Androgen status in adolescent women with acne vulgaris

Androgens are essential for the development of acne. The object of this study was to elucidate the androgen status of women with adolescent (Tanner's stage IV-V) acne alone and compare them to age-matched normal controls. We measured serum levels of total testosterone (T), free testosterone (FT), dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) in 15 women with adolescent acne and 13 age-matched healthy controls. No significant differences were found between the mean levels of T, FT or DHT levels in patients and controls. However, the mean levels of DHEA-S in the patient population (1886 +/- 829 ng/ml) were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than normal controls (1287 +/- 620 ng/ml). There was also no correlation between androgen levels and acne severity. Thus it is unlikely that serum androgens play a principal role in women with adolescent acne.