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
March 19, 2010
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Cons:
insomnia, extremely bad moods, aggressive behaviour (slamming doors, throwing and breaking things), cysts on face, sore breasts, frequent urination, major anxiety (can't sit still, elevated heart rate).. and i've only been on it for 5 days!!
i have no idea why the doctor recommended this. it has changed me into a completely different person in less than a week and if i were to continue, i would need psychiatric assistance.
September 23, 2009
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
made me lose weight initially but then my weight returned to the same by the end of the month
Cons:
i never had bad skin and it made me break out. I have had break outs before, quite bad ones before my period but in general i have nice skin and yasmin made me get small un-poppable ( yes i know, gross ) bumps.
I had been off the pill for a year after being on alesse for 5 years and during this time i tried yasmin 2ce on seperate occassions. Each time i only lasted a month before i couldn't handle how bad it made my skin. When i went off of alesse and I lost 5-10 pounds in water weight within the first week or so. This was strange to me because alesse is one of the lowest doses of bc...just shows what artificial hormones do to your body over a long period of time i suppose. After a year of being off the pill and having extremely painful period cramps (where i couldn't move and lay in bed and cried for hours), I've decided to go back on the pill. I don't want to go back to alesse because now I know of the weight build up it brought on. My roommate recommended tri-cyclen lo so I'm on my first week of that now, however, everyone says that yasmin or yaz clears up skin..eventually? and enables you to lose weight so I'm wondering if i should just tough it out and give it a 3rd shot.
September 7, 2009
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
regulates periods, no mood swings
Cons:
broke out in cystic acne all over my face, my boobs did not even grow
i went to birth control originally to help my face. second month and third month i broke out in cystic acne all over my face and everyone noticed. i looked like an effing pepperoni pizza. It was disgusting. I will now suffer from scars. I hate this birth control. i would rather get pregnant than have breakouts all over my face.
August 4, 2009
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
My skin has cleared up, my boobs have grown, I have lost weight, and cramps aren't as bad as they usually are!
Cons:
TERRIBLE dreams! I dream all night long and feel so unrested when i wake up in the mornings. =[ It has caused a few leg and foot cramps. Also, my vision has been a little blurry.
Even though it has a few negative side effects, the positive ones def. out weigh the negative!
July 17, 2009
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Regular period cycles, bigger boobs
Cons:
Nausea, Still having breakouts
Just finished 2nd pack of YAZ. I know I'm supposed to wait 3 months before any "real" signs of clearing up acne, but I'm still having cystic breakouts without sign of clearing. However, I am now trying to incorporate healthy foods like fruits and veggies and swearing off soda. This should help, I hope.
July 17, 2009
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Has helped with the severity of my cramping, sort periods, lighter periods than when I was not on b/c. NO BABIES!!
Cons:
Number one con: HAS HAD A RECALL, VERY SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS!! DOES ANYONE KNOW ABOUT THIS, IF SO, PLEASE LET US ALL KNOW!! Still cramp up for a few days during period. less of a sex drive. expensive w/out insurance. period is off by 2-3 days
First and foremost, i just heard about the recall and extremely severe side-effects and am very nervous about it. I have been on the pill for quite some time now and have loved it, except now I wonder if it is safe. It is considered by public health conservatives (people who want to help the public) a DO NOT USE drug, which frightened me considerably. My problem is that I have extremely severe cramps without the pill and this pill is specially made for women like me, with these problems (while I have never been diagnosed, my ob-gyn just put me on pills and never tried to diagnose the problem). So I am very greatful for this pill for this reason. While I still get cramps on this pill about 2 days out of my 4-5 day period, they are no where near as severe as my cramps with out the pill. But because of the recall I am considering switching... I was hoping to find some infor on what other girls are doing about it (if anything) but did not find it hear, Hope I have been informative...
July 14, 2009
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
It MIGHT have helped clear skin up, but I was using Ziana face gel at the same time so I'm uncertain at what really did the trick.
Cons:
So many cons! I became very depressed on the pill and some days even unable to get out of bed. Also, even though I am an extremely active and eat a healthy diet, I gained 10 pounds on this pill.
Not at all worth the possible benefits. I just went off it this month and if you're taking it I urge you to do the same.
July 13, 2009
Pros:
No Acne, no mood changes, bigger boobs, lighter periods
Cons:
....
I was lookin 4 a birth control pill 2 stop acne an keep me from gettin pregnant an this worked... i like it it did make me sleepy but i didnt have a problem with it because i liked 2 sleep.
June 25, 2009
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Could only take it for two weeks so not long enough to find out, my skin was getting worse though, not better.
Cons:
Migraines!
I already suffered from pre menstrual migraines on and off but within two weeks of starting on Yasmin I was getting Migraines every week. I had one today and one yesterday complete with disrupted vision (photophobia) so thats it for me, the risks far outweigh the benefits. It's a shame as I haven't experienced any other side effects whilst taking it.
June 18, 2009
Pros:
Prevention of pregnancy. Light period. I guess it may have helped with my acne.
Cons:
Loss of Sex drive. Yeast infections. Emotional.
The reason I got off this pill is because I completely lost my sex drive. The purpose of this pill was so I can have sex without worrying about pregnancy, but I didn't want to have sex at all. Libido Gone! .I felt as if it made me get yeast infections constantly. I became very emotional and i was a total b*tch. I'm a positive, happy, smiley person, and this pill was just very wrong for me.
Pros:
nice packaging?