are there any medication, vitamins or actions that I could take to counter this unnaturally state of dryness, wrinkling and poor malfunction? I didn’t want to go bald, but that I’ll live with, a face of a 50 year old, while being 24, is a much tougher issue for me.

I have stopped the use of the drug already, but still my condition doesn’t seem to better. Please consider my options, and I will be extremely grateful.

Yours Faithfully

Andy

Womens dresses2 062.jpg480×640 26.8 KB

#2

Check out this posting on the same issue in the Finasteride Side Effects section: “Atrophy of subcutaneous adipic layer around the eyes”

Josh

#3

Wrinkling/dry eyes has been reported by a few users.

Although Finasteride selectively targets type II 5AR, it also inhibits Type I at higher concentrations and Type I is found in the skin. Although we are taking much smaller doses of Fin that would be required to inhibit Type I, nonetheless I wouldn’t doubt its possible on a small scale and this may play a role.

HOWEVER – the bigger player in all this is DHT. DHT plays a role in maintaining oily sebaceous glands/skin health/sebum production and if you take Finasteride you block this process, since you are reducing DHT by about ~70%.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/quer … t=Abstract

DHT is also the main androgen responsible for ACNE… interesting that some people also experience libido problems after taking potent anti-acne drugs like Accutane.

#4

yep. i’ve got bad wrinkles now too thanks to propecia. my family members still have very oily and mostly wrinkle-free faces up into 50’s and even 60’s. i, however, look 10 years older than i am. the area under my eyes is the worst hit.

i don’t think it will get any better until i am able to boost my testosterone, and thus my dht levels, back to normal.

#5

This is the first time I hear someone having serious skin problems after finasteride use. It might just be that finasteride triggered some underlying condition by straining your system.

#6

Thanks for the comments and views on my post earlier this week. (See post: “DRY SKIN - Could Perpecia cause a 24 year old to Wrinkle up?”
I had a few suggestions to what caused this condition, AKA premature wrinkles and fine lines shooting from the undereye area.

  1. MEW said following - “Finasteride selectively targets type II 5AR, it also inhibits Type I at higher concentrations and Type I is found in the skin”

I have a couple of questions to this - Is it possible that the Type I levels found in the skin, could turn to normal and make my skin appear as before the FIN use?? Or stated differently>
HAS THERE BEEN ANY CASES OF PEOPLE WITH DARK CIRCLES UNDER EYES or DRY WRINKLY SKIN, THAT HAS TURNED TO THE BETTER, AFTER QUITTING THE DRUG??

NOTE: I have only taken the drug for 3 months, and I am now on my 2nd month clear of the drug.

  1. MEW also said - “DHT plays a role in maintaining oily sebaceous glands/skin health/sebum production and if you take Finasteride you block this process, since you are reducing DHT by about ~70%.”

HOW LONG TIME WILL IT NORMALLY TAKE IF NO ADDITIONAL SIDEEFFECTS OCCUR, TO REGAIN THE SAME “DHT” - LEVELS IN THE BODY AND SKIN AS BEFORE USING FINASTERIDE?

COULD THIS HELP REDUCE THE CURRENT WRINKLY APPERENCE, SHOULD DHT LEVELS BE RESTORED?

Thanks for your interest MEW, I hope you can help me get more info on the subject or refer me to people who would be able to help. You see, its a trade off, since I had no other sideeffects, but this… If the wrinkles and dry skin is untreatable, then I might want to consider keeping my hair at least?

ALL SUGGESTIONS ARE WELCOMED -

Best Regards UnisaUnisa…

#7

Unisa,

No need to start new topics, just reply to your current topic and people will be able to give you continual feedback.

Also, no need to retype what I stated – just quote my text by copying and pasting it into your message, then selecting it and clickingthe “Quote” button.

I had dark, baggy circles under my eyes before starting fin, but they got a lot worse while on the drug. Since quitting they have pretty much gone back to the way they were before the drug… but I do have some fine wrinkles that I never noticed before… dunno if its related though.

For the majority of men, a few weeks to months at the most. I’m guessing if you have no further issues that your skin should gradually come back to the way it was before.

Was your forehead ever oily before Fin? Has it returned to its oily state?

If you are concerned I’d visit a few Dermatologists, they specialize in skin conditions.

#8

I have the same problem, and I was just about the same age when it started. I took Fin for about 8 months, and after that I started getting wrinkles and went from looking way younger than my age, to looking way older than my age.

When I was 24 most people would have pegged me for 17 or 18(some people even said I looked like i was 12). when i was 25(one year later) people thought I was well above 30. BTW my hairline didn’t change any (i think i jumped the gun to worry about hairloss). Its just those bags under my eyes and fine lines I get from crazy dry skin.

#9

I started using propecia/finasteride 4months ago. The balding process seems to have stopped, and I can notice a few hair strands growing back. The biggest issue I have with Propecia so far is that the skin, as mentioned earlier, have started to dry up. I also went from a ideal athletic body with small hips and broad shoulders, to wide hips and wide shoulders. My face grew ten yrs in just a couple of days, I now have fine lines around my mouth, and wrinkles around my eyes and forehead.

anyone been off finasteride long enough to say if this is going to go back? at least some of the symptoms? I get depressed when I know that if I stop taking finasteride, my hair would fall out. And since its already f****d up the shape of my body, I really dont want to compliment that with the fact that my head is going to turn bold aswell.

The biggest issue I have when side effects concerned are the fine lines, are these going to go away if I stop taking Finasteride?

Im 23yrs of age by the way.

#10

chris_f - Hey im 23 years old as well and have had some hair loss and just started propecia, I have not had any physical symptoms occur yet with the small exception of dry skin but ive been seriously contemplating quitting taking it. I am curious to see exactly what these wrinkles and such look like , as well as what another person my age considers as enough hair loss to start taking this drug. Please let me know if you would be willing to share and discuss. Thanks

#11

You guys should consider getting your cortisol levels checked out. Cortisol does make you look older and give you the general appearance of a stressed out person. I have a hunch that crackheads look the way they do because of all the excess cortisol that’s being made in their bodies.

Some supplements for cortisol could be phosphatidenyl serine which is claimed to be able to lower it by as much as 30% and the Reset AD supplement for adrenal fatigue.

Of course, testosterone levels do have a role in fat distribution and that sort of thing. I personally still have bags under my eyes, but I am working at fixing it.

#12

I’m guessing it’s due to lowered DHT and/or T. I’m getting some of my looks back, but skin is still pretty dry and I never get pimples (used to have back and face acne).

#13

Mew, you must be kidding!

You wrote about finasteride mechanism of action and you comfirmed that it also play with 5AR type I at higher doses. it was almost a year ago.

Just lately when I wrote the same that Fin also play with 5AR type I at higher doses in the subject provided for proscar problems you almost started to argue with me?

Are you crazy, or there is something else?

#14

Majkellos,

In your other post propeciahelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1119
you state:

This was the point I was taking issue with… I have responded to you in the original post above.

#15

Hi, guys.

This is my first post on the board, and this is the thread that drew me here via a Google search. I was on Propecia for about two years and then quit about a year ago.

I have dry, dry skin – unlike I ever have before. When I awake, there are large sized ‘peelies’ all over my forehead. If I scrape my forehead or nose, I can pull dead skin off in what looks like little mini sheets.

This is a new development. My first scare was actually noticing very pronounced “crow’s feet” when I smiled even slightly. They run an inch or more down my face.

I’ve always been mistaken for 16 or 17, and I still am – until I smile and people notice the crow’s feet. The fine lines closer to the eye have become permament, even when I’m not smiling. None of my friends have these, and I am the only non-smoking, non-drinking, health nut out of all of them.

I don’t want to blame this on Propecia, but the change is absolutely staggering, and I’ve always been searching for a reason. I wouldn’t have even considered Propecia had I not seen this thread. I’d much rather have someone point out that at age 27, I might just be aging. I’d rather have someone convince me that it’s all “just genetics” and the fact that I took Propecia is neither here nor there. I really don’t want to have to blame this on a drug I took out of ignorance.

The fact that only 4 or 5 people have chimed in on this thread – does that mean that everyone else who has read it has not experienced this problem? It this symptom rare? Does it happen enough that we can actually attribute it to Propecia?

Females have much lower levels of DHT. Therefore, wouldn’t it stand to reason that all females, at all ages, would have chronic problems with dry skin and wrinking if these symptoms had anything to do whatsoever with the inhibition of aromatose enzymes?

#16

Like looking at myself from the pic you posted…
Has anyone had any success in fighting this problem? I’m planning to just visit a dermatologist.
I don’t fucking get it! I quit this damn thing 7 months ago and the problems just keep growing. I don’t want to age so fast! Help!

#17

Cutaneous leucocytoclastic vasculitis is the name of the situation I think.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11337188
What are corticosteroids?

#18

I had dry skin before propecia but it got much drier after taking it. It’s improved after about 6 months off. However the wrinkles in the skin are controlled internally (hormonally I believe). Some days I look almost normal, others I look double my age.

There’s no guarantee either way how your skin will end up.

Get yourself some Keihl’s Creamy Eye Treatment for moisture around your eyes. Get Anthony for Men - Action face lotion. They are about $25 and $40 US respectively. They are lasting me about 4 months so far and they really help with the moisture condition of the skin.

I suggest these in particular because they do not have caffeine, they are just moisturizing.

#19

Just to give you guys a small update. Im now 26 years old, and my skin havent improved since I stopped taking propecia about two years ago. I look old and dull.

#20

Wtf, nothing is wrong with that picture. That’s a normal amount of wrinkles. I see everyone get that much. Have you tried comparing yourself to other people?