I have had the mirena iud for 2.5 years now and my acne is no better/no worse than before the Mirena (which I LOVE btw).

I have had issues with acne since my mid teens, but it was well controlled with oral contraceptives and a topical routine. As I approached my final year of nursing school I decided to have a Mirena IUD placed. My skin didn't change during the first couple of months, but then I started having issues with acne again. I did a 3 month cycle of tetracycline, but the minute I went off of it the acne came back. I'm now on my second round with tetracycline and I'm not seeing any improvement. In fact, if you look at my attached photos, my acne is worse than it has ever been in my entire life. I'm now starting my nursing career at the age of 22 and very self conscious of my acne. And let's face it, piling on layers of makeup is not idea nor good for my skin!

It's really interesting to hear I'm not the only one with this problem! Thank you, thank you for the stories you have all shared! I recently messaged my doctor and she prescribed oral amoxicillin and retin-A topical. I'm now starting to wonder if I should try a different approach since my acne seems to be hormone induced. Here's what I'm thinking:

Option A: Take out the Mirena

Pros: Acne may clear up

Cons: I love the peace of mind my Mirena has brought. I'm allergic to copper, so the copper IUDs are probably not an option. My insurance may not cover another form of long-term contraception if I just had the Mirena placed a year ago.

Option B: Try out amoxicillin and retin-A

Pros: I keep the Mirena

Cons: Will this even be effective if the heart of the problem is hormonal?

I would love some input! Let me know if you have found a good approach to this dillema.

Thanks again for sharing your stories and helping me see that I am not the only one with this frustrating problem.

-LL

I have had the Mirena IUD for 2 1/2 years. I had it put in 6 weeks after my son was born. I had some acne issues when I was 16-17, but it went away and I had no issues through my pregnancy at age 26. After the Mirena was put in, I began developing acne. It's mostly on my cheeks and jaw line, and some random ones through my T-zone. I have literally tried everything. I tried expensive treatment systems purchased at Nordstrom ranging anywhere from $100 for a month supply to $250 for a months supply. I went to the dermatologist and tried antibiotics, which upset my stomach, Differin gel which did nothing, topical antibiotics, Retin A and spironolactone. The Retin A and spironolactone helped my acne somewhat, but that gave me side effects as well. The Retin A made my skin peel like crazy and the spironolactone made me have breast tenderness and I've read many other horrible side effects it can cause -- like tumors. I decided to go off of this medicine in September 2011. Since then, I've been using all natural and holistic remedies like Apple Cider Vinegar, Coconut Oil, Margarite Acne Pills, Glycolic Acid, Hydraulonic Acid, etc. NOTHING is working and my skin is worse than ever. I cannot have ANY estrogen containing birth control because it gives me aura migraines and puts me at an increased risk for a stroke. I had the paragard IUD (copper) before my pregnancy and had it removed after 9 weeks because of excessive, and I mean excessive, cramping and bleeding. Unbearable cramping and bleeding. So, tomorrow I am having my Mirena removed. I am unhappy with having it removed, but the stress of my face is taking a toll on my self-confidence and I hate going places outside because the sun shows all of my pimples. I feel silly and vain, but this has been going on 2 1/2 years and now my acne is spreading to my chest and back and I can't take this anymore.

To soothe the minds of those who are getting discouraged by this thread...

It seems most people on this thread have had mirena for just a few months. Mine's been in for 2 years, and I'm okay.

My acne got worse before I moved to mirena. I wanted mirena in to get more even doze of hormones and to lessen my excessive period flow. For something like a year my skin didn't get better, it was sore and full of white heads. After the year I finally gave up and got myself antibiotics.

Now my skin is far better than it's been in a long time. In my kitchen analysis I've concluded that healthy lifestyle, more fruits and nuts in diet, exfoliating the skin regularly, not stressing and worrying along with the antibiotics and steady hormone levels have finally started to help. It's been a year of this bliss.

I wouldn't advice taking mirena out just after half a year. It's wonderful BC and cheaper than pills - and steadier hormone levels.

I have been on mirena for 7 years (this is my second one). Although the hormones stay localized, I do feel that it does something with the androgen factor?! IDK for sure, but i think that is why spiro seems to work for women, especially those who have mirena. I too have had some sort of acne thing on my face most of the time, but it was certainly controllable..until i was 38. i had been on mirena a while and looking back on it, there was sort of a progression through the years of it getting worse. I just could not go off this birth control..no periods..no thinking about a pill, etc. I was determined to get this cystic stuff under control. It got so bad on my chin that I leterally have huge dents that look terrible of course. I had never scarred like this b4 even if i popped something so this was all new to me. And, they would not go away - even if I did not pick or poke at them. It was truly unbelievable how deep they were (and still are sometimes).

So yes, I do believe in some way that the mirena can have some sort of reaction in some people, but I have heard that the spiro helps a lot. I have not used that just because i did not want to deal with the limit of potassium rich foods that you have to worry about while on it. There are already so many things I cant eat that I didnt want to limit it even more!

I have only found that for me I have to keep things very simple for may face. No over scrubbing or lots of creams. I use Almond Oil to get make up off, then a gentle cream cleanser. Gentle, all natural lotion mixed with a small amount of aha ( I NEED this to keep clear). I also use some bp if I feel that I am going to start breaking out. It trashes my skin, but a necessary evil at this point. I cannot use any other type of sunscreen besides zinc oxide. Everything else just clogs my pores. I also make homemade sugar scrub to use for extra exfoliation when I think my skin needs it. Thats it...seems to be working although I know i will still get one of those monsters on my chin again! But you guys cant let me pick it ..ok?!

ALSO..I forgot...Keflex is the best antibiotic for me when I do get these eruptions. It is strong, and i dont like to take it, but it is the only thing that helps for a true skin infection. You dont have to worry about whether or not to take with food and it wasnt too bad on my stomach. Just made me more tired sometimes but it works well for me!

I have had the Mirena IUD since September 2009. Since then, I've gained about 60lbs, i have severe acne big boils and just gross cuz its noticeable to say the lease. I've been such a bitch the last couple years. Bottum line, I'm tired of putting myself and my family through this. I'm removing this thing at the end of the week and will start my regimen of cleansing and treating the acne that I have now and hopefully i can gt back to having my beautiful skin, like before. I will keep you all updated after this thing gets removed.

I have had the Mirena IUD since September 2009. Since then, I've gained about 60lbs, i have severe acne big boils and just gross cuz its noticeable to say the lease. I've been such a bitch the last couple years. Bottum line, I'm tired of putting myself and my family through this. I'm removing this thing at the end of the week and will start my regimen of cleansing and treating the acne that I have now and hopefully i can gt back to having my beautiful skin, like before. I will keep you all updated after this thing gets removed.

 

I also have a friend who gained about 50lbs after a year on the Mirena and got acne after having perfect skin her whole life. The problem is the Mirena uses progestin, which is synthetic progesterone. There is evidence that SYNTHETIC progestin is too hard for the body to handle and can even be toxic. Also the specific type of progestin used by the Mirena has high androgenic activity.

I just got mirena a few weeks ago and it actually cleared my skin. This year my skin started flaring up again after success with accutane 2 years ago. After which I figured I'd have to go on another course in the near future, which I was not happy about.I got mirena in hopes of lightening/stopping my period and also to not have to bother with daily birth control. At first I was worried about it making my acne worse. Its been about 4 weeks since I had it inserted and its actually gotten much better! I still have hyper-pigmentation, but that will lighten in time. I did have some other negative side effects. After a few days, I started to have HORRENDOUS back pain. I mean truly awful, excruciating back pain (I don't know if it matters, but I've never been pregnant/had children). It hurt to walk, sleep and just do normal stuff. I read somewhere that the pain goes away after a few weeks, which it has so far. In that time, I couldn't workout at all. So I have definitely put on some weight. I'm hoping that I will still be able to lose it with the mirena. I'm not very optimistic that I'll be able to do that, but I'm definitely motivated to get rid of it. I go for my next pap test in May 2013. If I can't loose it, or I gain in that time, I'll probably switch to the copper IUD.

So thats my experience with mirena. Mixed results, I'll see if I'll keep it in May.

Interesting to see the posts on Mirena. I had my Mirena inserted in November 2011, to protect me from uterine cancer as Im on estrogen replacement and very sensitive to progesterone (I.e:depression). After 11 months I can say for me that the IUD DID make me break out a lot more (first 3-6 months) on neck, jawline,etc.

AshleyC83 if your back pain continues ask your doc about Cipro. It's very common to have inflammation from the IUD and my doc prescribed Cipro (which I thought odd b.c it's usually prescribed for the G.I. Tract ailments) as it has anti inflammatory effect. Helped me in under 24 hours feel almost back to normal.

I have mixed feelings about the Mirena as well...if it weren't for the cancer in my family I'd definitely not have this device inside my body.

I am a big fan of Mirena. I had it placed in October of 2009 at 20 years old. No pregnancy scares, it was perfect for my college lifestyle and didn't interfere with medications that I was taking at that time. About two years ago, I started noticing that my acne was progressively getting worse. I NEVER thought it was the Mirena. Acne runs in my family and I had bouts as a teen and thought that my increased stress level in school was the culprit. However, as stress levels went down it continued to get worse. I have been to the dermatologist and spent thousands and thousands of dollars to no avail. I had no idea why my acne wasn't clearing up... it had never been like this before.

I had been looking into getting the Mirena removed because I kept getting BV and Yeast infections as well as pain during intercourse but I finally came to the conclusion that my acne is probably due to my hormones.

Everyone reacts differently and I think that Mirena is an amazing choice for a contraceptive. But I will be honest with you, ACNE is a very REAL side effect that CAN occur. I believe I have had my Mirena in place long enough (3 years) to say that for me, it caused increased acne and I would rather take oral contraceptives because I no longer take other medications.

Mirena is a great alternative to daily pill taking and isn't affect by drugs like antibiotics. It stopped my horrible periods that caused severe cramping. It has been a lifesaver! But please look up all options on birth control before you make a choice and decide if Mirena is right for you.

As for me, I am getting it removed next week.