YAZ : Oral Contraceptive

I adore this product. My skin is now almost perfectly clear, and I have a lot more confidence - I wear less makeup and I'm not at all shy about natural light. For the first three months, my skin did get worse, but I advise anyone to stick it out, because it WILL get better. I barely even break out around my period anymore, and I never experienced any of the adverse effects some people on Yaz get. It's amazing.

I'm just about finished with my first pack of Beyaz....and I have to say that this medication has saved my skin. Background: I'm a 19 year old college student and got my first zit when I was 9. I've had acne for as long as I can remember. I have tried, like so many of you, every product (drug store and high end) under the sun, prescription topicals and oral antibiotics - virtually everything but Accutane. My acne has cleared up a bit over the years and I've actually had months where I've been clear thanks to good products...but my skin is smart and always finds a way around them! My skin went absolutely crazy when I started my fall semester of my sophomore year of college (I think it had a lot to do with stress and coming off birth control, Loestrin-24Fe, three months prior) and continued to deteriorate until about a month ago. In my ten year struggle with acne, never had it been cystic in nature - all of a sudden I had huge, painful lumps under my skin that took weeks, sometimes months, to fade (and even then they would come back). I was waking up to two to three more cysts every single day; my face looked purple and I can honestly say my skin had never looked worse. I could barely leave my dorm room, shut out my friends, avoided class, and came home to cry to my mother whenever I could. I have always been someone who has valued my looks and I just did not feel like me anymore. I made appointments with my dermatologist who recommended cortisone injections (which are God's gift to cystic acne patients!) and minocycline (solodyn). The minocycline made my face dead - nothing was healing, nothing was happening, and my skin was simply getting worse. After that dud, I switched dermatologists; as I sat crying in the new derm's chair, she told me that my only other option (considering birth control, minocycline, and heavy duty prescription topicals such as Retin-A, etc., had failed) was Accutane. I registered with IPledge and then..the magic words...she told me I needed to be on the pill for a month. Enter Beyaz - it has been nearly one month on Beyaz and while my acne did get slightly (minor, seriously, nothing scary at all) worse, mostly around my jaw and neckline - which is typical when starting a new pill - my face is virtually clear now. At first, all I could notice was that the skin underneath my acne was different - it wasn't so purple and it was starting to look brighter, softer, much healthier. Then I started noticing a decrease in oil production (I have the oiliest skin...I was up to 12 blotting sheets a day, people)...and then my zits were disappearing! I was still breaking out but in smaller pimples that were nothing compared to the acne I was unfortunately used to. As of now, I still have about seven zits, one bad one, but they are all in the healing process! I will take 7 normal pimples over 20 cysts, for sure! As for side effects, I did experience a bit of nausea and leg cramping at the beginning of the pack. I think I got one headache and was a little tired, but all side effects have subsided (except for larger breasts....which I can't complain about!). I highly recommend this birth control pill...I can only imagine that my skin will continue to improve with time. I looked in the mirror for the first time in months without make up on and felt pretty - only someone who suffers with acne can understand what a huge deal that is. Please try this if you haven't yet and give it some time....It's always darkest before the dawn!

I wanted to wait four months before i reviewed this pill, as that is how long it takes (at a minimum) to know whether or not its the right bc pill for you. My stats: I'm 20 years old, with very nice skin (had the occasional pimple or two in high school, but nothing too bad..) then about 5 months ago my skin just exploded for no reason. I was planning on getting back on bc anyway, so I decided to try yaz for the added skin benefits. So im actually on my fourth packet, about to finish it, and the difference between now and the first 2 months is incredible. The first two months were horrible.. I would breakout nearly every day, with huge cystic spots.. mostly on my cheeks which was the worst part. I'd say at about 2 1/2 months in.. maybe 3.. my skin stopped breaking out with the big, red, inflamed spots. Instead I started getting little tiny pimples (similar to whiteheads) mostly on my chin.. this still devastated me to some point, but it was definitely better than the huge red ones. Then at 4 months... no more spots! I don't have one single pimple on my face, and its been a month. I still have a few red spots/marks (hyper pigmentation) left over, but I'm having microdermabrasion on these areas and its working great. And when I put on a bit of makeup, my skin looks flawless. I'm very happy that yaz has done what it promised to do. The reason I'm giving it 4 stars and not 5 is because of the way it kills your sex drive. I've been on other pills before (including yasmin) and never had this problem. But it is starting to become a real strain on my relationship (I'm only 20!) so I'm not sure what I'm going to do... because I really don't want to get off this pill. Anyway, sorry this is so long.. but i know what it feels like to be searching for an answer to your skin problems.. I wanted to make this as detailed as possible. Bottom line.. Yaz is the best bc pill I've been on for weight and skin.. just sucks a

I get this bc for free through the pact program in CA. I've tried several different bc in the past and they really messed with my mood/weight/skin etc. I decided to try this one to delay my period because i was going on vacation, but i stayed on it because my skin cleared up 95%. Today was the first day in a very long long time i left the house not wearing any make up. I struggled with moderate acne for about 6 years. After the first month of taking it my acne on the back and shoulders completely cleared up. Now i'm on my 4th month and my face is clearer than ever. I'm really happy with this one. Hoping the effects last a long time. I also lost about 6 pounds since i started this birth control. (it helps you lose water weight). The only thing that annoyed me is my breasts got larger (they were big enough before). grrr. Bottom line, it won't work for everyone, but if you have moderate acne I would give it a try for at least 3 months and see if it makes a difference.

If you have hormonal acne that's driving you crazy - then Yaz is definitely for you!

ALSO, TO ANONYMOUS IN CLEVELAND, WHO WROTE THAT SHE IS TAKING SPIRONOLACTONE WITH YAZ, YOU SHOULD NOT BE DOING THAT! Just like you shouldn't be taking advil or aleve on any kind of regular basis. These drugs are potassium sparing, as is Yaz, and the use of them together can increase your potassium to a dangerous level. This is where the risk of blood clots, and heart problems and stroke come in. Don't assume your doctor knows everything, you have to do the research yourself! Bottom line...I have suffered with acne on my back for years, and Yaz seems to have cleared it up. I went through a 6 month round with Accutane and was acne free for 2 years after, but it came back. I had mild to moderate acne on my face, mostly around my mouth and chin, and cystic acne on my back. I'm in my fourth month of Yaz and so far so good. I did have a one week gap between my 3rd and 4th pack (thanks to my doctor's inability to return a phone call in a month) and one week into my 4th pack I had a breakout on my face around my mouth and chin, but my back remains clear. And my face has cleared since and seems to be back on track. I would recommend Yaz to someone suffering from constant acne like I was, but if that's not a problem for you I would consider my options with another pill.

I agree with the last post. Give it three months. I never had skin problems as a teen. My acne journey started when I was 20 and was prescribed the contraceptive pill Levlen. When I was 21, I started taking Diane. My skin cleared up in two weeks and remained flawless for years. When I was 29, I had to go off the pill for 3 months to get some hormone testing done. My acne came back worse than ever. I started using proactive twice daily and after 6 months of taking Diane again, my skin was returned to normal. But then all of sudden after 5 years, two years ago, Diane stopped working for my acne. I started getting big blind pimples on my chin and lower part of my face. My doctor suggested I try zoely. This made my skin oily and I broke out in comedones on my cheeks and big pimples on my forehead. I stayed on Zoely but started taking minocyclin. I took it for 6 months and my skin cleared up. But as soon as I stopped taking the antibiotics, the acne returned. I tried a second course of minocyclin and using a retinoid cream. The antibiotics didn't work this time and neither did the cream. After a year of taking zoely, my skin was oily, I had comedonal acne and very oily hair. My doctor suggested Yaz and I was willing to try anything. So I stared it. I immediately began breaking out in big blind pimples on my cheeks, chin and forehead. Also small, painful bumps along my jawline. The large pimples on my cheeks were horrible. I was constantly reapplying my make up through out the day to try and conceal my blemishes. The pimples would stick around for weeks and have left dark marks on my face. But I noticed that my skin and hair were no longer oily. I've always been a person who has to wash her hair every second day. But now I could go three days without oil. This has never happened before so I stuck with Yaz thinking it was a good sign. Second month, more of the same. Third month, less occurances of pimples on my forehead, less large pimples on my cheeks- mostly small ones that would go away in a day or two, still a few painful bumps along my jawline. Now I'm halfway through the fourth month. No more big pimples, a tiny pimple once in a while on the sides of my face not far from the hairline. No big blind pimples, scarring is fading. Yesterday I went to a music festival and after being in the sun all day I thought the sweat and make up would cause a big break out. I got one little pimple close to my hairline on my left cheek which is gone today. So I would encourage you to wait three months. If you're not seeing any improvement by the fourth month then fair enough, stop taking Yaz. Other things you should know. I still wash my face with proactive products twice a day. I've been doing that for 7 years. I use an oil free moisturiser, foundation, primer and powder. I take hair, skin and nails vitamins everyday. And for the past two months , I've been using the neutrogena LED light therapy mask for ten minutes every night. I understand how acne can impact upon your everyday life. Clear skin is my thing. I look at everyone's skin and compare it to mine. As soon as I wake up every morning, I check for pimples. I get it. I have an autoimmune disease which creates a hormonal imbalance so my doctor has warned me that I may have issues with acne for the rest of my life. I never thought I would be dealing with teenage skin problems at 36!

i am a 17 year old female who has been on yaz for 6 months since this review was written. within those 6 months i have been steadily gaining weight (15 lbs in total), which is pretty drastic considering i was a very small, petite girl prior to starting this pill. the weight gain is not physically noticeable, but definitely noticeable once you step foot onto a scale. my appetite has sky rocketed and the cravings are nearly unbearable. the good news is i have signed up for a gym membership and have decided to start watching what i eat, which will hopefully put me back down to my 100lb self. as for the acne (which is what the main concern is), it's completely gone. i used to get horrible cystic hormonal acne, mostly on my cheeks. they stood out like red stop signs all over my face and were impossible to get rid of. now, i will get a small zit once in a blue moon but i'm almost positive it isn't hormone-related, so it looks like the yaz is doing what ive asked it to do; clear my face up. the completely reduced acne definitely outweighs the weight gain. whereas acne was not something i could control, my weight is - and i can get it back down to normal with a healthier lifestyle.

I just purchased yaz and ive been on it for a month. My dermatoligist gave it to me for the treatement of acne. so far i have breakouts all over my jawline..They said the first month the acne will get worse before it gets better.. so all of you who are suffering dont get discouraged because hopefully mine will clear up in about a month... and also you are not the only one out there with acne.. hope i encouraged someone

This is a good product if you get through the enitial first few months of being sick (might have just been me who knows). It did help to clear acne after a month or two, but has lowered my sex drive conciderably.