Well there are topical anti-androgens, and there are plenty of studies showing sebum reduction from the use of topical solutions. What is this table from, by the way?

I used spironolactone and clindamycin/erythromycin (rotating) and i was completely clear. Maybe one zit per month at most. In my country there is no topical anti-androgen and in fact even oral spiro isn't really used as treatment of acne.

What's keratinisation?

There's always an exception LOL; be careful generalizing like that.

Azeliac Acid has been shown to reduce sebum in at least one study (can't find any more with a quick search), but too many people have adverse reactions to it and so it is not widely used.

Here it is

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17309452

One thing to note, this study actually found BP to INCREASE oil production. This is interesting, but not the first place I've seen it.

The table is from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21880356

Full-text attached (PDF):

Read about (hyper)keratinisation here:

Drying out the surface of the skin and actually reducing the amount of oil the skin PRODUCES are different things. This is why the table says EXCRETION.

Many topicals are drying to the surface...but they don't change the output of oil.

Okay, let's play semantics on topical antiandrogens, but the point is the same....

I'm sure there is a larger body of evidence to support Accutane and other oral treatments. I just think it's misleading to declare that no topical will reduce oil when in fact there are plenty of topicals that have demonstrated sebum-reducing effects in scientific studies. I've even seen for myself that topical peppermint oil can reduce the rate of sebum excretion.

Isn't vitamin D also supposed to help with oil production? I know it's not a topical, but it's not an anti-androgen either.

Also, wich hazel and milk of magnesia supposedly help topically, although witch hazel hasn't helped me with oil production personally.

Isn't vitamin D also supposed to help with oil production? I know it's not a topical, but it's not an anti-androgen either.

Also, wich hazel and milk of magnesia supposedly help topically, although witch hazel hasn't helped me with oil production personally.

Vitamin D is a prohormone (it's a bit of mislabeling to call it a vitamin). It is involved in the hormone regulation process.

I totally agree. Topicals are a wasted of time and money. I have tried every topical and none of them reduce oil. I know it perfectly, because I have a master degree in acne after suffering from 13 years old to 43 years (actually).

The only thing that improve your skin, and decrease oil is ingredients AntiDht.

Isn't vitamin D also supposed to help with oil production? I know it's not a topical, but it's not an anti-androgen either.

Also, wich hazel and milk of magnesia supposedly help topically, although witch hazel hasn't helped me with oil production personally.

Vitamin D is a prohormone (it's a bit of mislabeling to call it a vitamin). It is involved in the hormone regulation process.

Yes...that's why I'm saying, it can help reduce oil but it's not strictly an anti-androgen, right? Because the chart posted shows that only anti-androgens and accutane can decrease oil production. What about vitamin D, which I don't think it's strictly anti-androgenic because it (arguably) gently regulates several hormones.

Isn't vitamin D also supposed to help with oil production? I know it's not a topical, but it's not an anti-androgen either.

Also, wich hazel and milk of magnesia supposedly help topically, although witch hazel hasn't helped me with oil production personally.

Vitamin D is a prohormone (it's a bit of mislabeling to call it a vitamin). It is involved in the hormone regulation process.

Yes...that's why I'm saying, it can help reduce oil but it's not strictly an anti-androgen, right? Because the chart posted shows that only anti-androgens and accutane can decrease oil production. What about vitamin D, which I don't think it's strictly anti-androgenic because it (arguably) gently regulates several hormones.

I posted the image mostly to compare the most common remedies for acne (benzoyl peroxide, retinoids, antibiotics) and illustrate that none of them actually reduce sebum excretion.

Yes, there are other things that will reduce sebum excretion, such as possibly vitamin D, and we can throw in things such as thyroid hormones as well. And I guess if you add in topical anti-androgens or topical progesterone cream, well, it's just the delivery method that changed.

So I apologize for the controversial topic heading "no topical will reduce oil". But I do wish more people would look at the image anyway, simply because most assume that they are ACTUALLY reducing oil production with their BP, retinoid, or antibiotic...when they are not.