Like I’ve said somewhere else on this forum, acne and other minor skin problems can be signs of TT excess. A couple of basic rules that work for me anyway:

1. Only use bio-identical testosterone (TT), i.e., identical to the human form.

2. Don’t take one that is administered orally — it can screw up your liver. Options are a gel rubbed on your upper arms and shoulders (what I do), injection and implant into your buttocks. While the gel is a pain in the arse because you have to do it twice daily, you don’t get the lows when you run out of the stuff with weekly injections or implants.

3. There is a cycle, starting with cholesterol of all things. In the pathway are TT, DHEA, oestrogen, and others. Taking excess TT can result in excess oestrogen. This is a bigger problem for older guys. Some men in their 60s produce more oestrogen that their wives. Too much oestrogen makes you feel crap, can cause breast enlargement and breast cancer. Indications are that it might be a major cause of prostate cancer in older guys. If you take TT, you really should monitor it through regular blood tests, oestrogen too. I control oestrogen excess with Arimidex. It works really well.

4. I’ve tried DHEA supplementation and it did nothing. However, my own DHEA levels are more than adequate — I have 3-monthly blood tests to check it all. Note the cycle in point 3, above. Note, too, when I first started HRT, I used DHEA mainly and it was a case of “hey, who switched on all the lights” at first. But, then, I did (do) suffer andropause being an older fart (63). It’s value only disappeared when I went onto TT as well.

5. If you take elevated TT for body building, you MUST cycle — the web will show you options here. Among other things, this is because your own TT production is controlled by luteinising hormone (LH) made in your pituitary gland. The higher your TT levels, the lower the LH and vice versa. If you take TT, your LH levels fall through the floor and stay there. If your LH levels do this, your balls stop functioning — if you don’t use it, you lose it. You can inject hCG (I do) to overcome this, but it is expensive. If your balls shut down for long enough, they can fail to restart. I take TT for HRT under the control of my doctor and only enough to be just above the “normal” range.

They’re my views anyway. Hope that helps.