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Hi everyone! I am a 18 year old girl and I began taking YAZ two months ago (July 2017) for my very irregular periods. I did have mild/moderate acne on my forehead (sometimes a few on my chin and around my nose) but my intention on taking this pill, was to regulate my periods, and not for my acne. Since I was told YAZ could clear up acne, i guess that was a bonus for me. Before taking the pill, I would have my period every 2 weeks which would last for a week. My mother who is in fact a gynaecologist, decided to put me on YAZ for 3 months (3 packs of YAZ pill), to regulate my periods.
To sum up my current 2 months experience on YAZ, I'm just gonna say, its been an unpleasant journey for me. My cheeks before going onto the pill, were almost clear and smooth. I did have one or two tiny, non-inflamed pimples, more like blocked pores because i used to wear a lot of make-up, but my acne back then was mild/moderate and it didn't really bother me. As soon as i started YAZ, already hearing loads of stories from other acne sufferers that YAZ had cleared up their skin, I was excited and optimistic. I was excited that my periods were finally gonna be regular and my acne will clear up! but no, i was wrong..
*Before i continue, i want to inform you guys that i stopped wearing make-up, drank loads of water (1.5L or more sometimes per day), i also drank a small teapot of green tea almost everyday, i tried to cut out dairy and began eating healthily (however i did have some cheat days once in a while), I also did change my skincare routine; during my time on YAZ.
FIRST PACKET ON YAZ: I began noticing that a quite number of tiny bumps began to appear on my cheeks. I started freaking out a bit since i never broke out on those areas.. They weren't cystic acne, they were non-inflamed, and just tiny bumps, but they looked obvious under certain lighting. I already had acne on my forehead so it was no surprise to me that i would get a few whiteheads on that area. Good news though! My period became regular and came after a month from my last cycle. They were also very light and lasted for 4 days which i generally liked too.
SECOND PACKET ON YAZ: My acne became worse. It seemed as if those tiny bumps had spread and multiplied! I didn't have cystic acne, but i had tons and tons of tiny, tiny bumps all over my cheeks, jawline, chin and forehead! My face was basically covered with these tiny, non-inflamed bumps, excluding my cheek bones, the back of my jawline and my nose. My self-esteem began to go down the drain and i became pretty depressed. I couldn't stop stressing over my acne! Every night (literally) i would be on the internet, searching for other peoples experiences on YAZ. After endless of researching, i decided to think whether i was going through an initial breakout, since my the hormones are maybe all over the place.
One day, I had to take a medical test which included a blood test (for university purposes). Since i was taking a blood test, i might as well test if my hormones are balanced and all. My results came out, Im glad to say that I am perfectly healthy and nothing was wrong with my hormones.. hmm alright then?
Again one day, i became really depressed and i really wanted to go and see a dermatologist. My dermatologist told me, i was suffering from comedonal acne and that he could get rid of my acne in 3 weeks!!! But i had to go through acne extractions, red and blue light therapy every week or so, silk peels, chemical peels and he wanted me to change my BC pill to Diane-35 since he said it would be more effective for my acne. However, my mum was against the idea. If i were to change my BC pill, i was afraid if it would mess up my hormones even more, and that was the last thing i wanted. My mum was also against the idea of all the other things he suggested because i did go through it during my time in high school, but it never really helped, so i didn't really want to waste my mum's money. In the end, my mum told me to persevere. On a side note, i began using DERMALOGICA Gentle cream exfoliant which contains AHA and BHA twice a week, cause i read it was good on getting rid of comedonal acne. Also, my period is still regular and had no problems. I just had sore and tender breasts and very mild cramps for over a week before getting my period.
THIRD PACKET ON YAZ: Today marks 2 whole months and few days of me on YAZ. I am on my 3rd packet (which is also my last packet) and on the 2nd row. However, i feel like my acne is getting worse. Even my mum pointed it out.. When i started my third packet, i had my first cystic pimple on my left cheek. It lasted for a week. Today, that cystic pimple has gone, and leaves some hyper-pigmentation, but thank god no indented scars. HOWEVER now, I have one new cystic pimple above the previous one, two painful ones along my jawline near my chin and one near my hairline on my forehead... The comedonal acne are still non-inflamed but they have become more obvious and slightly red. Im really afraid if i do get scars from it too. However i do feel like it feels more smooth, whenever i run my hand over the comedonal acne.
ANYWAY, that's my 2 month journey for now on YAZ and i will be stopping it after completing my 3rd pack. I'm actually happy that i will be stopping because i don't like the idea of taking this drug and messing with my natural body hormones. However now i am getting more stressed out, because i've heard many stories of people coming off the pill and breaking out more than ever. I will be starting university/dental school in a few days time, so my life will be pretty much stressful and hectic with all the workload. However, i've decided that i will leave some time to de-stress like going for a run or maybe working out, which should be good for me. I'm just afraid if my acne will get worse once i stop going on the pill.
Thank you for taking your time, to read this incredibly long post. It would be highly appreciated if you could reply back with what i should do to prevent my acne from getting worse.
Hi
I was on YAZ/Yasmin and I had to come off as the side effects were too bad. I was optimistic at first but it was too severe on me to continue. It helped my skin a bit but not by much. I am on Logynon (3 yesrs) which has caused large painful hormonal acne in small but predictable bouts (jawline is a typical hormonal acne area). I've had acne for 9-10 years throughout which it had ranged in severity (it is very mild now but with the pill ultimately it is moderate). I have tried everything topical and internal, medicinal and natural, specialist diets etc. and not much has helped, in fact recently I was on an extremely strict acne diet and I got lumps along my jaw (later to discover that for the first time I had spotting between periods).
My derm has me on image skincare which i find effective to a degree. I tried skin accumax vit a tabs myself and I find this really effective and am to be bumped up to retinol (vit a) treatment by my derm after i use the other products.
Stress definitely has an effect, but you might find college a little more of a relaxed atmosphere than school (I certainly did - my skin was brutal in my last year of school). Dieting certainly helps as well but hormonal acne is a difficult one to treat as it can be unpredictable with or without treatment. I am personally going to be coming off the pull completely to see if my skin settles. I was on for severe menstrual issues, and when I came off YAsmin I waited two weeks to take Logynon and my skin settled down a lot.
Try cleansing your face twice a day with a good product.
As for makeup, I think it depends on skin type as to whether it will affect a person. That is usually the first thing most people and doctors will say ('stop wearing makeup') and can be a tad insulting (I stopped asking my doctor for acne related advice as she was actually quite insulting about several things). Good makeup can sometimes have a positive effect or no effect at all on skin, I am using KatVonD Lock it foundation & powder & concealer atm. It seems overly heavy but it is quite a mild, matte formula (and I believe vegan/vegetarian) and I find it better for my skin than other makeup. My dermatologist also interestingly did not question me about diet/makeup and instead focused on my skincare routine.
Not saying all this will work for you as everyone is different, but just a little input as I Have been there.
Hi! First of all thank you so much for your reply, really appreciate it. 
Reading your reply has me made me felt more optimistic of coming of the pill. Hopefully my skin will settle down too, but it really does depend on each person. (Fingers crossed). As for makeup, i use Bare Minerals Blemish Remedy Powder since its non-comedogenic and doesn't block pores. Like i mentioned in my earlier post, I've stopped wearing makeup just to see whether my acne will improve, however no improvement 
so i'll be using that from time to time to cover up the redness from the acne. Also, just wanted to know whether dairy had played a huge role in ur acne? As i heard, dairy is usually the main cause of hormonal acne. Ever since then, i've been too scared to eat dairy ( and i used to be a huge dairy lover! so it so difficult)
I'm afraid don't have too much dairy in my diet anyway to notice a difference, I have a drop of cows milk in my tea, but I have substituted cereal etc. with coconut or almond milk (sorry but they just do not taste right in my tea!). But like I said, I was on an 'acne friendly' diet last week and even cut out all breads as some suggest that gluten may have an effect, so I was basically attempting to pinpoint if there was an intolerance anywhere, and right before my spotting during period got slightly heavier, my acne flared up all along my right jaw, large sore & red, typical to my skin when it is hormonal...
There are not very many specific treatments for hormonal acne, some are very strong medications and not suitable for some people, or none at all, whilst topical treatments can only go so far when the breakouts are likely to occur anyway...any advice from derm/doctor is usually about the same for general acne care.
I personally found positive results from skin accumax, I forgot to take them a few days, suddenly my skin had a mild flare up, took the tabs again and it calmed down quickly. My dermatologist said vitamin a is one of the best treatments for acne.
As for redness, you could try a restoring or lightening serum. i use illuma by image, I noticed results the next day after first use - after removing my makeup my skin was normally a bit red, but it was much lighter and my complexion looks good and bright and continues to improve. It reduces the general redness around acne as well and will slowly help with marks (which are a bitch to treat). Not an overnight CURE as such but I found immediate relief. You would provide have to order via a pharmacy/clinic as specialist products are not really available in shops and some websites overcharge.
I am sick of looking at it so if it does clear up a reasonable amount, I am getting it nuked with peels & microblading whatever the cost...this is a last resort!
I think coming off the pill is a good idea if it is not suiting you...as you get older as well and stay on the pill, of course we all change, and so need to see for ourselves what is working for us and what isn't.
I've been on an 'acne friendly' diet too since i started using YAZ, however i've seen no improvement and its really depressing and frustrating. Just wondering whether you had experience with comedonal acne too? I'm having one those nights where i'm feeling really low, miserable and hopeless. Your replies actually make me better, so thank you once again I haven't had comedonal acne on my cheeks and jawline before starting YAZ. My skin on my entire face (besides my forehead acne) was smooth like a baby's bottom, seriously. However, it is so severe now and afraid that it is spreading... it's all over my cheeks and jawline. I can't even count the number, since there's millions. I have photos that i keep for myself to see whether there is progress, but because of privacy, i would prefer not to share it.. I've had moderate forehead acne, however for the first time ever, my forehead seems to be alot more clearer and smooth than my cheeks and jawline. It gets red, everytime i wash my face, however it will subside and return back to the same skin tone after 30 mins. They're not painful but just bumpy, tiny and millions of them. After sometime, they form hard plugs, and eventually fall off whenever i wash my face. On a side note, i am not a picker, as im afraid if it will lead to scars. However, with how severe my comedonal acne is, im really afraid if it will form any sort of indented scars. But so far, there are no signs, as after the hard plugs fall off, my skin seems to be flat, but anything could happen. I've been trying to pinpoint what has caused this, and i'm really beginning to blame this on YAZ. As this has all started when i began taking YAZ. As i'm finishing my last pack of YAZ in two weeks, i really do hope these will go away. It'll wont be gone overnight, but hopefully after sometime it will go away. I'm usually an optimistic person, but with the state im in, i really do overthink from time to time, whether my skin will ever go back to normal..
If they don't go away after some time I would recommend going to a dermatologist or doctor. (As noticeable or severe acne after hormone changes is generally considered significant).Even a lot of beauty salons nowadays offer help with skincare and are qualified in this field. You don't necessarily have to sign up or have continued treatment (I go to top up on products or for the occasional consultation) and the odd consultation will not cost much, it is just a good way to educate yourself and get professional guidance and advice on how to treat it. Doctors are more for severe acne (from my experience) and they can prescribe strong topical treatments or give advice on treating hormonal imbalances. I do not personally use my doctor for acne treatment as she prescribed something that actually burned my skin it was so strong and was a tad rude at times, that's just my experience of course, dermatologist I find much better and goes into more detail, not just 'you wear too much makeup' and more one line excuses etc. that people love to tell you is the sole reason for acne...
Yup, i will definitely go see a dermatologist if this prolongs. I'm definitely not losing hope! Thank you so much for all your replies! I hope your journey to clear skin will succeed too! Will definitely update on my skin here, if there are any significant changes, maybe in a month or so, once im on off the pill.