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
January 5, 2015
Ortho Tri-Cyclen (Brand Name-- not a fan of generics, when it comes to my acne medications)
You have to give it TIME!!! I have been on it for six months after trying every topical cream/gel plus antibiotics (which worked wonders at first but I probably built a tolerance and it stopped working, was on them for probably a year, which was more than what the doctor wanted me to be on them, but was too scared to get off them, once I did, nothing really happened, so yea built a tolerance against them).... broke out really bad at first, to me it seemed like it was probably one of the worst breakouts, had acne everywhere even my back, but after 6 months now, I can truly say, its almost all gone, I still break out during that time of the month, but nothing I cant handle, very very glad I stuck through the initial phase, be patient, it will work hopefully the way it worked for me... btw I have hormonal acne, scared to death of what will happen when i need to get off these, but will take everything one day at a time. Use it along side with retin-A and a good moisturizer (clinique super surge) and that is all you will need.
December 10, 2014
bad for hormonal acne!
I was having the occasional break out on my cheek and chin area. i went to my general doc and she suggested the pill in order to balance my hormones. It threw my body into such an unbalance. My period was all over the place, my acne had gotten 200X's worse then ever. I kept taking it for 3 months hoping it was just my body adjusting to the pill. needless to say i stopped taking it. my acne kept getting worse every month i was on it. after taking it it took me 6 months to come back to where i was before i started it.
October 22, 2014
I wanted it to work so badly
I was on ortho lo which cost 50 dollars a month so after hearing great things about what ortho regular could do for my skin AND it was free i decided to make the switch.
The first month i didnt see much difference in my skin I was breaking out a bit but i heard that there was an initial breakout so i figured thats what must have been happening.
By month two my skin had erupted with small flesh colored bumps all over my skin! The kind that would just sit there no matter what i did but if i squeezed a hard plug would come out. Determined to believe the whole "it gets worse before it gets better" legend i tried to stick it out. I made appointments with estheticians, had glycolic peels, microderms...you name it. My face was red, bumpy, angry and flat out depressing. After end of month 2 start of month 3 i decided to switch back to Ortho lo...its been about a week and my skin is starting to return to normal. I suffered for 3 months hoping for some kind of miracle skin cure that would never come.
I've heard great things for others but unfortunately they didnt happen for me.
October 3, 2014
Confused
I give this bcp a 3 star rating because before taking this pill, I had brutal period cramps and irregular cycle. Now i have a regular cycle and very minimal cramps. Now speaking skin wise. I am now on my fifth month. My first month, my skin was the same: moderate acne, clogged pores, a zit here and there nothing severe. At the end of the second pack and beginning of thethird, bad things started happening. My skin would leave horrible red marks when zits would leave. I still to this day 2-3 months later still have these marks and they are exceptionally visible. I broke out horribly. The hyper pigmentation was everywhere. Now, it has died down but I have red marks from zits that left my face more than 3 months ago. This never used to happen before I was on these pills. They will not fade. I don`t know whether to continue taking the pills or stop.
September 12, 2014
Cleared up my skin and grew boobs!
I am sixteen years old and I have suffered from acne since I started puberty around 11 years old. In the past couple of years, my acne has become more severe across my cheeks, forehead, and every where in between. I had tried many types of acne treatments including seeing a dermatologist and buying perscription medications. Nothing seemed to be clearing up my acne like I wanted it to. I realized that not matter how much I cleaned my face and used different treatments, the acne would not go away because it was directly related to my hormones. I talked to my parents and we decided to try the pill. The first couple of cycles on this pill were hard on me. My acne had become so severe the first couple of months on the pill that I was embarressed to go to school. After a few more months, I noticed a big difference in my skin. The pimples were getting a lot smaller and there were not as many. My acne was being healed. Now, I am on my fifth cycle and I only break out a little around my period. I am so glad I decided to take this birth control. My skin looks so much better and I am more confident. For me, some other advantages to taking this pill were my cramps and migraines around my period are completely gone. My boobs have also gone from an A to C cup.. so that's pretty cool too. I would recommend this pill to anyone who has hormonal acne. The results are different for everyone but I can assure you that it has worked for me.
August 31, 2014
Good for Acne
I took Ortho Tri-Cyclen since I was 15 until I was 21 for acne and birth control. It worked pretty well. I had mild/moderate acne while on it, but without it I likely would have had severe acne. This past year (20 years old), I stopped taking Ortho Tri-Cyclen and I had a major breakout--the worst breakout of my life! Really painful cystic acne covered my whole face. It got so bad that after a few months of being miserable with severe acne I got back on Ortho Tri-Cyclen and started taking Minocycline. After a month I ended up on Accutane and I'm still on Ortho Tri-Cyclen. Anyway, I think this has really helped my acne, but talk to your doctor or dermatologist before getting off of it because it may make your hormones go crazy and make you breakout majorly!
August 11, 2014
NO acne, regular cycles and NO babies ;)
I am married with a 4 year old. I neeeeeed contraception. Haha I decided to go with Nexplanon ("Implanon" at the time) simply for the fact that I was scared I would miss pills (I am scatter brained and never in the same place every day). After getting my second one (not sure why, but the first implant did not break my skin out) implanted in late July 2013, my acne kept getting worse and worse. I have "normal" skin. I'm not dry or oily, but I was getting some MAJOR breakouts. In March I was fed up with it and paid the $300 to get it removed because I had not had a good skin day in a straight 3 months (my upper back being worse than my face) and I was getting super self conscious about my skin. It was just a nightmare and I didn't care about anything other than getting my skin cleared up! It is now August 2014 and my skin is PERFECT (it did take some time. Probably 3 cycles of the ortho for my skin to heal and I did experience breakouts during the transition) I don't take my clear skin for granted now, and it is even better than it was before I had my son. The estrogen makes your skin clear up, but I have also COMPLETELY stopped picking at my bumps. That is hard to do, but your skin really needs to heal. I also use Dr. Bronner's liquid soap after exfoliating back, chest and face once a day with a soft bristle brush I got at Wal-Mart (it's like a Clarisonic with a long handle to reach my back). The Ortho has cleared my cysts and the exfoliation and awesome soap has cleared whiteheads and blackheads! It's awesome and I am absolutely loving a predictable period. As for keeping on track with taking the pills, I always keep them in my purse (just in case I'm not home) and my alarm goes off at 9 every nignt. If I'm home, I just get the package out of my purse and take it. Also I'm only allowed to silence the alarm AFTER the pill has went down my throat haha. ;) hope this is helpful and gives some hope to someone!
August 9, 2014
made my skin horrible
I am starting my second month of Sprintec. I use it to control my periods which is workiing. However acne-wise its not the best. I started breaking out horribly when i first went on it! My skin has never been this bad!! I dont know what to do :/
July 29, 2014
My BFF
I have been on Tri Sprintec (which is excellent for lack of insurance) for maybe 2 years. Thanks to this pill, my skin has dramatically improved. I had light-moderate acne and would get large, deep blemishes on my back. Now I only break out on my face when (and if) I happen to miss a pill or top using The Regimen, and my back is completely clear. This had also completely cleared my forehead. This in combination with The Treatment (2.5% BP) are my go to!
July 14, 2014
Product used: Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo (Oral Contraceptive)
Amazing!!!
I have use Yaz for over five years it did control my acne for a while however last year I started to get horrible cystic acne all over my face. After much suffering I finally decided to switch to a different kind so I began using ortho tri cyclen low. I expected to have the worse brake out of my life but it has been 2 weeks and my skin is so much better than before. I don't have oily skin anymore and finally no new more cystic acne coming out. I have never recommend anything but this pills are truly working for me