What did @jennas_kitchen actually say?
Honestly, not much. The transcript is a single sentence: "So if I'm honest, I think I'll be getting a question how much I want this." That's it. There's no specific claim about testosterone therapy, no dosing advice, no before-and-after story. What we do have is a caption that pairs acne anxiety with hashtags for testosterone pellets and testosterone boosters, which tells a clearer story than the words do.
The caption reads: "Its crazy how much a zit makes me spiral." Combined with hashtags like #testosteronetherapy and #testosteronepellets, the implied narrative seems to be that the creator is either experiencing acne as a side effect of testosterone therapy, or considering testosterone therapy and worried about acne as a consequence. Neither claim is spelled out, which makes this video more of a mood than a medical statement.
Does the science back this up?
If the implication is that testosterone therapy causes acne, then yes, the science is actually pretty solid on that front. Acne is one of the most consistently documented side effects of androgen therapy across multiple populations.
A 2021 review by Motosko et al. in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology confirmed that exogenous androgens, including testosterone, increase sebaceous gland activity and can trigger or worsen acne in people undergoing hormone therapy. This is not a fringe finding. It shows up in transgender men on testosterone, in men on TRT for hypogonadism, and in athletes using anabolic steroids. The mechanism involves dihydrotestosterone (DHT) binding to androgen receptors in sebaceous glands, ramping up sebum production, and creating conditions where Cutibacterium acnes bacteria thrive.
So if the video is gesturing at "testosterone gave me a zit," that's a biologically coherent story. The frustration is real, and the biology backs up why it happens.
What did they get wrong (or right)?
There's nothing factually wrong here because there are no actual factual claims. The video is essentially vibes. But the framing deserves some scrutiny anyway.
Pairing acne distress with hashtags for testosterone pellets and testosterone boosters in the same breath is a bit of a muddle. Testosterone pellets are a legitimate, FDA-regulated delivery method for hormone replacement therapy. "Testosterone boosters" sold as supplements are an entirely different category, mostly unregulated, and the evidence base for most of them is weak at best. Lumping those hashtags together, even casually, can blur a real clinical distinction for viewers who don't already know the difference.
If anything, the creator deserves credit for being emotionally honest about how a single pimple can feel enormous when your body is changing. That's a real psychological experience that often goes undiscussed in TRT content, which tends to focus on muscle and libido and skip over the messier parts.
What should you actually know?
Acne during testosterone therapy is common, manageable, and worth discussing with a clinician before you start, not after your first breakout.
A 2019 study by Giltay and Gooren in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found that acne was reported in roughly 50 percent of transgender men in the first year of testosterone therapy. For people on TRT for hypogonadism, rates are lower but still clinically relevant. Management options range from topical retinoids to oral antibiotics to, in persistent cases, isotretinoin, though isotretinoin use alongside testosterone requires careful monitoring.
A few things worth knowing before you start any testosterone therapy:
- Acne typically peaks in the first six to twelve months and may improve as your body adjusts, according to the Endocrine Society guidelines (2017).
- Pellet-based testosterone delivers a sustained hormone release, but it cannot be adjusted if side effects emerge the way injectable or gel formulations can. That's a real clinical trade-off, not a minor footnote.
- "Testosterone boosters" sold over the counter are not equivalent to prescribed testosterone therapy. Most contain zinc, vitamin D, or herbal extracts with limited clinical evidence for raising free testosterone in healthy adults.
- If acne is already a concern for you, tell your prescribing clinician before starting. There are proactive steps that can reduce severity.
The emotional spiral over a single blemish is real, and it reflects something the medical literature has started paying more attention to: body image and psychological wellbeing during hormone therapy matter clinically, not just anecdotally.