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
April 10, 2009
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Cons:
worse skin, crazy mood swings, cry at the drop of a hat
I hardly had any pimples at all and swapped from Diane to Yaz just to make my skin slightly better. I have never been as moody and depressed before in my life. I've been on the pill for 2.5 months, everyone says to give it 3 months but honestly it's not worth the chronic mood swings and silliness. I'm going to the doctor asap to swap, this has done nothing for my skin. I intially had some many painful breakouts around the chin and jaw, they've gone now but now my face is just covered in non-inflamed acne bumps and NOTHING will make them go away! They just keep getting worse and worse and worse and it is making me so depressed. I HATE this pill, it's made the last two months of my life a living hell. I'm sure it works great for some, but honestly this was the worst decision I've made in a long time.
April 10, 2009
Pros:
It didnt make me gain weight or have mood swings.
Cons:
My face was clear before I started taking it. Within a couple of weeks my entire face was covered in acne... small blemishes, but everywhere on my face.
When I stopped taking it, my face was almost completely clear again within a week and a half.
April 9, 2009
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Shorter, lighter periods, No Nausea, Larger Breast
Cons:
Broke out on my faces, places where I usually did not break out. Very emotional especially the first month. The worst cramps in my life, felt faint at times, some headaches, too expensive
Its really not worth the money, unless it does clear the acne and does the things it says it will in the commercial. Otherwise, don't waste your time.
April 6, 2009
Pros:
No babies, regular periods, light cramps.
Cons:
AT FIRST: breast tenderness, BAD moodswings ( irritable, furious, over sensative, depressed, crying)
I'm 21 and I was on OTCL for 2 years w/o a problem, then my dc switched me to a different one for about a year I didn't like the new one because my periods weren't regular. Sometimes I didn't get one at all, when I did get them it was just ugly spotting for about 4 days. So, I just switched back to OTCL 2 weeks ago. My body has to adjust to it all over again. For the past week I've been very very moody either very angry for no reason, very sad, or just blah. (For the lack of a better word).. Also my breast have been so tender.. I know it will wear off, I just feel bad for my boyfriend, He's been very patient and understanting...... It's 1pm and I've been awake since 9:30 but I'm so blah I haven't managed to get out of bed, not even to type this. I'll probably be fine after I get my period or by the end of the month.
April 5, 2009
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Helps my skin, but i think that forms of generic ortho-tri cyclen have worked better. Normal periods, but that has never been my struggle.
Cons:
Doesn't help my skin as much as I would hope for. Occasional cysts. I definitely still have emotional effects of a period, it does not help me with this at all, almost seems to have a negative affect.
OK, more expensive than my generic orotho...but it is such a pain to switch birth controls. I had one generic orotho REALLY not work for me that is when I switched to YAZ. (when I have switched insurances different pharmacies have had different generics...they have different effects/ results).
March 30, 2009
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Cleared up my acne, less oily skin, bigger breasts, regular period
Cons:
afternoon headaches, mood swings, stomach cramps
After having my Dermoid cyst removed, I started to break out really badly in acne. I was rather worried that I would have another cyst as I was starting to have stomach cramps off on, and some ultrasound scans showed that I had developed a small cyst. So my gynae recommended that I try the Yasmin pill, which was awesome for my acne. Cleared up entirely, but I started to get headaches everyday right after lunch. I used Yasmin for 1 year and it helped clear up my acne completely...I've stopped it for 3 months now and the headaches stopped within a week! But my acne started back after about 2 and a half months. I'm now still contemplating on whether I should get back on it. My doc recommended another pill - Diane, which she said might work better for acne, but that the headaches I got were entirely subjective. I read online that the Diane pill causes blod clots so I'm not about to try it just yet. Oh and the Yasmin pill also kept me cyst-free.
March 30, 2009
Pros:
Increase in cup size, predictable periods.
Cons:
Weight gain (about 5 lbs.) increase in acne, irritability.
I started taking ortho tri cyclen about a month ago with the intention of clearing my acne. Thus far my acne has worsened, however I'm going to continue to take it with the hope that my hormones with eventually even out and my skin will clear up. Because I'm still on my first pack of pills I've continued using condoms so i can't truthfully say it's preventing pregnancy.
March 26, 2009
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Lighter Periods. Always ALWAYS on time.
Cons:
Extreme Nausea, Horrible Bloating thru out the month, Sore Breats a week before you're period. Weight Loss,,But the bloating is so bad you won't even notice, trouble sleeping!
DON'T USE YASMIN!
March 25, 2009
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Almost completely cleared up the acne on my back, made my boobs 2 sizes bigger, reduced the acne on my face & I didn't gain any weight, in fact I lost a kilogram.
Cons:
Didn't completely clear my face as I hoped it would, took over 2 months before I saw any improvement, very expensive- I pay $70 for 3 months worth of pills.
This didn't work as well as I wanted it to. It improved my face but didn't clear it- I still get a few large pimples on my forehead, chin and cheeks. For something so expensive I hoped it would work better. A bit disappointing.
March 23, 2009
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Contraceptive
Cons:
Mood swings, Weight gain, fluid retention, break through bleeding, low sex drive, headache.
Yaz changed my life in a bad way. I have become depressed and low in energy. I have been abnormally bleeding and have frequent headaches. The only good thing that has come out of Yaz is that it cleared up my mild acne.
Pros:
Nothing so far