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
February 8, 2007
Cons:
has not done anything for my acne
Use it for birth control not for acne cure.
January 24, 2007
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
not pregnant
Cons:
oh my god. i had suffered depression before but had been off antidepressants for over a year and all contraceptives as well when my dr purswaded me to go back on the pill as i was getting older and it would help my moods.
well i have to say that
got so manically depressed almost suicidal and it was my husband that pointed out that it had been since i had been on yasmin!!!!i immediately came off it and started on the antidepressants again as i was that depressed. it really should come with a warning!!!!
October 22, 2006
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
I started taking Yasmin about April 2006 and it did wonders for my acne.
Cons:
I stopped taking because I stopped having sex so taking birth control was pointless. Then my entire face was covered in acne.
Well I'ves started taking it again and I guess my body took it as a shock because my acne is a now a little worse. I'm going to give it one more month to get right. If it does't im off this pill.
October 16, 2006
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
cleared skin
Cons:
After i went off it, my acne come back worse than it started
I was on Yasmin for 2 years and my skin had cleared up completely. I was feeling really good about myself and I went off the pill thinking I had past my years of acne. I have been off it for 6 months now and my acne has been terrible ever since I went off it. Not sure whether to go back on it or not now.
July 1, 2012
Pros:
regulated period, easy to use packaging
Cons:
horrible breakouts
I originally went on Ortho Tri Cyclen to clear my moderate acne and turned it into moderately severe. It took a real toll on my self esteem. I took this pill for 2 months hoping to see improvement but it got so bad that I had to quite taking it. It's mainly the first 2 weeks of each package that did me in because of the higher amounts of estrogen in those weeks. I think my body is just really sensitive to excess amounts of estrogen. If you're like I am, I'd probably switch to Lo-estrin or ortho tri cyclen lo. I don't doubt it works it just didn't work for me.
March 6, 2012
Pros:
Clearer skin
Skin less oily
Not pregnant
Slightly larger breast
Cons:
Having to rememeber to take it daily.
I'm using OTC to help clear my face and so far it's been doing a great Job, I don't have any weird symptoms so far and I'm on my second pack.
October 14, 2011
Product used: LoEstrin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
regulated periods
periods were short and light
less emotional side effects
Cons:
didn't really help with cystic acne
worked fine for regular acne
I have been on a lot of birth control. For me, I think i broke out more on loestrin 24 fe. Although I did like the relatively non existant side effects of this pill it didn't help as much as other pills did in clearing my acne.
September 4, 2011
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
No weight gain
Cons:
Terrible mood swings, depression, anxiety since day 1! No sex drive at all! No skin improvement..:(
I have been taking this birth control for 3
Months and I have had enough! The first 2 weeks I cried everyday, I figured my body wasn't used to the hormones. I was wrong my moods never got better and neither did my skin,, starting ortho tricyclen in 2 days has got to be better than the 3 months of hell I just endured! I also experienced baddd cramps! This pill blows!
June 12, 2011
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Didn't get pregnant
No spots
Cons:
Put weight on
Severe depression
Anxiety
Run a mile I had to lock myself away for two to three days as soon as I came off this for my 7 day break. I became a complete wreck, severely depressed and anxious!
July 28, 2010
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
no side effects, cleared acne slightly, no ib, shorter light periods if i get it at all...
Cons:
wished it cleared my skin more, didn't get bigger boobs, and insurance won't pay for it so now i have to take the generic which might not work as well.
it took 3 months but it did seem like it was helping, i didn't get an ib which was great, shorter light periods lasted about a day and a half. now i'm on the generic starting to breakout already and i'm barely on the second week. too bad its not free anymore, i guess i'll have to switch to something else :(
Pros:
Work well. no mood swings no side effects