I was put on the pill when I was 15 (nothing to do with acne, although I did have a hormonal imbalance which gave me crazy periods) and it did wonders for my cycle. If her problem is hormonal then I can understand the doctor's line of thinking. However, I think hormonal acne tends to be more around the chin and jaw...

It is quite common here for girls this age to go on the pill to prevent teenage pregnancies, regardless of acne or not. I was put on one back then with 13 and it did wonders for my skin. And unlike long- term antibiotics, does not ruin the gut flora.

Thank you both for your replies.

Is it perhaps best to try other medication first?

Any other advice welcome

From personal experience I'm inclined to agree with the above posters. I was put on the pill at the age of 14 for hormone/cycle related problems and it really did clear my skin up nicely seeing as my acne was only mild/moderate at the time. I'm on a combination of antibiotics and the pill now because my acne's been a lot worse lately but if your friend's daughter can get clear skin with just a pill then I would personally say that's the safer option. Long-term antibiotic use can promote resistance so in my opinion you don't really want to be taking them unless you absolutely have to.

In terms of other medications, did the doctor offer her any kind of topical treatment? Topicals like benzoyl peroxide, Differin, and Duac are usually the first line treatment for acne if it isn't accompanied by an underlying hormonal issue. Duac worked really well for me when I was 17-18. It combines benzoyl peroxide with a topical antibiotic as well so it avoids you having to take antibiotics orally.

See if she was my daughter, I would look at the type of acne.

In case of it being more superficial and a mild case, I would definatey try the regimen first. But if it is cystic or even causes scarring, I would not try anything else. The scars very likely stay in her face forever. I am glad that I was put on it during my worst acne outbreak. So I could go through a 21 year long acne career with many ups and downs, but only have one small icepick scar remaining.

And I would definately prefer the pill over antibiotics and accutane. The pill (the right one, there's a list of the best ones somewhere here) not only helps with acne, but also eases the monthly pain and cramps.

It is important to know that the pill does not cure the acne, but for many girls it is a good possibility to keep it under control until they grow out of it.

Thank you all so much, it makes my friend feel easier knowing that the pill could be the right decision.

I think it is important that she knows that the pill is not a "green card" for early teenage sex, if that is what she fears. Although our teenagers often are on it very early, they do not have earlier sexual intercourse than kids from other countries(there are statistics about that somewhere out there in the internet). Only less teenage pregnancies, the rest is the same. It does not turn innocent girls into sex maniacs.

Here we have school lessons about contraception , but I do not think this takes place in the US, dos it?

In case if not , I just think it is important to tell the girls that the pill does prevent pregnancies but not the REALLY bad stuff that can happen, so every pill-girl gets the "responsibility and STD-Talk" here with the first prescription.