The BBC reports a case study in The Lancet, discussing the worst incident of acne ever seen on the planet (active disease below left).
Anyone considering using steroids to bulk up may want to think again after seeing pictures of the horrific scars suffered by one young bodybuilder.
German doctors were shocked at the extent of the massive, deep ulcerating sores on the chest and back of the 21-year-old man. After antiseptic and antibiotic therapy the wounds healed but left permanent scars, The Lancet reported.
Experts said steroid-induced acne was usually much milder. Figures from the British Crime Survey put the number of steroid users at 42,000 but some experts believe the true figure could be twice as high.
They have been banned by many sporting bodies, including the International Olympic Committee, because of their danger to health and the potential for competitive advantage.
Known side-effects include potential damage to major organs in the body such as the liver and heart.
Dr Peter Arne Gerber, from the Department of Dermatology at Heinrich-Heine-University in Düsseldorf, Germany, said moderate amounts of the drug could cause big problems. "Usually in people taking moderate doses of the drug you see some sort of mild acne but in severe cases it can ulcerate. "The doses this man was taking were within the doses that are used among bodybuilders."
Sounds like the patient wasn't too bright, continuing to use the drugs, even when he looked like a leper, and blasted his genital into oblivion (scarred results below).
Dr Gerber added that the man did not stop taking the steroids once the skin problems
developed because he was more concerned with losing muscle mass.
He eventually stopped but by then it was found the steroid abuse had also caused a low sperm count and shrunken testicles.
"There is probably a dose-effect with the steroids but it's also dependent on how the individual reacts," he said.
"It is questionable whether he will be able to start building muscle mass again - he may not be able to perform the exercises due to the scarring."
There is a call for studies at doses of anabolic steroids used on the street. What IRB (Internal Review Board for ethical studies) would ever approve that?
He added there was a lack of studies examining the side effects of steroid abuse and called for "robust scientific research" to establish exactly what effects anabolic steroids have on heavy users.
Those scars are hideous. Why, knowing how steroids can damage not only you body, mind and now skin do people continue to use it.
Posted by: Ajlouny | 06/23/2009 at 21:39
ewww that is nastty and still people use it when they see ppeople like this.
Do people care for there life
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Posted by: Acai Optimum | 05/17/2010 at 04:33
When he use the anabolic steroids, he should know that there must be some side effect. He deserves this, while he is really pity.
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Whoa! severe acne sounds so scary. I've heard to several people that steroid is not good for your body, as we see nowadays they're using asteroids as a replacement for a natural work-out in bulking up and body building but the truth is they're just risking they're selves by suffering for the side-effects. nice info!
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Posted by: idaho divorce | 12/14/2010 at 00:58
Very informative indeed. The acne scars are horrible.No amount of cystic acne treatment could help that guy. There should be more education on steroids among young people. This is another type of drug abuse.
Posted by: Susan D. Johnson | 04/14/2011 at 22:03
actually he could have recieved help from a doctor, if he would have gone for treatment early, the result of the acne is not only from steriod use but it could be in most people a hormone problem, sever acne happens in teens too. The result of his acne was due to an infection, not from the steriods. As clearly seen in the picture, this could have been fixed easily with cortisol steroid, and some antibiotics, the cortisol would have brought down the inflammation and the antibiotics would have fought the infection, the reason you see it bloody was because he let the infection get to the last stages, which do tend to leave scars. I'm not condoning the use of steroids, but please learn about something before blaming it on the unlikely cause. The guy probably popped a pimple and it spread and got infected, this can happen to anyone including non-steriod users.
Posted by: Dr. Celestine | 05/19/2011 at 09:44
I think this kind of medical treatments are dangerous for our health and we must to think before do it, by the way I have a friend and hes is with this kind of treatment AND also he had had several problems of health, we haven't see that this could be worse.
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Posted by: Replica Jerseys | 11/07/2011 at 20:02
Can the side effects from the use of anabolic steroids be passed down to the next generation?
What I mean is, can some of the side effects from anabolic steroids be passed down to the kids that I have? That is just an example, I am not taking anabolic steroids but it is the best way i know to explain it. Here is a more detailed example, baldness, acne or things like that?
Posted by: acne no more review | 03/26/2012 at 00:00
Various cases in professional sports have brought the matter of doping—the use of performance-enhancing drugs—to the attention of the broad public.
Posted by: get rid of pimples overnight | 06/05/2012 at 12:26
FRIDAY, Aug. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Doping with anabolic steroids -- a common practice in professional and amateur sports -- can cause severe skin lesions that result in permanent scarring, according to an article published in the Aug. 23 issue of The Lancet.
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