Body-Builder Acne

Abstract

Since the third century a.d. during the Olympic Games, athletes took bull testicles to increase endurance. Nowadays, AAS are used to boost the athletic performance or to improve the body shape. AAS are derivatized androgens. Properly combined with diet and intensive training, they are capable of increasing strength and muscle bulk. Use of AAS in sports is a controversial issue and also a reason for medical concern. The International Olympic Committee bans doping. Unfortunately, AAS abuse is not limited to competitive athletes, where it is officially prohibited. AAS are also commonly used for body shaping due to aesthetic reasons or regularly taken by body-builders. There are estimations that as many as one million Americans abuse these drugs. Cardiotoxic side effects and disturbances in neuroendocrine and immune functions such as sterility, gynecomastia in males, and psychological changes like increased aggression, higher risks of liver neoplasia and heart disease, balding, and acne are some of the main manifestations of AAS abuse [1]. Myocardial injury in athletes with AAS abuse is published in a number of case reports of sudden cardiac deaths in young athletes. In the USA, over 500,000 individuals currently taking AAS for nonmedical purposes are high school children [2]. In Germany 48.1 % of AAS users acquire the drug illegally [3]. An anonymous anti-doping hotline in Sweden revealed that 30 % of AAS abusers regularly attended a gym (Table 34.1). The most commonly abused AAS were testosterone, nandrolone-decanoate, methandienone, and stanozolol. The ten most frequently reported side effects of AAS in men were aggressiveness, depression, acne, gynecomastia, anxiety, potency problems, testicular atrophy, sleeping disorders, fluid retention, and mood swings. In women with AAS abuse, menstruation disturbances, hair growth in the face, deeper voice, and enlarged clitoris were reported [4]. Another study on AAS abuse showed changes in libido and mood wings as the most frequent side effects, followed by acne in 43 % of abusers and the others mentioned before [5].