Diane-35 : Oral Contraceptive

I had beautifully clear skin until about 2.5 years ago when I first started getting pimples. My so-called 'acne' has been getting progressively worse ever since. I have been with my boyfriend for 3 years and I finally invested in an oral contraceptive to put both our minds at ease. My doctor recommended I use Diane35 to clear up the pimples and red spots on my face, especially around my T-Zone. I have only been using Diane35 for about 3 weeks but I have not experienced any of the severe and scary side effects that some of these reviews have pointed out. My skin hasn't started to clear up yet, but my doctor said I might have to wait up to 3 months until I see results. After reading a lot of theses reviews, I am kind of terrified of the day I decide to stop using Diane35 - severe hair thinning and hair loss, worse acne than prior to taking the pill are 2 things I do not want to happen! Although this contraceptive is one of the more expensive brands, I have faith and will keep using it. If it doesn't do anything for my skin, purely as an oral contraceptive.

In summary, I would reccommend Diane to women who have irregular periods and/or suffer with acne, also women looking for contraception. I believe there are ways around the cons that come with Diane, but there are cons to every medication. If you don't see improvment to your acne after a couple of months, please keep perservering, becuase the time it takes for it to clear depends on the depth of the acne. You may also experience cystic acne at first becuase it is the bodies way of expelling the gunk under the skin. I hope my review of Diane has been helpful to all you girls ! Best of Luck :)

I was on the pill for two years.. my skin cleared up straight away ..I was realy impressed. It makes me nausea real bad tho, and at christmas I went off it because it was making me vomit.. I was spot free (just one or two spots sometimes) for nearly 8 months when my acne started to return over a week ago.. I am now back on diane 35 about five days. The nausea is horrible,but is getting better and my skin is drying up a bit! so please let this work. I find it so tough as I am sure a lot of people who use this site do. I have acne scarring that regardless of acne returning or not gets me down so much. I find When you read reviews on pill,creams etc your always going to read 10 or so comments saying"wow amazing worked great for me" and another ten saying "it was awful caused me this problem etc etc.. so its so hard to know whats right for you and what realy is good. I freak myself out and convince myself the pill or this or that cream is bad when I read neagtive comments and when I read positive comments ... I become over confident with what I am using will work.. bottom line realy is if you find something good and don't suffer much negative effects etc than stick to it and stay away from readng too many negative reviews on a product or on diane 35 if you find it good. It will only stress you out and maybe bring on ill effects and more acne..............jez I wish I could take my own advise. sorry if I bored yee all

I have been on Diane-35 for about 6 months now. It started clearing up my skin immediately within the first few weeks. However, 2-3 months into it, I had horrible food cravings and gained about 6 pounds. The weight doesnt go away, despite dieting. My boobs got bigger and more full. The symptoms of pms are greatly reduced. I only have a couple pimples show up a day or two before starting my period. My periods are VERY light and only last a couple days. Also, for some strange reason, if I have more than 1 alcoholic drink, I feel like I'm going to throw up. But, this may be just me since I have had this same side effect on other pills. Overall, I'm very happy with this pill!

This product worked for me. I've been off and on it since I was 22yrs old (i'm now 33). The longest stretch I was on it was from 22yrs until I was 29 yrs b/c I wanted to get pregnant. My skin was consistantly clear the whole time I was on it except for the initial first 4-6 mo while it was getting my acne under control. I have suffered with acne since about the age of 12. I've been on Accutane 5 times! I've been on every topical Rx med, antibiotic and OTC treatment there is. I've tried Proactiv and Murad which did nothing for me. I was also on spiro as well which did work well for me. I've just had my 2nd child about 5 mo ago and slowly my skin is starting to get worse. And b/c I'm breastfeeding I'm limited to what I can take. FYI this pill is not approved for BC. It is for acne it even says so on the box "acne therapy" . Also, there is no cure for acne, so to those who said that when they went off of Diane they couldn't believe that their acne came back, I'm just wondering what you expected? When you were taking it, it was in your system and doing its job (lessening the androgen hormone in your system) so when you stop taking it don't you think its only logical that your acne would come back? Any way, it does work there are side effects as there are with all meds, you just have to figure out if the benefit outweighs the risk for you.

Diane 35 was recommended to me by a friend. I was specifically looking for a BC that would help my mild-sometimes moderate acne. I tried Yaz and Ortho before but Diane 35 worked the best to help clear up my skin. I used Diane 35 for 9 months and it really helped clear my skin, reduce oil production, and made my skin more smooth. I got lots of compliments on how nice my skin looked. I did not have any weight gain but I was already exercising 5x/week and eating healthy. I decided to go off BC because I really felt like the mood swings and decreased libdo were getting worse. I had read some reviews of women who had terrible side effects going off Diane 35. I had virtually none. My skin continued to stay clear for months after after I stopped using it and it is still better today than it was before I started BC. I still get a small pimple here and there but it's much more manageable. If my skin got a lot worse I would go back on Diane 35. I also recommend using organic unrefined cocconut oil at night. It helps reduce acne scares and helps prevent new zits because it has natural anti-bacterial and anti-inflamatory properties. I suggest using this 4-5 times per week only at night. Your skin will feel a little greasy but that should be expected. The bottom line is that everyone responds to BC differently. It took me a few times to find the right one. You need to give it at least 3 months to see if it works. Now I'm not on any but I believe that my skin is better now because I was on it. The experience also made me realize that my skin (and no one else's!) will never be perfect but it's the inside confidence is what makes you shine! People aren't looking at your pimples as much as you think they are! You are your own worst critic.

i read some of the reviews. all of diane 35 users have different experiences with it. so better consult your doctor first to be sure. :)

I have used this for 6-8 months now and I do have clearer skin than before. However, that being said it did get worse the first few weeks and to be honest with you, you really have to be very patient to see the results. My skin was so bad and after 3 months of using it i did not see much difference and did consider stopping it. But I did not have any back ups so I thought well, let me just keep using and hoping. After about 6-7 months of using it, now my skin seems more even, and I have less breakouts. I cant help the acne scars and spots already on my skin, but now when I apply foundation it looks even, and people think that it is my actual skin. Yes, I did initially experience much more moodiness than I do now, lost sexual appetite for a while, and gained a few pounds (which I did not mind since I am an AU size 6) but I still fit in my clothes. I think if you are aware that these are the side effects and take charge as to not let it affect you, it actually works. I also used a gel called Differin 0.05% prescribed by a doctor alongside when I started the pill. Although I do not use it now. My GP also recently advised me that using QV cream as moisturizer can also do wonders for your skin and I have started using it. It is available in stores and pharmacies. It is great especially for dry skin.

BIG MISTAKE!!!!!!!!!! I always had "acne" as I called it back then but now I would kill for my pre-diane 35 skin!! After coming off of Diane 35 my skin got HORRIBLE!! I have now been off of it for 2 months and my face now has extremely severe acne!! I have never ever had a cyst before Diane35.. now I have SEVERAL! I wish I never took it............ It worked while I was on it but within weeks of coming off my face broke out with a vengance :(... Anyone else had this problem???

during highschool i was like every other teenager, a few zits here and there but nothing major. it cleared up for a few years after highschool was over, but returned when i was 20 and it seemed to be moderately worse, or so to the point that i felt self conscious stepping out of the house without some make-up to cover up. i mainly broke out on my cheeks and along my jawline. i am now 22 and have recently jumped off diane. i was on it for 6 months and now it's been over 1.5 months since i've stopped taking the pill. i guess i didn't want to become dependent on it. i must say my skin has completely cleared up and looks fantastic - there is no scarring. i don't want to jinx anything *knocks wood*, but the acne hasn't returned. i've had one or two spots here and there but nothing of concern. i think diane is fantastic for short-term use on moderate acne sufferers. i wouldn't recommend for long term use. i also recommend SK-II treatment essence as part of a skin care regime. this product is my holy grail! it has tightened and cleared my pores, controlled the oil on my face and keeps my skin plump and fresh (my face no longer feels too oily or too dry). and i haven't broken out since using this!