6 replies to this topic

[sincerelywithlove]

Can someone please shed light on what it means if birth control clears my acne really well? Might it mean I produce excess androgens or not enough estrogen? I would really like to talk to my doctor about it so I can possibly get off birth control and find an alternative method (no pills) to control my acne. I've become so insecure I stack pack after pack of birth control pills; in other words, I continue taking the pills right through the week in which you're supposed to stop taking them. I'm starting to feel as though I'm going to have to be on birth control for the rest of my life if I don't want to see or feel the pain of acne. I want to find the root of the problem instead of just hiding it with pills. I know if birth control is controlling my acne, it must have something to do with hormones, right?

[betsy91]

What? You mean during the placebo pills? That's when my skin looks best. Skipping them means you make yourself skip your period too? That can't be healthy

[Casablancaa]

Birth control pills work by lowering the level of androgen hormones that stimulate oil production and sebum build up which causes acne. So if you don't want to take birth control anymore you would have to find another way to control those hormones...

Also, you've become insecure about your acne is why you're skipping the period week?

You won't get acne from the 4th week of the pack just because they aren't the hormone pills...

[nomit]

Birth control is by far the easiest way to manage your hormones. Otherwise, you're getting yourself into quite a mess that you might not be able to get out (similar to those with hypo/hyperthyroidism).

Don't forget there are more treatments than just oral contraceptives: benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid (beta hydroxy acid), retinoids (tretinoin, tazarotene, adapelene), tetracyclines (oral and topical, e.g. clindamycin, doxycycline), and, if you're really distressed, isotretinoin (though, as a female, you'll be subject to enough paperwork to write a book, and you'd still be on BC for some 8-12 months).

Edited by nomit, 21 December 2011 - 02:39 PM.

[LMH7654]

Hey Sincerelywithlove,

I have the same issue as you. BC kept my skin looking very good until I tried to go off of it I decided at 26 years of age that I really don't need this pill anymore...So six months later all hell broke loose on my face like I have never experienced in my life. It was a nightmare and apparently my liver is too sensative to handle doxy so I had to get back on BC to control my acne. I am doing well now, but I would like to get off BC. I've been on it since I was 18 and I am 30 now. I asked my derm if this was all do to hormones and should I be tested. She said your hormones change all the time and testing my levels was pointless...UGH...So, here I am freakin 30 and still on Yaz my BC. I am hoping that once I have been on the regimen a little while that I can toss the BC bc it is also causing me melasma.
Anyways, sorry for rambling. You are not alone though and I feel that yes it is hormonal if our BC keeps our skin clear.

I will keep you posted when I decide to go off BC again.
Take care!

[ohhhhhhnooooooo]

if birth control clears your acne very well, it means your acne is caused by your hormones.

[amy91]

Same thing goes for Spiro. These pills work becoz they lower testosterone in our body( diet cannot do it completely) .But birth control pills usually have just 25mg spiro in them ( such as Yasmin). So taking SPiro with BC is more effective.