Treatment of Acne with Orally Administered Estrogens1

Abstract

Twenty-five patients (14 [female][female] and 11 [male][male]) with acne, were treated with diethyl stilbestrol or ethinyl estradiol. Fifteen patients (60%) became entirely free from acne in from 2-6 mos. Two more, in whom treatment was intermittent, became free in 8 and 9 mos. The 8 remaining patients are still under treatment, and all show improvement. No patient has completely failed to respond. The biological and recent exptl. evidence concerning the cause of acne is reviewed and it is concluded that such evidence, together with the results of adequate estrogen therapy, furnish evidence that acne is caused by a disturbance of the normal functional balance between androgens and estrogens when the preponderance of the androgenic factor becomes sufficient to exert its specific acnegenic effect in a given individual.