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
July 17, 2015
Helpful, but not a cure
My derm put me on this med to help with my cystic acne. It helped, don't get me wrong, but I wasn't completely clear. It wasn't until I started taking it in conjunction with spironolactone that my acne was gone.
August 2, 2015
Did you get breast enlargement from spiro?
November 21, 2013
Product used: Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo (Oral Contraceptive)
Acne completely gone after!
Cons:
spotting
remembering to take it at the same time every day
Even though I had suffered from facial acne for over ten years, I recently started to get horrible bacne for the first time in my life. I changed every single shampoo, body wash, detergent, etc trying to pinpoint the cause, but finally, after a year of trying to figure it out, it finally dawned on me. My acne might be hormonal. After doing a lot of research on which birth control would be best for acne, I made an appointment at Planned Parenthood. When I got there, I told them my problem and they handed me a year's supply of birth control for free. After taking it for about three months, my face and back COMPLETELY CLEARED. My skin hasn't looked this good since I was on accutane! Before getting on Ortho, I would have at least ten zits on my face at a time. Now, I have maybe one small one. I haven't had a zit on my back since this medicine kicked in. I'm so happy. If you are able to take birth control, it's worth a shot!
October 25, 2013
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Made my acne 100000 million times worse
Before I started this pill I didn't suffer with skin as badly as I do now. I had mild acne, however this caused severe cystic acne especially around my jaw it was horrendous. My derm told me to stop it was causing so much harm.
September 19, 2013
Too many people don't give this birth control a chance
Pros:
No acne
Less oily skin
Minor weight gain (> 3 pounds)
Cons:
Constipation
Minor bloating
I was really weary to try birth control at all because I thought I was going to gain a ton of weight from it, and reading reviews on here scared the poop out of me. I went ahead and started taking ortho anyways. The first month was God awful. I had horrible, horrible cystic acne everywhere. Even in places I never get acne. It hurt. It sucked. I was discouraged. I almost stopped taking the pills but my mother encouraged me to continue to take them for at least 3 months. By month 2 I did not get anymore acne, but still of course had scars from my past consistent acne and my severe bought in the first month. I'm on month 4 and still, no acne. My acne is clearing up and I'm just left with a few scars. I've been dealing with acute moderate acne for a year and now I can finally feel okay. I'm almost to the point where I don't have to hide myself behind layers of make up. I just want people to know that these pills definitely can work and have for me. The only downsides are the following: A) I get a little constipated on week 1 and week 2 and have to take a fiber supplement to keep things regular. B) During the second week I feel kind of bloated and gross, but it begins to go away by the middle of the third week and by the time the placebo week is over I feel normal again. This pill will make you insanely hungry Month 1 but after that month my appetite has been normal and maybe even lessened. I took these pills because I had a severe hormonal imbalance from a past eating disorder, these pills have managed and regulated my hormones and I am very happy. OH and also my insurance pays for this bc completely and so that's also a super plus!!!!
July 3, 2012
Pros:
-cleared skin
-shorter lighter periods
-regulates period
-bigger boobs
Cons:
-weight gain
-lower sex drive
-bad symptoms when not taken daily
My doctor put me on this after I got an ovarian cyst because my periods were irregular. It immediately regulated my period & my skin got much better! Great for skin! On the down side, i was so hungry but I was determined not to gain weight so I watched what I ate & I tried to exercise everyday. Even that didn't help because weight was just STICKING to me. I ended up gaining about 15lbs. No matter what I did the weight wouldn't come off. The only good thing that came out of that is that I went from an A cup to a C cup! Whenever i skipped a few days on accident id have bad mood swings, increased appetite, & bad breakouts! After I went off it I had those same symptoms for a few months. It sucked! And I haven't had a period since I stopped taking it 5 months ago.
May 28, 2012
Pros:
No cramps
Cons:
More breakouts
Bloating
Increased appetite
My usual family docter prescribed Ortho Tri-cyclen to help control some of the symptoms that come along with having your period and to help with my moderate acne. Seeing as though I am a teenager, my breakouts are most likely being caused by hormonal imbalances. Although it has only been about a month since I was first prescribed this(gone through first pack), I would say my breakouts have actually gotten worse. I did rate this a 3 though because I have hope for the months to come. As for the symptoms during my period, cramps have been one less thing I have to worry about. Hopefully I'll be able to say the same for my acne in the near future.
March 20, 2012
Pros:
Not pregnant
Only slight weight gain
Appetite that bearly increased
Only occasional breakdowns
Increase in breast size
Cons:
Horrible, horrible cystic, initial breakouts
Horrible PMS when it happens
Taking it everyday at same time
Slightly nauseous at first
I am going into my second month of taking Ortho Tri Cyclen. For the first few weeks, I started getting more acne than usual, but they were only small bumps. A few weeks later, the small bumps turned into huge, painful cysts all over my mouth, chin and cheeks. Because they were hormonal, no beauty skin treatment could fix it so I just had to hope that it would clear up soon. Now that I am going into my second month of taking OTC, I am getting very few breakouts and the cysts are now drying up and dying down. I do, however, now have gigantic, dark scars in the areas that broke out. I just have to hope that they clear up soon because I feel so hideous right now. I don't want to wear makeup because I am scared it will slow down the healing process. I took Ocella before and while it cleared my skin up right away with no initial breakouts, I gained almost 20 pounds and was always emotional and stressed out. I have decided to stick with OTC for a few more months and observe the results. I am pretty sure that the worst is over. Can't give my full opinion on it yet, because I haven't taken it long enough to get full results. It has prevented pregnancy and I haven't gained any weight or had constant, extreme PMSing.
March 13, 2012
Pros:
clearer skin no breakouts
increased sex drive
before using ortho tricyclen i had severe cysts..every other day i would wake up to a painful cyst that would eventually bleed and leave scaring on my face...using ortho tricyclen for the first week i noticed less cysts and the ones i had already decreased in size...its been 3 weeks now and i am completely cyst free...
i have had no noticeable side affects so far..i love ortho and hope it doesnt stop working..
March 9, 2012
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Hair is thicker
Skin not as oily
Cons:
Horrible breakout
Moody sometimes
I'm actually on Month 2 so I'm experiencing the horrible initial breakout that comes with the pill. I'm hoping by Month 4 (May) that at least some improvement will be shown as it will be my 21st birthday. I've always suffered from acne for almost 10 years now but it was slightly mild to moderate. Around puberty, I started to develop more pimples on my cheeks. Now I have pimples everywhere. forehead and cheeks and now my chin and even above my lip. I will send in an update around May. I pray that everything works out tho.
December 1, 2011
Pros:
Lighter periods
Virtually no cramping
Clears acne
Decreases PMS symptoms
Regulates period
Cons:
Nausea
Initial cravings
If you get nausea with initial use and can tolerate it, this stuff works. I am trying to stick it out because my acne is clearing up so nicely, but the nausea and vomiting can be tough.
Pros:
No acne or bacne!
no babies!
fewer cramps!