Ok so I guess I would describe my acne as moderate,,but its like EVERYWHERE and the affects it has on my emotional state is horrific. Im a 17 year old girl and have only ever tried over-the-counter solutions as well as changing my diet..none of which worked. So now I am considering birth control. Do you have any opinions or experience taking Birth Control? Do you recommend it???
Ok so I guess I would describe my acne as moderate,,but its like EVERYWHERE and the affects it has on my emotional state is horrific. Im a 17 year old girl and have only ever tried over-the-counter solutions as well as changing my diet..none of which worked. So now I am considering birth control. Do you have any opinions or experience taking Birth Control? Do you recommend it???
Read this thread, which explains why you should NOT use birth control to temporarily inhibit your acne!
Ok so I guess I would describe my acne as moderate,,but its like EVERYWHERE and the affects it has on my emotional state is horrific. Im a 17 year old girl and have only ever tried over-the-counter solutions as well as changing my diet..none of which worked. So now I am considering birth control. Do you have any opinions or experience taking Birth Control? Do you recommend it???
You know, when I first started having a bout of acne, I went to see my doctor about birth control. I would probably only recommend taking BC if you actually ARE sexually active. At least that's what my doctor told me. I have been taking it for over a year now and my skin is much clearer. But definitely ask your doctor if it's safe to take BC if you aren't sexually active. It isn't meant to be used as a treatment for acne...
Ok so I guess I would describe my acne as moderate,,but its like EVERYWHERE and the affects it has on my emotional state is horrific. Im a 17 year old girl and have only ever tried over-the-counter solutions as well as changing my diet..none of which worked. So now I am considering birth control. Do you have any opinions or experience taking Birth Control? Do you recommend it???
I would HIGHLY recommend birth control as a way to treat your acne.
I was in the same situation as you for a long time. If your acne is hormonal, this will work for you. I am currently taking ortho tri cyclen which is FDA approved for the treatment of acne and I am currently experiencing my first breakout in a LONG time, but for months I had not a single spot on my face.
And, I had severe acne. Severe in type, moderate in amount.
Most likely it will only help while you are on it. It can also be tough to find one that you like, and can be expensive.
After using different ones since I was 18 (I'm 25 now) I don't think I would use them again and kind of wish I never did. It seems like a miracle at first but then, well, it sucks. I don't like the stuff personally 
I agree with Skylyre, they only work while you're on them, once you get off your skin can go either back to normal or get worse. You could always try birth control to see if that works for you, getting rid of acne is always trial and error, just be mindful that in the first few months it can make your acne worse.
I'm 17 years old and ive used birth control on and off for about two years. The first birth control i was on Yaz, really helped my breakouts but gave me severe chest pain so I stopped using it. About 5 months ago, I switched to Ortho Tricyclen-Lo and from what Ive noticed its actually made my skin considerably worse. I now get small pimples and zits on my forehead and above the eyebrows which I never used to have. I also get deeper, more painful zits on my cheek area which i hate because the area is so sensitive to scar. One thing I noticed howeveer, is I have considerably less pimples on my chin area. It could be that I am getting more pimples because it is hotter and alot more humid during this time in Florida, so ill continue using and let you guys know how it works out.
I also really tried everything so I finally went and got birth-control that was for acne, it's almost the end of month two now and I've seen a difference. However, it is true that it will get worse before it gets better, and you might breakout around your chin and nose because of hormones, but I used to get really painful cysts and no longer do, HUGE plus! I personally am glad I went on it, and if you stick with it it should really clear you up. Good luck! 
I have been on Dianette but the problem is most docs won't let you stay on it for more than 2 years. My experience was that it took months to wokr and severley aggravated my acne in the beginning. Then my skin cleared up and was perfect. Then time to stop and my skin became worse than before I stareted. It would only be good if you could stay on it longterm.
My acne was moderate before going on hormonal birth control, and when I was on it for a few months it went to very light. Hardly any pimples. But it made me feel like a different person, my hormones are too sensitive to any changes, so I went off it, and had horrible breakouts for a few weeks. Now it's back to what it was before birth control - moderate. If you feel you may be sensitive to hormonal changes, I would not recommend birth control as a way of controlling acne, because if you go off it you will pay for it through your skin.
I really do not suggest birth control! honestly, I went on it when i was just about to turn 15 because I was so skinny that I wasn't getting my period. She said I should take it because it will increase the amount of estrogen in my body. Here i was, not caring whether or not it would give me a period I just wanted to clear my skin. I noticed my skin getting better and better at around 3 months of taking it. No doubt, I do still break out the week before, but its usually only 3-4 pimples compared to the random moderate acne I was getting everyday. I now am here 15 pounds heavier. 9 months ive been on it, and i hate it. so much. going on it because of my skin was seriously a terrible idea. I always feel fat and bloated and im on the lowest dose- loestrin 24 fe. I also am now depressed, and see a psychologist. I was not depressed before and I had a beautiful body, I was so toned and I looked like a victorias secret model. Now all I have are minor red spots from the old acne and monthly breakouts, but man I would take back going on this ridiculous medication anyday. I am going to the derm next week, explaining to her I want to get off of bc and go on accutane. I hate birth control, and I really dont have time or patience to go through different types and find one thats better for me. It made me fat and depressed. Although, fat meaning when I sit down I feel my fat on my lower stomach and my hips are huge now, along with stretch marks on my hips. WTF! i was 97 pounds before, and 5'3. now im 113 pounds and 5'4. I miss my old body. who the eff cares if i had some acne. at least I wasnt depressed and fatter. Before the only thing that made me sad was my acne, and now im just sad about everything including the acne. And I am not looking forward to getting off this pill, but it has to be done. I'd rather be skinny with acne, than fat without it.
I had acne throughout my teen years and all the way till I was 34. As I got older, the worst my acne got. I tried everything you can name...except birth control, until I was 34. From the day I started taking birth control, that was the day my acne stopped. Coincidence? I dunno. I was on it for 2 years and was afraid of what would happen if I had stopped taking them. Unfortunately i got diagnosed with pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lungs) which was caused from hormones in the bcp. I had no choice but to discontinue use of the bcp's. I was sure the acne would return, but so far it has not returned. It has been two years since I discontinued them. I guess what I am trying to say is that there are risks in taking bcp's and how important it is for you. For my acne the bcp seemed to have help tremendously. However I would never want to go through the suffering of not being able to breath from the blood clot ever again. Keep in mind that not everyone would have the same reaction to bcp as I did. Talk to your doctor or your dermatologist for their opinion.
I wouldnt recommend it. It only mildly helped my acne, I actually got more cysts while on it. After 8 years I decided to go off it because it was making me feel like a different person and my acne got WAY WAY worse.
Synthetic hormones=gross.
There are a lot better ways to treat your acne, and better ways to prevent pregnancy too. This site is a gold mine, dont choose birth control.
It worked well for me. My skin is 99% clear and you have the added benefit of, well, birth control.
I did experience bouts of nausea on and off for a few months after being put on the pill, but I don't know if that was explicitly linked. Nausea is a known side affect (one of many!). But now I'm fine, and my skin has never looked better.
Although, fat meaning when I sit down I feel my fat on my lower stomach and my hips are huge now, along with stretch marks on my hips. WTF! i was 97 pounds before, and 5'3. now im 113 pounds and 5'4. I miss my old body. who the eff cares if i had some acne. at least I wasnt depressed and fatter. Before the only thing that made me sad was my acne, and now im just sad about everything including the acne. And I am not looking forward to getting off this pill, but it has to be done. I'd rather be skinny with acne, than fat without it.
Stretch marks are not necessarily caused by weight gain. You might have gotten stretch marks anyway from hormonal changes during puberty. I got them from some prescription meds. And you are not fat, at 113 pounds, omg, stop being a drama queen. You're young and still growing; it's NORMAL for girls to gain hip mass during puberty. Stop looking at skinny bitches in fashion magazines and recognize that you're a perfectly normal, healthy young girl.
Also,
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I was on BC from the age of 16 to 18 to try and help regulate my PCOS. My skin was entirely clear in that time but I'd never had acne previously to that. I got a paralyzing migraine whilst on BC and the doctor took me off it. She said I was at risk of having a stroke.
That's a pretty extreme reaction of course and it definitley won't happen in most people. However, it's something to consider - the fact that it does affect more parts of your body than just your face and reproductive system. I have acne now that I'm off the BC - I don't think it caused it, more just masked it.
I don't think I'd take it for just acne.