(Testosterone cream/gel is one of the ways of getting testosterone into your body.)
For men who suffer from low testosterone levels or even those who are borderline or have loss of libido, one of the testosterone replacement therapies that can be considered is testosterone cream. Testosterone cream/gel does not enter the stomach and so has fewer side effects than oral testosterone. It also bypasses the liver, so again physical damage is minimized.
Why use testosterone cream or testosterone gel?
While injectable testosterone is powerful and acts fast, it has many side effects and the person taking it has to be monitored very carefully. It also usually entails going to a health care provider to take the injections. Testosterone cream, on the other hand, can be applied by the man using the cream in the privacy of his own home.
There are many medical reasons which do not allow men to take oral or injectable testosterone. However, taking it by this delivery method may be permitted as it has less chances of reacting with other medications.
How is the cream used?
Testosterone cream is easy to apply – it has to be done only once in 24 hours. The cream is usually applied on the upper arms, shoulders, thighs, and abdomen. However, if there is any irritation at the area of local application, it can be applied elsewhere too. It may be a good idea to apply it on different parts of the body so that the risk of skin problems decreases.
It is important that nobody applies the cream on your body as that person will also be exposed to the cream and get an unwanted dose of testosterone. You must also wash your hands well after applying the cream.
Side effects of testosterone cream/gel
Like other testosterone products, testosterone cream has similar side effects, some of which may be unpleasant. When testosterone cream is absorbed via the skin into the blood stream it can cause local irritation, burning or rashes.
Apart from that when testosterone cream is applied in large quantities it may cause
- Headaches
- Hypertension
- Acne
- Mood changes
- Male breasts
- Hair loss
These are minor side effects. Over long periods of usage, the cream can cause more serious side effects like other testosterone products.
Efficacy of testosterone gel/cream
Testosterone cream is not a very effective way to absorb testosterone. That is because only 10 percent of the cream applied is actually absorbed into the skin. However, in cases where testosterone levels are slightly below normal, it may well do the work to increase testosterone levels to an acceptable level. It is also used as an additional source of testosterone along with other delivery methods of testosterone.
For athletes and body builders, testosterone cream may provide a little extra boost, but as it is largely an inefficient way of taking in testosterone, it is not that widely used. There are cases where athletes do use much more than the normal recommended dose and, at times, they may get the positive results they are looking for.
Testosterone cream cannot be used indefinitely. It can be used for only eight weeks at a time; after that there should be a break for some time. Another problem with testosterone cream that it has to be applied to clean and dry skin and the cream should be allowed to dry before dressing. Fortunately it does dry very fast. It also requires that you should not bathe or swim for six hours following application of the cream.
The popular brands of testosterone cream are Testim, Androgel and First Testosterone.
Research Studies:
1. Brooke JC & Jones TH. Low testosterone and severity of erectile dysfunction (ED) are independently associated with poor health related quality of life (HRQoL) in men with type 2 diabetes Endocrine Abstracts 25:P152; 2011, [1]
2. Crawford, E. David; Barqawi, Al Baha; O’Donnell, Colin; Morgentaler, Abraham (2007). “The association of time of day and serum testosterone concentration in a large screening population”. BJU International 100 (3): 509–13. doi:10.1111/j.1464-410X.2007.07022.x. PMID 17555474. Lay summary – UroToday (12 July 2007).
3. Nieschlag E, Swerdloff R, Behre HM, et al. (2006). “Investigation, treatment, and monitoring of late-onset hypogonadism in males: ISA, ISSAM, and EAU recommendations”. Journal of Andrology 27 (2): 135–7. doi:10.2164/jandrol.05047. PMID 16474020.
4. Rosner W, Auchus RJ, Azziz R, Sluss PM, Raff H (February 2007). “Position statement: Utility, limitations, and pitfalls in measuring testosterone: an Endocrine Society position statement”. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 92 (2): 405–13. doi:10.1210/jc.2006-1864. PMID 17090633.
5. Morris PD, Malkin CJ, Channer KS, Jones TH (August 2004). “A mathematical comparison of techniques to predict biologically available testosterone in a cohort of 1072 men”. European Journal of Endocrinology 151 (2): 241–9. doi:10.1530/eje.0.1510241. PMID 15296480.
6. Morgentaler (2006). “Testosterone and prostate cancer: an historical perspective on a modern myth”. European urology 50 (5): 935–9. doi:10.1016/j.eururo.2006.06.034. PMID 16875775.
7. Chudnovsky, A.; Niederberger, C. S. (2007). “Gonadotropin Therapy for Infertile Men with Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism”. Journal of Andrology 28 (5): 644–6. doi:10.2164/jandrol.107.003400. PMID 17522414.
8. Whitten, S; Nangia, A; Kolettis, P (2006). “Select patients with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism may respond to treatment with clomiphene citrate”. Fertility and Sterility 86 (6): 1664–8. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2006.05.042. PMID 17007848.
9. Laughlin, G. A.; Barrett-Connor, E.; Bergstrom, J. (2007). “Low Serum Testosterone and Mortality in Older Men”. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 93 (1): 68–75. doi:10.1210/jc.2007-1792. PMC 2190742. PMID 17911176. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=2190742. Lay summary – The Endocrine Society (5 June 2008).