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Does Saw Palmetto Work As an Anti-androgen Similar to Spironolactone to Help Treat Hormonal Acne in Women?

istartedthewarAug 22, 2013
Hello! I was taking 100mg/day of Spironolactone to help with my adult hormonal acne. After my skin cleared up, I weaned myself off of it by dropping down to 50mg/day and then 25mg/day until I wasn't taking anything. Two months later, I noticed some more breakouts along my chin coming back. I recently started taking saw palmetto instead of the Spironolactone because it seemed like a natural alternative. I'm on 900mg/day and just want to know if it's worth continuing to take to try to help clear up my skin.

Answers (1)

From board-certified doctors and trusted medical professionals
Dr. Ken Landow, MD
Board Certified Dermatologist
Answered on Aug 24, 2013
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Melissa Chiang, MD, FAAD

I usually use accutane (along with birth control in female patients) as an "exclusive" medication because:1) accutane is such a powerful and effective medication, it usually does not need any "partners" to help clear up acne2) accutane has a lot of side effects, including, most commonly, dryness...

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Eric Schweiger, MD

Spironolactone is an excellent treatment for cyclic acne.  As other doctors have mentioned, it is used 'off-label' for the treatment of acne, though it is routinely used by dermatologists across the country.  It takes approximately three months to see the full improvement from taking...

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M. Scott Haydon, MD

Spironolactone is normally ok to resume following surgery. Unless you were told specifically to avoid it, it should be ok to begin taking it again. Best of Luck!

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