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
August 31, 2009
Cons:
increased appetite
I've been taking the pills for about 3 weeks now. I have had no new breakouts and my skin is noticeably clearing up. I didn't have any PMS symptoms at all, but my appetite has increased. I was nervous about taking this specific BC after reading reviews on here, but I would recommend them!
July 28, 2009
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
NEVER getting pregnant, controlled my acne, knowing exactly what day I will start my menstrual, controlled weight gain, and very few menstrual cramps.
Cons:
Monderate PMS and ALWAYS having to remember the pill.
My doctor put me on this birth control when I was 14. I have been on it over 5 years. I have never had a scare about getting pregnant. I had pretty severe acne when I was 14 and it cleared it up and I've never had a problem since. I love knowing the exact day I will start and end my period. I have never really gained any weight, I have weighed about the same as I did when I was 16. I have never really had a problem with horrible menstrual cramps. So overall I would deff. recommend this birth control to anybody. It has worked wonders..... I am proud to say I am one of the last girls in my group of friends that has NOT had a child.
July 27, 2009
Pros:
Clears about 65% of painfull acne, no mood swings
Cons:
Sore breasts, a little weight gain (again based on how much u eat), heart racing, hot flashes
I tried this product when I had moderate acne at the age of 18 and it cleared up my face somewhat, but every time i would start a new pill I would usually have to spend a day at home, because of worse cramps ever. It stoped in 3 months, I stop taking them just to see how my body would react and I got very bad breakouts. Switched to Allesse for a year, I absolutely hate it, makes me break out crazy and not only on the face, gain about 5 pounds, but no big deal. I weight 125 lbs now and I think its perfectly healthy weight for a 23 year old. I am switching back to Tri cyclen Lo, it should deffinately help with the oil production and hot flashes.
Mood swings were always a part of my day so i didnt really notice anything different in that area, and if I do I usually just cry it out and the wash my face off or take a nice long bubble bath and its all good again :))
July 17, 2009
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
None
Cons:
Periods come a lot later than they do with other pills and I continue to bleed through when I am to start a new pack, Really bad breakouts, lowered sex drive
I do not have acne, and never have. I can honestly go to bed every night with a full face of makeup on and not get a single zit, but this birth control pill has made me break out ridiculously! I have never had this many zits at one time! I had switched to a new pill, but my pharmacy inadvertently switched my pills back to Yasmin, and in the first month I started to break out again. Plus, I never want to have sex with my boyfriend, so there is almost no point of even being on the pill. I might just have a weird reaction to it, but will never take it again!
July 16, 2009
Pros:
Made acne go away, shorter periods, skin became less oily, helped my moodiness.
Cons:
Gained 10 lbs, having to take it regularly.
It took about 2 months for me to start seeing any improvement in my breakouts, but once it started working it worked really well. Ortho Tri Cyclen is the ONLY thing that worked to clear up my acne and the minor side effects are worth having a clear face again. I haven't had a break out in about 5 months.
June 26, 2009
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Easy pregnancy prevention, face is less oily
Cons:
Dry mouth, not helping that much with acne, emotional rollercoaster during month 1, slightly decreased sex drive.
I'm almost finished with my second pack of Yaz. The first month was a little difficult. The second week, I didn't feel like myself and thought I was going crazy! I felt angry and exhausted, and didn't want to be around anyone at all. I was quite nauseated during the first pack, and I bled the first 3,5 weeks straight. That finally subsided at the start of the second pack. I have one week left on it. I was really hoping to see a difference in my skin. I've had acne since I was 12 years old, and have taken a variety to BC pills to control it (Demulen, Ortho-tricyclen, Ortho-tricyclen Lo, something else....). I had glowing skin while on these, and constantly got compliments from strangers on my skin. Not anymore! I went off the pill at 26, and my face gradually got worse until I started the Yaz at 30. I'm going to give this pill another few months to see if my acne goes away. If not, it's the Dermatologist for me! I've had it with the zits!
June 3, 2009
Pros:
reduced acne quickly, no severe mood swings, losing weight!!
Cons:
Don't have any yet
I've only been using OTC for a little over a month but it seems to be working great for me.
May 9, 2009
Pros:
regulate period, shorter/lighter period, breast growth
Cons:
first month breakthrough bleeding, breast tenderness, nausea for first couple of days.
Everyone's body reacts differently. During the first pack ( I took my first pill on the first day of my period), I had bleeding the entire month until my next period! After that my period came during the placeabo pills, ended in about 5 days and i haven't had breakthrough bleeding since! I think after the first pack my body just needed to adjust to the new hormones hence the bleeding (which was very light, but admittedly annoying).
Breast tenderness not overwhelming.
I threw up for the first 3 pills but haven't experienced nausea since.
Basically any problems I had went away after the first pack!
April 18, 2009
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
cleared acne very well!! periods are very pradictable, bigger boobs
Cons:
slight headaches every now and then.
when i went to my doctor she told me of how great yasmin is and how it works like a charm for her acne, one thing she didnt mention is how my ance would be getting worse before it gets better. as i was just about to get off yasmin because of my ance getting worse on my face, neck and back. i googled yasmin and discovered the acne gets worse before it gets better. stick with it!!
after the first two or three months i saw a drastic improvement!!!
March 23, 2009
Pros:
Prevents pregnancy, predictable periods, decreased menstrual cramp pain & made period very light and brief, helps with acne
Cons:
Decrease in sexual drive, nausea shortly after you take the pill each day, moodiness and irritability, more likely to get yeast infections, increases blood pressure, can cause eczema, can cause breast cancer, overall not good for your health AT ALL
I have been taking Ortho tri-cyclen LO for 5 years and I haven't got pregnant! And even though I haven't had severe side effects I've decided to come off of it for a while simply because it's obviously not healthy for my body. If you don't care about side effects or getting potentially horrible health problems (blood clot, stroke, anxiety, etc), this is a very effective method of BC if you take it at the same time each day. I have never heard of anyone who got pregnant on Ortho LO.
Pros:
skin is clearing up, made me feel happier in general