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
December 24, 2013
Worst Initial Breakout EVER! Best skin after 6 months.
Cons:
Worst IB EVER!
I switched to OTC after Yaz stopped working as well. I experienced the WORST initial break out of my life in the first two months. I never thought my skin could get that bad, but it did! I even took pictures of the acne to chart how bad it was. Slowly over 6 months I started to clear up and, now, I have probably the best skin I have had in a year. Everything is clear, save one or two small spots a month. I'll take those small spots over the cystic acne I had even before the OTC. I still have a lot of red marks left over from the initial breakout, which are clearing slowly. One good thing, the tone and texture of my skin has improved greatly. So has the firmness. I never thought I would have skin this bad, but I do and the OTC has helped. UPDATE: I am still on this BC and my acne is pretty much non-existent now. I have the best skin of my adulthood. This stuff is great!
November 25, 2013
This worked for my cystic acne!
Pros:
Results almost immediately!
cleared painful, cystic acne
no bad side effects so far (2 months in)
Cons:
Slight weight gain (5 pounds?)
I never write these reviews for things but have to for this because after much hesitation I went on Ortho-Tri Cyclen for my cystic acne and it has been the only thing that's cured in in 4+ years of trying! Like many women i was hesitant to try the pill for acne because of weight gain/other side effects' well, i have been on it for a little over a month and a half now and i saw results immediately and they have steadily improved since then. Now the only thing left on my face is really bad acne scarring (i still use makeup to cover it up) but am starting laser treatments for it soon. Also helpful - i use baking soda as a physical and chemical exfoliant followed by honey every night, and only moisturize with coconut oil. I have to believe this has helped give my skin the awesome glow it has now. Gained a few pounds despite being a varsity athlete in college - but I'd say overall its worth it. Give it a chance as it helped me so much when i thought I had no options left besides accutane. I was wrong!
November 21, 2013
Product used: Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo (Oral Contraceptive)
Acne completely gone after!
Pros:
No acne or bacne!
no babies!
fewer cramps!
Cons:
spotting
remembering to take it at the same time every day
Even though I had suffered from facial acne for over ten years, I recently started to get horrible bacne for the first time in my life. I changed every single shampoo, body wash, detergent, etc trying to pinpoint the cause, but finally, after a year of trying to figure it out, it finally dawned on me. My acne might be hormonal. After doing a lot of research on which birth control would be best for acne, I made an appointment at Planned Parenthood. When I got there, I told them my problem and they handed me a year's supply of birth control for free. After taking it for about three months, my face and back COMPLETELY CLEARED. My skin hasn't looked this good since I was on accutane! Before getting on Ortho, I would have at least ten zits on my face at a time. Now, I have maybe one small one. I haven't had a zit on my back since this medicine kicked in. I'm so happy. If you are able to take birth control, it's worth a shot!
November 13, 2013
works okay
Pros:
helps with acne and oily skin
birth control
helps with monthly cycle
Cons:
water weight
mood swings
change in vaginal ph
i am taking this pill for the soul purpose of clearing my acne and my oily skin. the birth control is just a bonus. im thinking of switching to the lo version in jan as i feel the regular is a bit much for me. i dont get nauseous because i take it one hour after lunch (1pm) i find that taking it in the morning or at nigh before bed causes morning sickness. i might be crazy but it actually curbs my appetite, makes me feel sick if i eat too much. i lost 20 lbs while ive been on it. i swell up in my tummy and my right knew due to water weight, i just take a diuretic for a few days and dink tons of water. i do have these anger spells where i get so mad i want to fight but im not sure if i can blame that on the pill. it does kill my sex drive and im always horny or at least i was before i was on it and i think its causing a vaginal odor. never had a smell before at all but lately i have been smelling a sort of smell. i cant really describe it, it doesnt stink but it doesnt smell good either. hopefully when i switch to the lo these few minor problems will cease
November 6, 2013
This might have helped my acne.
Pros:
acne improved after stopping
Cons:
made me CRAZY
I decided to go on Ortho-Tricyclen to help with my horrible cystic acne. I had been pregnant and wasn't able to try any birth control and had used creams and had been on antibiotics at one point. I went to the local women's clinic and they prescribed it to me. Not long after I started, almost instantly, I began to get VERY bad panic attacks. It really brought out the crazy in me! I've never felt so out of control mentally in my life. It was REALLY bad. After completing 1 week and 1 day of medication, I decided to quit after I ended up in the ER because of a panic attack (I do have some anxiety issues as it is, but this pill REALLY amplified them.). After going off I began to gradually see improvement in my skin. I did switch my face routine to cetaphil face wash (used with the oil of olay facial brush) and moisturizer, but I honestly think the pill had a lot to do with it, because I had cystic acne that was very deep and below the skin and often never came to a head, so no creams or washes could really penetrate that far down. It's November and I've been almost completely clear since the end of September. I have had a few pop up here and there, but only two or three and they were because I was lazy and didn't wash off my makeup and they were REGULAR, not cystic. I'm guessing the week that I spent on Ortho-Tricyclen perhaps made my hormones balance themselves out? I'm hoping my clear skin continues. I'll give it a four because it did seem to work and I really can't figure out what else it could have been, and it might be worth a try, but I have to at least take a star away because it really did make me feel horrible.
September 18, 2013
Satisfied!
Pros:
Less acne
Increased sex drive :)
No oily skin
Cons:
Intense bleeding which is probably why I'm more tired
Tired a lot
Slight more intense lower back cramps
My face is less oily, it's helping my acne and I also have a great sex drive since i realky didnt have one to begin with:) but I am tired a lot and I have heavy bleeding if I missed a pill and not horrible but more intense back cramps.
August 17, 2013
Clearing me up
Pros:
Significantly less acne on jawline
I feel more confident
Cons:
Decreased libido :(
nausea for the first month
I'm 24 and have been experiencing acne on my jaw and lower cheeks for 2 years now. I started taking ortho partially to clear up acne. I really didn't have my hopes up because the doctor said it might not work for me though it is helpful for some people. I started my third packet two weeks ago and I have noticed that for the last two weeks my skin has been softer and that my jaw line has been less bumpy. I've been eating a normal diet but have not put in much effort to restrict cheese, milk, and chocolate yet the amount of pimples that come out continue to decline. I still have scars and red spots but the bumpiness has gone away. ANOTHER way I have been able to tell that ortho has helped me has been by using the biore pore strips. In addition to using them on my nose I would in the past use them on my cheeks and would remove a lot of sebum from all areas of my face. I used a pore strip this week and NOTHING came out from the cheek area and a little bit did on the nose so this is how i know that sebum production has decreased! So I did a little research and found out that the pill lowers testosterone levels which in turn decrease sebum production therefore causing less acne ;)
August 6, 2013
Happy with the results
Pros:
acne clears up, less oily skin
lighter period (3 days max)
no weight gain, no mood swings
Cons:
have to remember to take it everyday
initial breakout at the beginning
I'm a 22 year old college student and I've been taking this pill for 7 months now. The main reason I decided to go on the pill was to get rid of my acne. I had moderate acne and I would use makeup to cover up my flaws and the scars it left behind. My acne would also get really bad when I was stressed in school. I had tried others and didn't seem to work so I decided to give it a shot. I still remember the first month I didn't see much improvement, on the contrary my acne got slightly worse but by the end of the second month I started to see results. As of now, I've gotten rid of 90 percent of my acne. I say this because I still have the occasional pimple here and there(especially when my period is coming). sometimes even 2 or 3 but it's not as bad as before and they go away pretty quickly within a day or two. I still wear makeup to cover up my acne marks but my skin doesn't break out like before. With the combination of a good face wash(morning and night) and this pill I've seen great improvement. I didn't feel like I gained any weight from this pill nor has it caused me to have any cravings. Didn't have any bad side effects. I wear contact lenses and didn't experience any issues in my vision. I think this pill is great and would recommend it to other girls. Don't give up. To any girl who feels discouraged: you should at least stick with it for 3 months to see complete results :) Hope this helped!
August 5, 2013
At the end of the 5th pack---Skin is completely clear
Pros:
Helps cramps a little, doesn't eliminate them.
No weight gain.
Cleared acne after 3 and a half months.
Cons:
bad initial breakout in the second pack, last 3 weeks.
Nausea in first week of each new pack.
Periods not any shorter or lighter.
I just finished my 5th pack on this pill, and I must echo others and say you gotta give it a little time! I had literally NO breakouts in high school (I'm 25 now), but a couple years ago, I started getting one or two big pimples a month around ovulation. It's gotten worse over time, where I would get a few big, painful pimples around my mouth--a small breakout. I would classify my pre-OTC acne as very mild to mild. I went on this pill to get rid of that. In the second pack of OTC, I got two bad breakouts---worse than I've ever had in my whole life--big, painful, inflamed, horrible acne. I was really sad because I was convinced it was a sign this pill wasn't going to work. BUT I stuck it out, and by the end of the 3rd pack, my skin began to clear. I haven't had a pimple since. I just use cetaphil in the morning and when I go to bed with Aveeno moisturizer, and that's it! No spot treatments or anything needed. I hope it keeps up this way. See my gallery for pictures of the improvement over time!
August 4, 2013
SO HAPPY! :)
Pros:
Acne clears up in three days!
No mood swings
Short periods that last three days!
Cons:
Minor abdominal cramps while on period
Feel sick without eating food with it
I went to my doctor really quickly to switch to a new birth control because the previous birth control I was on - Yaz - had a HUGE lawsuit against them from blood clots and people dying from it, here in Canada. So I URGE all women to please do some recent research on the birth control Yaz before considering. Coincidentally, my doctor had clipped out a newspaper article about Yaz and told me he was no longer prescribing it to anyone anymore. He switched me on tricyclen! I had really bad break outs all along my forehead, jaw line, cheeks and chin. Literally after taking it for the past THREE days my skin has drastically started to instantly clear up! I also have a lot of traveling to do this month for a wedding and I'm very happy my face has finally decided to clear up. I haven't had any mood swings or anything. My hormones have been so messed up after having my son 18 months ago and I can finally say I'm happy with my new birth control.
Pros:
Improves tone, texture, and firmness of skin.
Clears skin
Easy to take