YAZ : Oral Contraceptive

I am 22 years old and have been dealing with pretty much every kind of acne for years. I have tried everything you can buy in the store and nothing really worked (I read that a lot of drugstore acne products put stuff in that makes you break out so you keep buying their products). When my face is broken out, I don't want to leave the house and I am constantly thinking about my skin to where I feel absolutely depressed about it. So I saw a dermatologist and he put me on clindamycin (probably not great spelling) lotion in the day, adapalene cream at night, and doxycyline for a month to help with the initial breakouts they sometimes cause. It worked fantastic for me for like a year and a half and then my skin randomly started breaking out again really bad. I went back to see my dermatologist and he put me on a bunch of stuff that didn't work and I was dealing with even worse skin for a long time without solution. He finally put me on ziana a month ago for the nighttime, onexton for the day, and ampicillin tablets. Since I was trying to avoid accutane (which was my next option), he also recommended that I change my birth control to one that helps acne so I switched to yaz immediately. The first week was pretty bad because the onexton hurt (it burned, itched, made my face red) and the ziana made my face flakey and dry when I woke up in the morning. My doctor told me that these products can take up to 4 months to be effective and that they oftentimes make your skin a lot worse before it can get better (it has to bring up all the acne and bacteria up to the surface to get rid of it which takes time). I broke out pretty badly the first week and the beginning of the second, on top of that my face was flakey so I couldn't really wear makeup and I was just bummed (even though I knew that's how some of these treatments work and it's probably a sign that it's working). I've had a few side effects that were not unbearable and also went away as my body and skin got used to the medications. I was expecting that I would have to deal with it for months. Honestly, with the exception of accutane, I have been on every pill and and cream there is. By the end of week two and miraculously it was crystal clear. I never thought i would ever be someone to not wear makeup, and I have been (even on dates! That is how clear it is). It's still a little dry, but I started using a really gentle moisturizer (4 dollar ponds) with both the ziana & onexton and also using a lot less of the product. When I first got the onexton, I put a lot on because I wanted to make sure it "really worked" and that was such a mistake because it was VERY painful. I have been using a pea sized amount with moisturizer of both and it works better that way. When I was having my initial breakout, I would desperately read these reviews to have hope and I made a pact with god that if my acne clears up, I will share my experience to help others who are going through the horrible issues acne causes. My advice: don't use too much, don't exfoliate (ziana is an exfoliant and that's why there is flakey skin at first. It also makes your skin super thin so you can't pick and have to be very gentle), be careful in the sun, avoid any other harsh products, and hang in there! You might have an initial breakout, you might not. Either way, it depends on the person when your skin clears up and if you give up before 4 months, you could miss out on a chance to see the progress, my breakout was so bad that I wanted to stop and I read these encouraging posts and figured that I was going to have acne either way (if I was off the medicine or if I was on it) so I might as well suffer through breakouts while I'm treating it and it's worked for me. If you give up before a few months, you haven't even let the medicine do it's job yet and there isn't a single acne perscription that says if can get rid of your acne before 4 months (otherwise I would have tried it). Don't believe me? Ask your doctor. Don't give up, bug your doctor and ask a million questions. As soon as one didn't work, I got another, and kept going until I got something that works for me. I hope everyone finds what they're looking for and hangs in there :]

I am 31 years old. Unfortunately, I've struggled with acne since puberty. Nothing worked for me until I got on Yaz, which I was on for years. Then I had my children, and decided to stop taking it, thinking I had outgrown my acne. But I hadn't. :( It took me two years to figure out that Yaz was saving my skin-- and when I went off it and was no longer breastfeeding or pregnant, my skin went totally haywire. Acne, and so oily. Less than 2 weeks into starting Yaz again, my face is SO MUCH BETTER!

I took this while on Accutane in 2008. I believe this is what actually kept my skin clear when I was no longer on Accutane. I was not even washing my face anymore. I got acne in my 30s. I am now 37. I stopped taking Yaz 6 months ago-thought I'd go "natural/hormone free." I also thought it would clear up the slight melasma I have. But I still have the melasma. And, even worse, I am been back in the derm's office for acne-again! I believe mine is hormonal and am having to start all over again with tretoinin (sp?), doxycyclin, and am started Yaz again today.

This product takes time to work, but it is so worth it. After about 2 and a half months on yaz my skin was a lot clearer and i had no more breakouts. I was on minocycline (antibiotic) during the first 2 months which interupted the effectiveness of the pill. Once i stopped taking that, yaz kicked in and my skin started clearing up. It just needs time to adjust to your body, good luck!

I also started taking spironolactone at the same time which I think also really helped wih clearing up my skin.

I tried Yaz years ago (before I took Accutane twice) and it didnt work for me. However, now I'm 19 and I've been on it for 2 months and it has completely cleared my skin. I used to have itchy whiteheads along my forehead, jawline, and cheeks which are now all gone. Yaz got rid of the acne I've had for 10 years and even Accutane couldn't deal with. Yes, I have some side effects but they are generally mild and I can deal with them if it means clear skin.

Yaz for me has been wonderful. I was on Ortho-tri-cyclen-lo for 3 years before switching to yaz. Ortho was suggested to me for the low dose hormone and promising decreased acne (it helped somewhat-still had to go to a dermo for perscription acne topicals) but Yaz has helped with my acne far better and I no longer have the cramps and water retention I had on ortho. An added plus is that I no longer need to see a dermo for harsh topicals. Since I still fear my acne returning and feel I need some type of treatment for the few pimples I do get, Proactiv is working good for me.

Every woman is different, so results vary. I was previously on ortho-lo for five years and switched to yaz a few months ago. My boobs grew, I lost weight (from the lower hormones), and my skin - although not clear - has definitely improved and is continuing to do so (2 months in). Shorter periods too. I know women who have been on it (or yasmin) for years without any problems and women who have tried it and decided it wasn't for them. As for me, I'll continue using yaz for now. Like ortho - ordering through my health insurance makes it only $20 a month, and that works for me!

I have used YAZ for almost 6 years. I have been placed on it just to control my bleeding during my periods. I have never had an issue. I have not gained weight, my periods are 2-3 days long, I never have any serious mood swings (normal ones, just because men drive us crazy), it is very affordable and I have never once had an issue with it NOT working (no pregnancy scares at all). My periods are lighter and very workable, my cramps have diminished too. No bad things to say about YAZ

I am 18 and I suffered from cystic acne for a long time, which left scars on my face. I tried antibiotics for years and a different type of birth control (Microgestin Fe), which didn't help much (if at all). My doctor switched me to Yaz. I just finished my third pack and my face is spotless. It began working almost immediately. By the middle of month 2, my face had almost cleared up completely. I get a few small breakout spots while on the placebo pills, but I NEVER get any cysts. I have a few mood swings on the placebo pills and my boobs are swollen and a little bit sore all the time. I have grown two cup sizes, but I have had no weight gain other than that (which I am fine with haha) and no other serious side effects. I would definitely recommend Yaz for acne.