Acne Risk Increases With Gender‑Affirming Hormone Therapy

Here’s a summary of the key takeaways from the provided text, focusing on acne and transgender patients:

* Higher Acne Prevalence: Transmasculine individuals experience substantially higher rates of acne than both cisgender men and cisgender women.(HR= 5.29 vs.cis men & HR = 1.69 vs. cis women)
* Hormone Therapy Link: Acne development is linked to hormone therapy. Estradiol initiation is associated with increased acne risk in transfeminine patients (1.69 times more likely than cisgender men).
* Acne Risk in Transfeminine Patients: Transfeminine patients have a lower incidence of acne compared to cisgender women (HR = 0.53).
* Proactive Care is Needed: The researchers emphasize that acne is a predictable side effect of hormone therapy and requires proactive monitoring and treatment.
* Clinical Recommendations:
* Counsel transmasculine patients before starting testosterone.
* Closely monitor both transmasculine and transfeminine patients during the first year of hormone therapy.
* Consider earlier treatment or referral to a dermatologist for both groups.
* Goal: The goal is to ensure acne doesn’t become a barrier to gender-affirming care and to prevent scarring or distress.
* Study Source: The information comes from a study published in JAMA Dermatology (Smith CA, et al. 2026).
* Researcher Contact: Howa Yeung, MD, MSc can be contacted at [email protected].
* Researcher Disclosures: Dr. Yeung has financial relationships with several pharmaceutical and dermatology organizations (listed in the text).