Oral Contraceptive
Efficacy
63%
Based on All Available Studies
Strength of Evidence
Note: Improvement significantly increases after 24 weeks.
Oral Contraceptive
Acne.org’s Real World Take
All oral contraceptives appear to clear the skin about the same amount. Some people report cessation of acne symptoms and others see partial relief. However, messing with hormones is messing with hormones and it’s best to proceed with caution. But if you’re looking to take the birth control pill anyway, one of the benefits is clearer skin.
Oral Contraceptive
How to Get It
Have a dermatologist? Make an appointment to get this medication. Don't have a dermatologist? See The American Academy of Dermatology Physician Database to find one.
Used Norgestimate (Ortho Tri-Cyclen®)? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
July 29, 2011
Cons:
Some nauseousness at the beginning of each packet
Have to remember to take it everyday
I have suffered from acne since the age of 11 and over the years it got worst and worst. A few years ago I finally began to clear up and back then I thought it was Proactive that had done it for me. I didn't realize that at the time I was also on birth control and didn't connect the two together. A couple of years ago I stopped taking it because I no longer needed since I didn't have to worry about getting pregnant anymore. SO within a year and half after I had stopped taking the birth control, I noticed I started getting a few pimples here and there and then it really got bad. So bad that my face literally hurt :( At that time I came across this website and tried Dan's regiment and with the high amounts of acne treatment it was making my face worst! I followed it to the T and it just didn't work. I had read before on other message boards about acne being a hormonal problem more than a skin issue. That's when I connected the two together. I have NEVER written a review about anything but I am so happy I finally figured the cause of acne and what worked for me that I want others to know and hope it also works for you. There was another message forum on another website that someone always keept posting how acne is a hormonal issue and kept insisting to see some sort of a specialized hormonal Dr to check for any irregularities. I always thought they were just trying to advertise their product. But they never did recommend any particular product. Now I am a proof of that theory. It took a good three months for my acne to start clearing up and now 5 months later I am completely acne free. I think I might have a little one trying to come out now but other than that I am clear. Now I just have to deal with all the ugly scaring of years of my severe acne :( I know a lot of people have really bad side effects but I would recommend you try different brands. I tried a couple before I felt comfortable with this one and I even just use their generic brand.
July 19, 2011
Pros:
-Not Pregnant
-Helps Clear or regulate acne
-No weight gain or loss
-Always know when your periods will be
Cons:
-Breakouts at the start of use
-Slightly moody/emotional at the start of use
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Dan's regimen is good, but I felt that especially around my time of the month all hell would break loose. I always wanted Birth Control to control my acne, but I was weary of side effects and had heard horror stories so I laid off and figured that eventually my acne would settle down. Finally, after a year of being with my boyfriend I decided I wanted Birth Control to prevent pregnancy as condoms had given us a few scares and Plan B was not something I was too keen on taking or paying for. I got an appointment at Planned Parenthood. Let me make this very clear ladies. Planned Parenthood is not a shady, back alley place that you should be ashamed for going to. Planned Parenthood is a respectable, amazing place that helps men and women alike on multiple levels. It was very clean, professional, and everyone was amazingly helpful and caring. I can buy Birth Control there for about $24 a pack, which is great because my family does not have insurance. At first it was pretty bad. I broke out horribly and as frustrating as it was I had read the reviews and had braced myself for the worst. The first month was difficult. Aside from Acne I began to experience emotional swings near the end of the month. Everything made me sad, angry etc. This is to be expected. I've been on Birth Control for almost a year now and I love it. I only see minor emotional swings now and then but it is very uncommon and only around my period which is not unlike normal PMS behavior. No weight gain or loss. No increase in appetite or anything of the sort. Everything is working out well and during the whole month before my period my face is clear as can be with the exception of a small spot here or there. While I still break out during my period, it is nothing compared to how it used to be. A small cyst an a couple spots sure beats a whole army of cystic acne come to parade around my face.
July 14, 2011
Pros:
Cleared Acne
Cons:
Diarrhea
Mild Nausea
Vomiting
I went back on Ortho Lo because when I used it in college, it dramatically kept my skin clear. Of course, the first two weeks of taking the pill, my face exploded with huge, tender pimples. However, I am on week six and my skins looks flawless! I suffer from adult acne and heavy scarring but since I have not had a breakout in about a month, my skin is smooth and the old scars are fading. The issue now is that first - second week of every new pack leaves me feeling sick, experience rare vomiting and have diarrhea/stomach discomfort. So now, I have switched from taking the pill in the mornings to right before bed. That way, I skip all of the negative stuff. I will continue to take this pill based on the skin remedy alone.
July 9, 2011
Pros:
Skin was flawless on the last 2 weeks from the higher dose of hormone.
Cons:
New breakouts almost daily on the first 2 weeks (the lower doses)
I tried this birth control a few months ago for my hormonal acne.. As I mentioned, the last two weeks were amazing but the first two weeks were not. I took it for 4 months, hoping it would level out.. but alas, it never did. Everyone is different, though.
July 9, 2011
Pros:
Helps keep acne under control
Helps prevent unwanted pregnancies
Cons:
Intense mood swings
Breast soreness
Overall, this is a good birth control for acne. My doctor told me it is one of the birth controls that has been proven to help acne, which I see is true. I was on this specific birth control for three years. I stopped taking it because any birth control is not the best thing for a womans body. Six months later my face was out of control with acne. I tired so many different things to clear my face, but nothing was working. Finally, I got back on this birth control and my face has greatly improved. Unfortunately my face has not gone back to the complete acne-free clearness it was, but now that I am used to having acne it is nice to have something keep it under control.
June 30, 2011
Pros:
None.
Cons:
So dizzy couldn't stand up
Extremely nauseous
loss of energy
sadness
no motivation
expensive
I could only take three of these pills before I had to stop completely. I realize that you can't judge birth control in 3 days but this pill really jacked me up. I had heard so many good things about it for acne that after months of debate I finally decided to give it a try. Well...it didn't work out as expected. It made me extremely nauseous even with doing everything the doctor recommended (such as taking it at night and with food). It also made me extremely moody, dizzy to the point of not being able to stand up, faint feeling, and I had a loss of energy and appetite. Not only that, but in the three days that I took it, my face got worse. I hope this works better for you than it did for me...
oh and did I mention that it's $50.00??
June 20, 2011
Pros:
- Breasts are fuller. Amazing.
- Break-outs clearing up quickly.
- Skin feels more youthful on face.
- Eyes seem whiter, healthier
- Appetite suppressed.
- No nausea.
- I feel happier/younger. Feels good.
Cons:
- No Bad Side Effects (So Far) New User. Still on my 1st pack.
- Felt somewhat sleepy the first few days on the non-placebo pills. Perhaps just body adjusting?
I'm still only on the first pack but straight away I noticed my face clearing up very fast. My skin on my face seems more glowing and youthful. It's like a little dose of the fountain of youth, for me this is amazing! I have breakouts of adult acne on my neck, super ugly ones, that are hideous and big boil types that are red and leave really big dark scars, and now they're all going away. Every little bump is going away too. My face seems to be glowing, my eyes seem whiter. My breasts feel very full now, and have since the 2nd day on the blue pills (the first non-placebos) which is a good thing too. It's as if someone did a rewind on the clock of aging, and I am getting back skin elasticity and breast fullness which I feel like I had lost the past 10 years. I'm 41 years old, and although I look quite young and act quite youthful, I was feeling the loss of the estrogen as is natural at my age when the little gray hairs first start appearing and the androgen hormones go up and we start to notice little whiskers, and thing we never had before, and especially break outs on the neck. All of which is very annoying. This happens when our estrogen starts to drop. But, with these pills I feel great and am hoping that I continue to. My real reason for starting these pills was to remove this terrible adult acne from my neck and to keep from getting pregnant. So far, it's better than I anticipated. It's clearing up very fast, and no side effects to complain of.
June 17, 2011
Pros:
*no babies
Cons:
*yeast infections
*breast soreness after 3rd pack
*worse menstrual cramps
*no improvement with acne
*spotting (even after 3 months)
*mood swings at beginning week of changing hormones
I posted a review over 2 months ago about this contraceptive. I've currently been on it for almost 5 months now and feel that I'm more eligible to post a legit review. So the first few months I experienced no side effects but no benefits either. Around my 3rd pack I was experiencing breast pain, spotting, extreme mood swings. I'm now at the end of my 4th pack and my acne is the same, except that I now break out on my chest/back at times,this pill hasn't helped it one bit, which I don't understand...Oooh, and more importantly it has made my cramps worse. I already suffer from really bad menstrual cramps and thought birth control was supposed to help. I'm contemplating waiting out another month (5th pack) but am not sure yet. My body just doesn't seem to be adjusting. My gyno want's to switch me to Yasmin.
June 16, 2011
Pros:
No acne, Regular periods, not getting pregnant(Duh! Lol)
Cons:
Very hard periods, cravings
I've been on this pill for about 5 months now. At first I got pretty bi cravings though I ate a lot more at first I didn't gain weight. I haven't noticed any more or less mood swings but come my time of the month, I get intense PMS. I didn't get my period at all when I didn't take the pill and if I did there would be no PMS at all. But since on the pill I get painful cramping and just over all sick feeling. I'm thinking of switching birth control method.
June 8, 2011
Pros:
My moderate acne COMPLETELY went away. Lighter periods, a lot less period cramping (I used to have severe pain).
Cons:
I'm always hungry when I take it, after the first year I had gained 10 pounds, and then could not manage to lose the weight.
I ended up going off of the this medication a month ago because of the weight gain/always feeling hungry. Since then, I did lose about 6 pounds, and my appetite has been a lot more normal. However, my acne is already back (I had forgot how bad it was). I'm afraid that cystic acne will return, and I will probably go back on ortho tri-cyclen as soon as I can get into the doc for a prescription. I had a fair amount of scarring and redness from acne breakouts in the past and over the past year or so it finally started to fade away and I was finally comfortable going out in public without makeup on occasion. (I used to NEVER go out without foundation on, even on a quick tirp to the grocery store or fast food drive through) I'm on the fence between trying out a different BC that will hopefully work on my acne and won't cause the appetite problems, but am afraid that if a different birth control doesn't work I will end up with more scarring.
Pros:
Cleared my face completely!
Regular period