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 16, 2011
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Cons:
gave me cystic acne
I broke out after taking Yasmin for 2 weeks. I had just gotten over my teenage acne and had a few red marks and then i took Yasmin (for menstrual reasons) and i broke out like crazy. I stopped immediately (around the 3 week pills) and it started to clear after a couple months. but i am now left with worse scars and red marks. It may work for you but it didnt for me (im a 16 year old caucasian if that helps)
February 6, 2011
Product used: LoEstrin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
- No weight gain.
Cons:
- Acne got worse.
- Fatigued.
- Horrible cramps.
- 2 week period.
I am hoping to change before this pack is up. I do not like it, but it could be good for others since everyone is different.
December 21, 2010
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Helping with acne!
Bigger breasts
Birth control
Cons:
Breast tenderness
Breakouts around time of period
Cramps
I never really had bad acne, just a few spots here and there, until I took Plan B for the second time. My face immediately erupted in cystic acne and I was embarrassed to go anywhere. I tried Murad skin supplements for a while, but those had no effect so I went to my doctor and she immediately prescribed Yaz and Differin. I haven't really been using the Differin regularly, so I'm assuming my acne has started to clear up because of the Yaz.
My cystic acne cleared up after a little more than a month on the pill, and now my skin is getting clearer all the time, except during my period, when I break out pretty badly.
My breasts went from a small B cup to a full B, but they're pretty tender all the time. The only period I've had on Yaz so far lasted a whole seven days instead of four (there are only four placebo pills) and my cramps were horrible, but comparable to cramps when I'm not on the pill. Yaz has been a miracle for me, and I expect my skin will only get better with time.
November 10, 2010
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
My period was cut short from 7 days to 3 days.
Cons:
I had to pee every hour. Day and night.
I threw up at everything.
I couldn't sleep at night.
Day 1. No side effects.
Day 2. Gag at the sound of my boyfriend brushing his teeth.
Day 3. Was awake at midnight for no reason. Not in the '˜mood'.
Day 4. I have to pee every hour. I feel dehydrated and am drinking a ton of water. Up again around midnight. Still not in the '˜mood'.
Day 5. The smell of food causes me to gag. I'm throwing up all this water I'm drinking so I'm getting dehydrated, but I still have to pee every hour. Still not in the mood.
Day 6. Up all night throwing up and feeling awful. My boyfriend didn't even ask for it.
Day 7. ***** I QUIT TAKING THIS BYAZ! ****** Going to bathroom every hour to pee and denied boyfriend sex again that night.
Day 8. Still feeling rough, but not throwing up and I slept the entire night. No sex.
Day 9. Gagged at the smell of cooked cabbage *but honestly, who doesn't* Slept all night.
Day 10. Feeling like an entire new woman! Jumped on my boyfriend when he came home that night. Slept the entire night!
September 18, 2010
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
birthcontrol
Cons:
Made me break out worse than I ever had before with no hope of changing, I would wake up every morning with new pimples
give it a try, but it could be the wrong hormone structure for you.
September 3, 2010
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Cons:
Leg cramps, joint pain, resultant comedonal acne, heart palpitations, mood swings
I used this for 2 months and could not take the joint pain anymore. It was unbearable, to the point where I felt I could not walk. Additionally, it made me feel like my blood was not flowing, which I know sounds strange but I have low blood pressure and this pill made it feel like my blood was circulating even less. This led to the aforementioned joint pain. After approximately 3 days of using this pill, I developed severe comedonal acne all over my face, which persisted throughout the course of my Yaz regimen. After the two months, when I quit using the pill, the comedonal acne went away within a week. During my usage of Yaz, I also had a horrifying, terrifying emotional breakdown. I was inconsolable, crying endlessly for an entire week. Before this major breakdown but while using Yaz, I would have random, inexplainable periods of distress, usually a day or two, here or there, when I just felt sad and anxious for no reason, and would usually end up crying and feeling stressed out. Since ending Yaz treatment, I have had no such mood swings. I'm back to being happy. I did not have breast tenderness or enlargement, yeast infections or any other notable changes. For others, this pill works WONDERS. I guess it just doesn't work for me.
August 23, 2010
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
effective contraceptive
lighter periods
Cons:
a Danish study found 64% higher incidence of blood clotting with YAZ and Yasmin than pills that have been established for decades.
Blood clots leading to an embolism which can lead to death
I have been using Yasmin for 7 years and now am changing my method due to strong suggestion from my GP and after reading this article: [link removed]
July 20, 2010
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Completely cleared my acne in three months!
Cons:
Expensive, but worth it if you have bad acne. My insurance plan doesn't cover birth control, so I had to pay it all.
I am so thankful that my dermatologist put me on Yaz. I never had acne until I turned about 21, and then my face just exploded. I went on a different birth control, and it cleared by face for a few months, but when I turned 23, again, it went crazy. Then my derm prescribed me Yaz. PLEASE GIVE IT TIME TO WORK! No drug can miraculously clear your face overnight. I followed the routine from my derm every day: Washed my face in the morning and applied Aczone (also a great product); washed my face at night and applied Differin. And I took Yaz every day. For two weeks or so, my face got worse. But the dermatologist said to expect this--the harsh medication was bringing everything to the surface. Then, after the first two weeks, it started getting slightly better. Then, in the third month, my face just cleared. Literally, one week I had acne, and the next I didn't. And it has stayed clear since. I am so glad I gave it a try. My face hasn't been this clear since before I started getting acne when I was 21. My dermatologist told me that I was on the verge of having to go on Accutane, and if Yaz didn't help, I would have had to do that. I'm so glad that it worked. Give it a try!!
May 7, 2010
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
-Helped acne
-Helped Blemishes
-Lighter Periods
Cons:
-Cramping(grrr)
-Cravings
I'm 16 and new to birth control.I'm about to begin taking accutane so I have to be on birth control,but I won't start my cycle(accutane) for a few weeks.I've been on Yaz for a couple of weeks.My skin is a little clearer,but...it isn't all fun and games.I had and still have nausea,stomach cramping,cramping(as though I have my period).But clear skin id definitely worth it,my body always takes a while to get adjusted to medications
November 25, 2009
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Didn't really notice any significant advantages to using this pill.
Cons:
Started having my period every two weeks... got tired of it and decided to quit. When I quit I started having panic attacks which still flare up from time to time. I think this medication threw my hormones waaaaay off.
I wouldn't recommend it. I know that if your desperate to try anything it sounds like a good medication to take, but try something else, possibly antibiotics or some other alternative. I really don't think the side effects are worth the risk. I wish I would have listened to the bad reviews and never taken it. I hope the new medication I'm going to take (a dioretic that controls hormones) will balance me back out.
Pros:
none