One's first thoughts about a book on androgens and antiandrogens would likely be that it would contain some reference to the skin and that much of the text would be devoted to discussions on hormones and their relevance to other organ systems. Actually, that is not the case here. Although all but one of the chapters are written by biochemists, endocrinologists, and gynecologists from lectures presented in 1981 at the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of London, this is first and foremost a book about the skin, more specifically of the known androgenic influences on—and the antiandrogenic treatment of—acne, hirsutism, and androgenetic alopecia.
Most of the chapters are well written and informative. More than half of the book is devoted to antiandrogens, their chemical nature, mechanisms of action, and usefulness in the treatment of androgen-dependent diseases. Cyproterone acetate occupies center stage; this perorally administered steroid is marketed