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
February 5, 2013
Cons:
nausea
bloating
messed up face-got more scars
mood swings
depression
It's not worth it and I've been on this pill for two months. My face has never been worse. I'm so sad and am going to try yasmin next.
January 26, 2013
Pros:
- VERY effective birth control
- no significant weight gain
- never have cramps or irregularity
Cons:
- seemingly no correlation to my acne
- artificial hormones in my system
Most of the time I have one or 2 pimples on my face which I can tolerate. However this past year I have had a chronic breakout all over my face, chest, and back, trying every routine & topical product available. I have been taking Tri-Cyclen for 12 years so I don't think it's to blame unless it combined with my young-adult hormone shift to produce chaos. Am switching to Diane 35 to give it a try (lower pregnancy protection but apparently stronger against acne).
January 23, 2013
Pros:
No weight gain
Seems to slowly cure acne
Cons:
Horrible initial breakout
Mood swings
I have been on this pill for 3.5 months, about to finish my fourth pack. I still have occasional breakouts, though it seems to slowly be getting better. I did not have acne before I started this pill; it GAVE me hormonal adult acne. I am simply sticking with it because of all the reviews that tell you to hang in there. I'm hoping next month is finally the end of this acne bull$&@!!
I went on the pill because I was previously on the patch and insurance stopped covering it.
If you don't have acne, STAY AWAY. I had perfect skin my whole life, now at 25 I all of the sudden have acne. My self esteem has taken quite a blow and I don't know how much more I can take. This month better yield clear skin, and fast.
January 19, 2013
Pros:
cleared up my moderate to severe acne within 3-5 months!!! Period improved and was on schedule. NAME BRAND NOT GENERIC!!!
Cons:
mild cramps still but well worth it. skipped one pill and felt VERY nauseous for a two days.
i would recommend!
January 3, 2013
Pros:
Cleared smaller bits of acne.
Safe sex.
Regulated and lightened my period.
Cons:
Still got the big cystic pimples.
Must be really, really regulated.
Just because you're taking birth control doesn't mean you need to start having sex too, I started taking it specifically for my acne. I would reccommend birth control to even girls at a young age, because it helps regulate your body and helps you out a lot! Cleared my small pimples, so I actually had some clear skin, but I still had my cystic pimples. Also lightened my period a lot, which reduced my stress which also helped reduce my acne.
January 3, 2013
Pros:
Cleared my skin about 75%
Increased my breast size
No mood swings
Cons:
Slightly longer periods
Breast tenderness for 1 week right before my period
Slightly decreased libido
This birth control really cleared up my skin a lot. I still get about 2 cysts and some small whiteheads around my period but no where near as bad as before. I went from moderate/moderately severe acne to light. I have been on 4 different birth control pills before and OTC cleared my skin the best out of all of them. There are definitely some cons but I think it is still worth taking to keep my skin clear.
January 1, 2013
Pros:
I have nothing good to say about this pill
Cons:
Daily headaches, back acne, really oily face covered in small zits, dont sleep very well.
I have been on yaz for 4 years and it worked great , clear skin and no negative side affects. I get ovarian cysts which were almost non existant while on yaz. Since switching to ortho tricyclen lo the pain in my side is back=cysts back, my skin is soo bad and i cant sleep. Going back to yaz!
December 19, 2012
Pros:
- less acne overall, get a few now and some tiny ones that nobody sees anyway
- chest, arms and back are now clear
- body changes. this can be a pro or con, but my waist went from 27 inches to 26, my hips from 36.5 to 41 inches, and my breasts from 34A to 34B.
- no babies, 2 birds with one stone
Cons:
- the acne i do get is cystic and painful, i'll have 1-2 small or large cysts on my face at a time
- recently started getting small bumps on my forehead, never had this problem before, i ahve bangs that cover it, but still
- tiredness and exhaustion
I am an 19 year old girl and had acne since I was 12. I had tried antibiotics, over the counter, and prescription creams, so my doctor recommended OTC. I used it for 4 months. Just finished my fourth pack, and do not plan to continue.
I did experience a small initial breakout, but that calmed down within a month.
My face isn't cluttered with zits so that's good, and i'd get cysts anyway. However, it did not remove as much as i'd like, and i still struggle. My doctor gave me a prescription for Diane-35, which has a higher amount of female hormone and blocks male hormones too. If you're going to switch up birth controls, look for one that has a higher amount of hormones, a lower amount will most likely cause a terrible initial breakout and other bad side effects. It works for a lot of people though, so give it a shot.
November 25, 2012
Pros:
Completely cleared my skin!
No initial breakout (in my case)
No crazy side effects birth control is known to cause
Cons:
Took around 4 months to clear my skin
Won't work for everyone (as every acne product doesn't), but DEFINITELY worth a try!
These pills work amazingly well for ME. After 5 years of having moderate acne with large, painful bumps that left bad scars, I had zero self-confidence. It got so bad that some days I wouldn't go out in public. I was trying every cleanser I could find, going on antibiotic pills and creams, using Differin and Retin-A, trying different birth controls, cutting dairy products out of my diet completely, and going to many other difficult and sometimes extreme measures in order to clear my skin, but nothing worked. But after reading a lot of great reviews about ortho tri-cyclen, I decided I would make one last attempt at clearing my skin. I loved it right away! I barely had any PMS symptoms, and my skin was instantly less oily and every morning when I looked in the mirror I had fewer pimples! For the first few months I still broke out around that lovely time of the month, but I can say after 5 months of using ortho tri-cyclen that my skin is TOTALLY CLEAR! I never thought I would be able to say I don't have acne, but it feels so amazing to be confident going out in public, even without makeup! So, I guess the bottom line is that after much trial and error, I found the cure for MY acne. Everyone's skin reacts differently to treatments, which is why acne is so hard to get rid of. All I do is live a clean lifestyle and take these pills every day, and for MY skin, that's all I need! I drink about a gallon of water every day, ALWAYS wash my face twice a day (using Clean and Clear Continuous Control cleanser), keep bacteria off my face (use clean makeup brushes, sleep on clean pillow cases, etc.), and take these pills every night. It truly is an amazing feeling to have clear skin! If you haven't found what works for you yet, I know exactly how you feel, and I would encourage you to start by drinking a lot of water, keeping your face clean, and living an overall healthy lifestyle. From there, I would definitely recommend trying ortho, just remember to be patient! Good luck :
October 29, 2012
Product used: Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Not a total cure, but definitely helps to clear hormonal acne and control oil.
Cons:
Horrible breakouts, hair loss when stopped.
I feel stuck on this pill. I've taken accutane, which worked temporarily but my acne gradually creeped back. Desogen did nothing to help my skin, so I switched to Ortho Lo. This pill helped to clear my skin - I still got the occasional zit, but I was virtually clear about 5 months in. I decided to go off the Pill to give my body a break. BIG mistake... acne came back horribly, hair was falling out in clumps. Went back on the pill, and now 3.5 months in my skin is better but not nearly as good as it was before I went off.
Pros:
nothing