19 replies to this topic

[kmichellemiller]

So, I'll be 25 this year and I always really hoped that my skin would behave later in life. Each year that passes, I lose a little more hope at that actually happening. I'll just never have great skin. That's a fact. However, the last time my skin was at it's clearest since being a child was in high school when I started Ortho Evra (The Patch). Since then, I've tried many other types of birth control. I can't remember any of them controlling my acne like the patch did. Then, they said all those horrible things about it. The last birth control I took was Sprintec (I can't remember what that is generic for) and it really didn't make a huge difference in my skin. Also, when I stopped taking it, I had a huge shedding of hair that has taken forever to recover from (telogen effluvium). Now, I really want to go back on BC for my skin even though I'm terrified of losing hair again.

Since Ortho Evra seemed to work the best for my skin, I am highly considering it. However, it's not attractive to have that patch on your body (haha), among other concerns. If you've taken BC for your skin, what has worked the best for you?

Thanks!

[Jesscakes]

Dianette has worked really well for me. I know a lot of peeps here will say that it caused them to put on a load of weight and have emotional problems etc but for me...that hasn't happened at all. I still breakout occasionally true....but not on my chin at all anymore! Which used to be my bombsite! Every BC is different for everyone 9for example cileste cleared me up but made me go mental). I would recommend dianette though

[Msrisotto]

Another vote for Dianette. It completely cleared my skin up. I stopped wearing make up because I didn't need it! My skin was beautiful.
There is a down side though. It increases your DVT risk which means your blood is more likely to clot and this clot can kill you if it travels to your brain, if you get a clot that doesn't kill you, it can still have devastating effects. Most doctors (In England at least) will only prescribe it for a maximum of 6 months because of this. I must have slipped through the net because I have been on it for 9 years.

It can stimulate hair growth too which might be good for you, of course some people haven't been too impressed at growing a moustache! But that never happened to me.

[Ukulala]

When I used Ortho-Tri Cyclen Lo (albeit, combined with differin, but I'm pretty sure it was much more the pill that did the job than the topical), my skin was wonderful. No issues at all.

...But when I came OFF of it, hoo baby. It was a trip.
It's tempting for me to return to the pill to get those lovely effects again, but ... putting synthetic hormones in your body can have, I have learned, quite an effect. -__-

Anyway, good luck!

[kmichellemiller]

When I used Ortho-Tri Cyclen Lo (albeit, combined with differin, but I'm pretty sure it was much more the pill that did the job than the topical), my skin was wonderful. No issues at all.

...But when I came OFF of it, hoo baby. It was a trip.
It's tempting for me to return to the pill to get those lovely effects again, but ... putting synthetic hormones in your body can have, I have learned, quite an effect. -__-

Anyway, good luck!

Yikes! What happened when you stopped taking it?

[junkyard]

Zarah (Yasmin) works pretty well for me. Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo worked okay for me in the past, but then I switched to a BC called Alesse that made my skin explode.

If a certain BC worked for you in the past, I would stick with something that uses the same types and levels of synthetic hormones.
I have found this chart very helpful in the past: http://www.wdxcyber.com/ncontr13.htm

[travelzd]

yaz/yazmein miracle! bad side effects in the news lately so do your research:)

[Ukulala]

Yikes! What happened when you stopped taking it?

Hormonal wackiness. Sudden and dramatic weight gain, appetite change, fatigue, and broke out like NOTHING i had EVER seen before.
I think it was the combination of coming off of ortho *and* an anti-depressant I had been on for a while, though --
I know plenty of people who have come off and on BCP with no issue.

Other than that - oh, and some slight candida issues, bleh- Ortho treated me fine! (While i was on it, that is)

Edited by Ukulala, 24 January 2012 - 10:59 PM.

[pari]

I started taking Dianette at age 25 and it was like a miracle. Acne was all over my face, but I had a messy combination of whiteheads and blackheads on my jawline. The BC cleared that up within a month. A big pro of the pill was that my face wasn't oily at all. Around my period i would get a few black heads on my nose - but when I removed them and took good care of my face it didn't leave any marks.

However...I stopped taking the BC 1,5 years ago. I had to make a lot of journeys with the train and bus and I was worried about the connection of BC and trombosis. I am currently taking vitex agnus castus as a means to control the hormones. It doesn't work miracles like Dianette but I think a more natural product might be better for the body in the long run.

I hope you can find a BC that works well for you. Good luck!

[KazzaB]

Hey you all!
It's been my first week of taking Dianette and I hope that this actually helps me because i've tried SO many products and pills and this is my only hope now.
So far it hasn't been too great, in fact it has made my skin worse but apparently due to change of hormones it is very common to experience this sort of reaction at first and then it will gradually get better. FINGERS CROSSED!

[spongy sheep]

I was on Yasminelle for 6 years to control adult acne ( which in my case appeared in my 20´s) and it worked great for the skin. However, 8 months ago I decided that taking a break from it would be a good idea and was expecting the acne to never appear again cause now I´m 27 years old.
It did appear and now I have some horrible red marks left. Needless to say that after being 4 months pill free I ran desperately to the pharmacy and bought 3 boxes of yasmin, which did something for my acne. Now I am trying Dianette. The bad thing is that I have a huge amount of red marks now.... and I hate them.
I would like though to find a more natural solution to it, because while I was off the pill I noticed that my sex drive was noticeably higher and I experienced some weight loss too, so... I think it would be better to manage acne without the pill but so far I couldn´t find a better solution to my skin. Moreover if you read the user information advice you will see that there are some serious side effects associated to BC pills.

[Peony7]

I have used both Dianette and Yasmin. With Dianette it reduced the oil and reduced the breakouts that I got before my periods. I didn't experience any weight changes or any medical problems. On Yasmin it was better the breakouts were pretty much gone, reduced oil, slightly bigger chest but didn't gain any weight anywhere else. I looked my best on Yasmin - it made my skin glowy. I think Dianette is called Diane in other countries, not sure whether Yasmin has different names. No medical problems on Yasmin either. Hope that helps!

[rawmania]

I used Diane 35 (is it different from Dianette?). Worked miracles as well. However, I was nauseated most of the time and I interrupted (at doctor's advice) after 6 months. 2 months later everything was back with a vengeance. Hormonal treatments work as long as you take them. If you are considering taking them LONG term, then they are a good answer. My liver doesn't like them so unfortunately I cannot go that route.

[Freemimo]

I just started taking YAZ about 5 weeks ago. The first month I did see some improvement. I had my period during the last two inactive pills then the acne came in full force. So, I've already mentally prepared myself that the second month is going to be a nightmare. I just had a chemical peel today also, so I hope that helps dry up the 20 pimples or so that are taking over my cheeks.

[elfgirl]

Oh, about 20 yrs ago I was on ortho novom 150/28 and it was the best thing ever! I didn't put on any weight that I know, of course I was a waitress and was constantly running. Cleared my skin to the point I didn't have to use anything, just wash and go. Got married, had kids, came off of bc and had a tubal after the last child. No skin problems other than really dry skin. But after a major emotional event, my husband and I got fired from the company we worked for, my skin went to HADES! don't know if that had anything to do with my skin although I suspect it did, it has never been the same. Now that I am in my fifties I still break out and badley if I don't avoid some things. So, with our oldest getting married in Sept. I need to concentrate on getting and staying clear. Right! good luck on that one! Everyone is different. Elf

[Grier]

I've tried a lot of different pills before I gave up, but I think I liked ortho-tricyclen lo the best. I haven't been able to get it in the UK, but to be honest I don't even care. When I was trying out different pills I had to try to balance out feeling that I looked good with feeling emotionally happy, and I found that I could either have spots and an active libido, or have nice skin but feel dead inside. After a few years I decided that I felt better off the pill and while there may still be a pill out there I could use that makes me happy and clears my skin, I don't want to put up with another 6 months of side effects before it "settles down". Which, by the way, I think is a total LIE! I don't think the feeling bad bit goes away at all on the pill, I think that after 6 months I just forget that I'm not really a horrible frigid nag who hates everything and wants to die. Then I miss a few pills and I'm like HEY WAIT A SECOND! I'M FINE!

I'm glad the pill works so well for so many women with acne besides just protecting them from pregnancy and cramps. But I'd rather exfoliate with a cheese grater than go through all that again.

[cvd]

Wow --- forgot what it was like to be on the pill till I read this. The pill cleared me up but that was years and years ago. I stopped because of family history of strokes. Has anyone tried Spironolactone? I was put on it about 10 years ago and take it still. It is a great med if you can't or don't want to do birth control. It's a very mild diuretic with the side effect of blocking androgen receptor sites in the skin so the androgens can't promote acne. Nifty! It's an older medication that has been studied to death and is considered safe for longterm use. The only side effect is you have to pee a lot when you first start it but that fades with time. Also it's original use was for blood pressure so if you already have very low blood pressure then it might affect that.

[Prim]

My experience with hormonal bc was horrible.......I was on various brands for over 10 years. The last 5 yrs were Yaz which I tried specifically for acne. It did not help much but for some it does.

However also during all this time I had developed panic attacks, anxiety, and bouts of depression. Basically I lost my job, etc and my life went to heck. Doctors treated my anxiety but never made the connection to my birth control. One day I was looking up why the Yaz was not working for my acne, but what I found was pages, and pages of reviews from women who had severe emotional problems with birth control pills and couldn't take it. And those were just when I was looking up the acne! After all those years, stopping my bc pills was the one thing I hadn't tried so I figured why not? I told the dr and she said okay. The first 3 months I didn't feel better so I thought it wouldn't work. But during month 4 one day I realized my anxiety attacks weren't happening and I didn't feel that nervous.

I will never take any type of hormone ever again, I don't care if it gets me clear or not. I should add that all the side effects did not happen right away, they developed over time (months) so keep an eye out. Now that I'm getting better, I'm not back to normal yet. The damage was done and now I have to work to recover back to where I was before being in that emotional state for so long and it's not easy.

I just want to give girls a warning. Doctors hand these things out like candy and don't talk about serious side effects. Do your research and look up what has happened to others before you start so at least you know what could happen and what to watch for. As cvd said, Spironolactone is a non-hormonal choice that my doctor never mentioned. Something to ask about!

[AgingNomad]

After being on birth control products since 1997, I can say my skin was the clearest during my years on Ortho Tri-Cyclen pills. My skin was made worse on the Depo Provera shot (and I gained so much weight, coupled with CRAZY moods -- NEVER AGAIN!). The last birth control pill I was on was Desogen (or its generic), which didn't work as well as Ortho Tri, but still apparently helped since I've broken out probably my worst ever since quitting all bc pills in late 2010.

Convenient as they were, I'm a smoker entering my 30s, so it's become too much of a health risk. My partner offered to be snipped instead, THANK god! What a man!! Hormonal bc options come with risks we all need to become familiar with, particularly stroke and blod clots. I personally have known two women taking (or who took) bc pills, only one a smoker, 20 years apart in age, who got blood clots. So scary. The risk potential increases with age and longevity of use, so bc products can't really be considered a permanent solution for problem skin.

Best of luck to you in whatever you decide!

Edited by AgingNomad, 03 April 2012 - 01:41 AM.

[poppyseedflower]

Hi Aaatsirk!

I was taking Dianette for 8-9 months, and after then Gracial about 7-8 months and after then Yasmin about 7-8 months.
My doctor switched the pills for me because all of them I had almost every side-effect which listed on the drug'guide.
I know that a lots of ladies have clear skin while they took the pills but it's just a "symptomatic treatment".
If you want to took birth control just because your acne, DON'T!!!

I started a blog about my acne story and how I figured it out what caused it!
And I'll write the solution - which is not medicine or some specific
skincare or something like that, a simple diet and a little exercise is the main cure . ../../..//public/style_emoticons/default/smile.png Have you heared about IR? I'll explain it in my blog what it means and why and how cause the acne and all that other things if you have IR, too.
But of course that the skincare is also very importent but it is not the key.
But it's really importent which diet you follow this kind of diet is specific for insuline resistane.
My blog is just 3 weeks old at the moment so it have a few post only but I'll write frequently and regulary so I'll answer lots of things.
I'm not here just advertising my blog for nothing.
I want to help as many people as I can!!!!!!!
I know that a tons of people have this disease just they don't know about it.
I've learned a lot of biology and chemistry because of my high-school and my college so I really understand which is exactly.

I've done the diet for almost 3 months now and my skin is really improved and it's sooooooo much less oily - and this is
why I am the most happiest because I was extremely oily skin for years and years and now I have JUST oily skin.
I had to blot my face at least every 1 hour - I'm not even kidding you - now I blot my face ONCE a day!!!!!!!
It's incredible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And the sebum production, the sebum is the main key the acne.
The Accutane also worked because this drug reduces the amount of oil released by oil glands in your skin - and I know that
a lots of people toke Accutane and a few months later their acne came back.

So if you wanna check out my blog:

http//:poppy-seed-flower.blogspot.com