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 31, 2006
Cons:
i dont knwo yet
seriously i have bad acne i hate it so much. i am depressed and i hate myself and i never want to leave my house and see my friends or my b.f cauz i am afraid he'll think i am ugly. i am going crayz i have tried everyhting i dont know what to do anymore. DOES ANYTHING WORK. i jsut want to live a normal life without ahving to worry about how gross my skin looks without makeup. i tried oral antibotic and they made it worse and dried my skin out so bad. Does tri cyclin work does anyone know anyhting taht works HELP ME plz im losing it.
October 7, 2006
Pros:
Cleared up my acne, didn't get any side effects, controlled my hormones.
Cons:
none
Absolutely wonderful! I started getting acne when I was 12, got on birth control when I was 16, and my face cleared up! I was on birth control for 2 and a half years, and i got off of it, and unfortunately the acne came back :( i sort of regret getting off it, but oh well!
March 7, 2012
Pros:
No babies!
Breast slightly larger
Cons:
Severe acne breakouts
Light nausea
I just began taking this birth control. I have 4 pills left and then i will be done with the first month. My acne is now worse than it was before I began taking these. I'm hoping it gets better as I continue to take this birth control.
March 3, 2012
Product used: LoEstrin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Regulates acne
increased breast size
easy to take
Cons:
didn't clear acne completely
MOOD SWINGS
vomiting
messed up period cycle
WEIGHT GAIN
SUGAR/CHOCOLATE CRAVINGS
I just finished my second month on BEYAZ and at first my acne got really bad but I figured that was a good sign because that's how most acne fighting pills and creams work. After the first month, my acne really started to lessen a little bit. It was almost clearing until about a week later it was all back and even worse :( Now after the second month is over, I feel it subsiding a little bit.
I've suffered from acne since 5th grade and am now a junior in college... I've tried everything!!! Since I really have nothing to lose, I will continue to try this for a few more months to see how it does.. however my doctor switched me to YAZ instead of BEYAZ so I'll be starting that next week... not sure how that will go though. BTW if you have a weak stomach (which i usually don't) DONT take this it will make you so nauseous! i threw up 3-4 times since starting it and have felt nauseous for weeks on end until I got used to it.
January 4, 2012
Pros:
Skin cleared, Effective,
Cons:
Touchy,
I was on this pill for about a year. It's really effective for acne, I found my skin cleared after about a month and stayed that way. However, personally I found it to be very touchy. If I missed a day, I would start my period. Even if it wasn't time. Though a lot of my girlfriends are on the same one, and didn't get that. I'm now switching to Seasonale, here's hoping that's better!
December 5, 2011
Pros:
Clearer Skin
Effective Contraceptive
No Weight Change
Cons:
Initial Breakouts
Expensive
I used this birth control from age 15-19. At this time, I was experiencing HORRIBLE breakouts. I can't remember how quickly it cleared up my skin, but it did a fantastic job. I remember the first month consisting of nausea, no appetite, and a crazy sex drive. I stopped taking it when it was no longer an issue to take a contraceptive. Unfortunately, I never correlated the pill with my skin condition. About 12 months later, I started to break out more frequently. It's been 2 years since I stopped taking the pill, and about 2-3 weeks since I restarted. So far, some nausea, appetite is the same, and no change to sex drive. My skin, on the otherhand, has broken out somewhat terrible. Usually I break out solely on my chin, but now it's EVERYWHERE. Forehead, cheeks, jawline (very unusual), chin. Cystic and otherwise. What's bad for me is that cystic acne always does serious damage to my skin (gets really dry and cracked around the area, causing a large scab). 3rd year university... don't need to look like I'm in high school... I'm hopeful that it'll clear up because the onset and peak time is 1 month when taken orally. Anyway, it's finals time for me and all I want to do is crawl into my bed and cry because I hate that I HAVE to leave my house looking like this. Overall, love this birth control, hate this insecurity until it takes effect...
September 29, 2011
Pros:
Pregnancy prevention
Larger breasts
Predictable periods
Affordable/ Inexpensive
Cons:
No sex drive
Tender/ sore breasts
Extreme nausea
Severe Headaches
Depression/ crazy mood swings
Bloated stomach
No change to acne
I have been on these pills for exactly 1 month now and it has been absolutely terrible for me AND my spouse. Planned Parenthood first put me on Seasonique (which was amazing compared to this.) But, my sister suggested Ortho Tri-Cyclen since I wasn't comfortable with Seasonique only allowing me to have my period once every 4 months.. OTC has just been the worst decision ever. Within 1-2 hours of taking it.. CONSTANT Nausea, headaches, etc. Not to mention a couple days after taking it I began feeling very depressed... and let me tell you, my husband makes me a happy woman but dang.. these pills are ridiculous. My sex drive has completely diminished.. it just doesn't exist anymore. Everyone is different, I would suggest at least trying it, but if at ANY point you begin to feel severe symptoms such as myself, please stop taking them and switch brands. The main reason I chose this brand was because of my acne.. which hasn't changed a bit.
December 1, 2010
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Increased a bra size
Had lighter periods
Acne cleared
I didn't get pregnant (but I always use condoms too)
Cons:
Caused emotional changes such as: Increase in 'neediness' and decrease in competitive nature and sex drive.
First I have to describe the type of person I am (I've stopped taking it) and was before Yaz. I'm a tomboy, a very competitive distance runner, and a competitive student. At first (first 3 months), I liked Yaz. I was beginning to see a change in my very heavy period, my acne cleared, and hey, a extra bra size to boost the confidence--always a plus (ok well for those of the light-chested variety). I rarely noticed any emotional changes initially. I was home. Life was good. I had a new doting bf who I texted and talked to ALL THE TIME. And I never took notice of how much we talked. What I did start to notice was how I didn't have the urge to go for a 5 mile run in the morning like I used to nor did I care what grade I made in college as intently as I had before. That semester went relatively well. Sure, I got Bs instead of As and I dropped from running 7 + miles to 6, to 5, 4, and so on..but everything was still ok, I kept taking Yaz during the summer...Then I went to Ireland for study abroad...two of my four months from being away from my family and bf was HELL. I was depressed--didn't want to do ANYTHING (much less run or schoolwork), I was an emotional- homesick wreck. I've always (without YAZ) been a VERY independent person and girlfriend--ALWAYS wanted to travel the world and get out of my town and now that I'm off this poison, I still do! Last 2 months have been great. Ireland is AMAZING and I'm still talking to the bf and family, but not 24/7--it's made both our lives easier. I'm running again (back at 3 miles) and doing better in school. I mean I don't blame my WHOLE emotional struggles on Yaz--sure I was bound to feel homesick but I swear being on this drug made me not be able to let things go and that's who I AM...I currently looking for another birth control pill and hoping for better results.
March 5, 2010
Pros:
-Larger Breasts
Cons:
-Gained weight
-BAD acne, cysts
-Moody
-Depression
-Changed appetite
-When I got off my period was worse
I took this because at the time I had no health insurance and this pill is free from Planned Parenthood. Only stayed on it for little over a week because I did not like the side effects it gave me. One thing I did enjoy was my breasts got noticeably bigger, I'm tiny so it shows. However I gained some water weight and my acne was worse. I broke out in cystic acne all over. I noticed I was in a bad mood and more emotional. I felt depressed and withdrawn. I quickly got off this pill.
November 26, 2009
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
shorter periods, no weight gain (so far), no moodiness or anything out of norm for me.
Cons:
nothing yet!
I've only been using it for about a week now, but I know it's not supposed to do anything for acne until about 3 months in. However, I haven't had any issues with it to begin with, so I think that's a good sign, and I'll report back in a few months!
Oh and I got it free because my ob gyn gave me 3 months worth free! :)
Pros:
i used to take alese it did nothing for acne but make me gain wieght and im thinking avbout taking tri cyclin not to sure if it works