Acne.org Products
Hormonal Therapy
Efficacy
63%
Based on All Available Studies
Strength of Evidence
Note: Improvement significantly increases after 24 weeks.
Hormonal Therapy
Acne.org’s Real World Take
Any brand of oral contraceptive appears to clear the skin about the same amount, regardless of whether it is officially approved for acne treatment. Some people report complete clearing of acne symptoms and others see partial relief. However, artificially controlling your hormones is a serious decision, so it’s best to proceed with caution.
Hormonal Therapy
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 Oral Contraceptives? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
October 2, 2018
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Acne ridden mess to kinda clear in 3 months
Just finished my third pack, and compared to how my skin was before, it has improved tremendously. I think I have a few more pimples coming in at the moment, one on my cheek, near my lip and on my forehead, but they're pretty small. Also, before starting the pill I was dealing with a lot of those little bumps on my forehead that take foreeevver to go away. They've cleared up A LOT but there is still some there, so I'll update next month on their status. The first month I had occasional mood swings (legit a couple fits of full blown tears for pretty much no reason.) I think my body/emotions just had to get used to the new hormones, because that hasn't happened since. My body, namely my butt and my boobs, have actually filled out quite a lot, so I've probably gained a bit of weight, but I honestly haven't checked because I like the way it looks. My only negative is that my boobs have been kind of sore, but nothing particularly bothersome. All in all I'm pretty happy so far. It definitely takes time. It's only been in the past couple weeks that I've really seen the improvement, but it's been getting better and better quicker and quicker.
catcherinthetwilight
November 10, 2018
Update: Currently on my fifth pack, my skin is almost completely clear except for one small pimple on my left cheek and some blackheads here and there (nose mainly). The bumps on my forehead are pretty much entirely gone, and my skin is soo soft. I think that has a lot to do with the skincare i've been using lately, but I know the pill was helping me before, so it's hard to tell what is working the best. Overall I'm thrilled with how my skin looks and feels, and would definitely recommend yaz in conjunction with a good skincare routine and drinking lots of water, provided the pill is an okay option for you health-wise. I stand by four stars because while yaz has worked very well, I don't think it's truly capable of getting the job of totally clearing done on it's own. Also, by pack four, the soreness in my boobs had gone away.
September 3, 2018
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Poison
Was on a pill called Qlaira for a long time. Came off it due to irregular bleeding, and as ive suffered with my skin in the past, my doctor recommended lucette (cheap yasmin) . All i can say is my skin hasnt been this bad since i was a teen, and these period pains and heavy bleeding are unreal. Its poison. Im actually fuming. In light of my headache (literally) ive decided that i will not be using an oral contraceptive again. Ive tried everything and this has taught me a valuable lesson, to let nature do its thing. Condoms will have to do....i am.not going to damage my body or my skin any more. I really hope this stops someone going through what i have! Not worth it girls!
August 15, 2018
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Do not take Yasmin
I was on dianette for a year before changing to Yasmin in Feb. I took Yasmin roughly 5-6 months and it's ruined me. Mood swings, headaches, head fuzziness, heart palpitations. I ended up in hospital because of it - my heart rate was extremely elevated. However every taste came out fine and I've never had any health problems prior. I stopped mid pack a month ago because it was making me feel so awfully depressed. It did make my skin better (not perfect) but it is NOT worth feeling like this. I now have suffered panic attacks and anxiety when I have never dealt with that before. I still feel spaced out and tired all of the time. I just don't feel right and it's affecting my everyday loft. If I can stop even one girl taking Yasmin then that is enough. it's not worth the risk of reacting like myself and many others have (do your research). I wish I had known all this before taking it. Take other routes to clear your skin!
August 11, 2018
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Cured my acne!
I have had acne since I was a teenager, but it had never been as bad as it was when I turned 23. My hormones decided to suddenly wack out and nothing I did helped alleviate it. I've tried going on Doxycyclin, Tretinoin, Spironolactone, topical Clindamycin, and many different kinds of washes and prescription creams. I even tried going the natural route and taking herbs such as vitex, saw palmetto, DIM, milk thistle, and completely changing my diet. NOTHING WORKED. I was afraid to try Yasmin because of the horrendous possible side effects but I was at my wits end and very desperate. The problem was whenever my hormones shifted slightly throughout my cycle, my skin would respond by breaking out all along my cheeks, forehead, and jaw. Yasmin keeps your hormones balanced at all times, allowing no fluctuations. Within two weeks it started completely clearing my acne! I've been on it for four months now and since then I've had three tiny pimples tops and I'm lucky enough to not have experienced any side effects at all. I highly recommend at least trying Yasmin, it could seriously work for you and save you a lot of pain. It did for me!
July 5, 2018
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Help!
I need advice! I'm on my 3rd pack now and have small bumps on jawline and forehead with some whiteheads, also each time I have the 7day break my skin clears what does that mean will it work or nah?
September 12, 2018
This happened to me and in the third month I stopped! I am still breaking out a little though-did yours ever get better?
September 12, 2018
This happened to me and in the third month I stopped! I am still breaking out a little though-did yours ever get better?
June 15, 2018
Trying to be patient and hopeful!
I have been taking the generic version of this birth control, Tri-Previfem, for a month and a half. I have not had any side effects (no weight gain, same boob size). During the first month, my acne cleared up for the most part. It has definitely been worse this past two weeks since I started the second pack. The pimples are popping up frequently, but are healing faster than normal. I have also been eating a lot of sugar in the past week, and I've noticed a relationship between my sugar intake and acne severity. I have struggled with moderate hormonal acne on my face and back since age 13 (around 5 years). I'll update again after I have taken this pill for a longer time.
May 14, 2018
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
been on it for 6 days..
i'm 16, not sexually active at all, went on the pill for acne only. not even a week in and i HATE this pill. depressive episodes, horrendous bloating and cravings and lo and behold, WORSENED ACNE. IT HAS NOT EVEN BEEN A WEEK. there's no way i could continue with this pill any longer. stopping it today and going to my GP about other options. plus my acne has been tested to be hormonal.. so sad about this.
February 13, 2019
gets worse before it gets better
April 3, 2018
Product used: LoEstrin (Oral Contraceptive)
From little acne to a whole lot of acne
Oh my goodness. I'm currently on my 3rd pack of Lo lo and I'm planning on stopping it asap. Pros:
No pms symptoms! No bloating, no cramps, no feeling fatigue. 2 days of bleeding or none at all. Didn't feel any mood swings. All of that is awesome. Cons:
This is probably the worst I've ever broken out. I got these as samples from my obgyn and I wanted to get the pills for birth control but mostly to help w my acne that I assumed was hormonal (mostly 2 to 3 pimples on my cheeks and a lot of little tiny bumps on my chin. It had to be hormonal because my usual acne products just wasn't working anymore and Ive switched products many times already). Like most people here, my acne wasn't terrible to begin with. There was a week or two between the first and second month I was on Lo lo that my skin looked pretty nice. I still had some blemishes but i thought the pill might be working because i was glowing. But not for long!!!! 2 weeks after that I started getting a whole bunch of little and average sized pimples on my cheeks and more bumps on my chin. Way more than Ive ever gotten! They were almost like in clusters or constellations on my face. I didn't know how to get rid of them and I switched between many cleansers and moisturizers already (i switch them pretty quickly because most of the time i can tell right away if something works for my skin or not) but nothing seemed to be working. And i of course resort to picking and squeezing because sometimes thats the only way to get them out! it looks like i have a rash on my cheek or like how teens break out, and ive never had my face look like this before. It's not super bad and i can just hide it with makeup a little bit but it's very annoying because I had close to clear skin before!!!! Definitely steer clear of this if you already have some acne issues..as others have said.
March 8, 2018
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
It takes 3-6 months
I have been on Yaz in the past and it really cleared my skin. I was on it for 5 years and had flawless skin by using Acne.org BP once a day and taking the Yaz. I went off of it for a year and my acne came roaring back. Four months ago I started to take it again for PMDD. My skin started to clear within a few weeks, but full clearing took four months. The first time I was on Yaz it took the full six months. I have never experienced much of an initial breakout with it, but everything that was below the surface, eventually did come to the surface and could be removed. The only reason I gave it four stars is that it caused me to have pretty noticeable melasma all over my face. That may just be my body though. I will gladly take some melasma over terrible periods and very bumpy skin.
November 27, 2017
Horrible product
My acne really wasn't that bad when I started taking Tri-Sprintec. However, when I started, I got horrible cystic acne for months. After time this cleared up a bit but I feel that my acne is still worse than when I started. I'm terrified to switch birth controls though because I don't want the terrible acne I originally had to come back. I really don't know what to do and I wish I never started taking this product in the first place.