This birth control really cleared up my skin a lot. I still get about 2 cysts and some small whiteheads around my period but no where near as bad as before. I went from moderate/moderately severe acne to light. I have been on 4 different birth control pills before and OTC cleared my skin the best out of all of them. There are definitely some cons but I think it is still worth taking to keep my skin clear.

I have been on yaz for 4 years and it worked great , clear skin and no negative side affects. I get ovarian cysts which were almost non existant while on yaz. Since switching to ortho tricyclen lo the pain in my side is back=cysts back, my skin is soo bad and i cant sleep. Going back to yaz!

I am an 19 year old girl and had acne since I was 12. I had tried antibiotics, over the counter, and prescription creams, so my doctor recommended OTC. I used it for 4 months. Just finished my fourth pack, and do not plan to continue.

I did experience a small initial breakout, but that calmed down within a month.

My face isn't cluttered with zits so that's good, and i'd get cysts anyway. However, it did not remove as much as i'd like, and i still struggle. My doctor gave me a prescription for Diane-35, which has a higher amount of female hormone and blocks male hormones too. If you're going to switch up birth controls, look for one that has a higher amount of hormones, a lower amount will most likely cause a terrible initial breakout and other bad side effects. It works for a lot of people though, so give it a shot.

These pills work amazingly well for ME. After 5 years of having moderate acne with large, painful bumps that left bad scars, I had zero self-confidence. It got so bad that some days I wouldn't go out in public. I was trying every cleanser I could find, going on antibiotic pills and creams, using Differin and Retin-A, trying different birth controls, cutting dairy products out of my diet completely, and going to many other difficult and sometimes extreme measures in order to clear my skin, but nothing worked. But after reading a lot of great reviews about ortho tri-cyclen, I decided I would make one last attempt at clearing my skin. I loved it right away! I barely had any PMS symptoms, and my skin was instantly less oily and every morning when I looked in the mirror I had fewer pimples! For the first few months I still broke out around that lovely time of the month, but I can say after 5 months of using ortho tri-cyclen that my skin is TOTALLY CLEAR! I never thought I would be able to say I don't have acne, but it feels so amazing to be confident going out in public, even without makeup! So, I guess the bottom line is that after much trial and error, I found the cure for MY acne. Everyone's skin reacts differently to treatments, which is why acne is so hard to get rid of. All I do is live a clean lifestyle and take these pills every day, and for MY skin, that's all I need! I drink about a gallon of water every day, ALWAYS wash my face twice a day (using Clean and Clear Continuous Control cleanser), keep bacteria off my face (use clean makeup brushes, sleep on clean pillow cases, etc.), and take these pills every night. It truly is an amazing feeling to have clear skin! If you haven't found what works for you yet, I know exactly how you feel, and I would encourage you to start by drinking a lot of water, keeping your face clean, and living an overall healthy lifestyle. From there, I would definitely recommend trying ortho, just remember to be patient! Good luck :

I would recommend this for females suffering from hormonal acne. I was on depo provera for about two years and did not experience any negative side affects. About four months ago, I started to experience hormonal and stress-related breakouts (cystic acne around chin, jaw, and temples). I tried different topicals, diet changes, vitamins, etc.

I believe that truly hormonal acne can be helped or reduced somewhat, but unfortunately not significantly with these methods. I decided to try Ortho Tri Cyclen after researching the the benefits of estrogen-dominant BC on reducing hormonal acne. I am on my second month of pills. I did experience a moderate breakout after starting the new BC. I don't know if this was a result of stopping Depo Provera or starting Ortho Tri Cyclen. I have seen gradual improvement since. Hopefully, improvement will continue. I have heard that it can take several months for your body to adjust to the hormones.

In addition to decreased breakouts, my breast size has increased about half a cup so far. Since I was small to begin with, this is not a problem. However, I am still experiencing some soreness. Overall, the benefits definitely outweigh any minor issues during the first two months. Highly recommend for anyone experiencing hormonal breakouts.

I took accutane, and within a year my skin was broken out again. Ortho lo cleared it up where my prior BC (desogen) appeared to do nothing. I was clear for about a year and a half, when I decided I no longer wanted to take the pill and cleanse my body. Wow, big mistake. Acne came back worse than ever within a month of being off. I've been back on the pill for about 3.5 months and things are better, but still not as good as they were when I was on it. I think being on this pill may cause more harm than good... I feel like I'm stuck on it now. But it does seem to help with acne.

I'm 30. If you can bear the first 4-5 months of breakouts.. Worse than breakouts before starting, it's worth it. At the time, the first few months seemed like it was never going to end. Now, in retrospect, those 4 months of breakouts for continuous flawless skin... It's so worth it. Hang in there and if you're older, like me, take at the same time everyday. I'm happy!

Ps I replied moderate acne-- that was before I was on this. Now my acne is so mild.

I took yaz which kept my skin clear for years even after I stopped I'd get one or two but nothing serious, I decided I wanted a pill less linked to blood clot risk and tried OTC each week the hormones increase and around week 2-3 I woke up with a new cyst daily I was currently modeling and obviously can work until things cleared up but those suckers take forever. The worst part is my hormones never balanced out and my skin stayed that bad indefinitely until now I'm back on yaz. Biggest mistake of MY LIFE. This pill can work for some people but the increasing hormones just really don't work for some people. I'd go with yaz, it's more anti-androgenic and stable.

I'm 15 and I started taking OTC in February because I would get extremely bad cramps and very bad mood swings. I have been taking OTC for 8 months now and I love it :) I haven't tried any other form or type of BC but I would have to say this one works great. I got scared at first because some people said it makes you sick the first few months but I have not experienced any bad side effects except for some weight gain and breast tenderness and occasional headaches. I would reccomend trying this !

HORMONAL MESS!