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
November 25, 2010
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Cons:
Nausea
Fatigue
Serious mood swings
Vision is affected, feels high pressure on my eyes
Skin darkened
First day on Yaz, I felt sleepy all day, so I drank 3 coffees and didn't eat much food, my eyes felt tired and couldn't see things as clear as I used to. It was a sunday, I just thought maybe i slept too much. Second day on Yaz, started to feel dizzy, was having trouble concentrating. Had no apetite, wanted to vomit when smelling food, light headaches kicked in along with the high pressured eyes. Walked into Pharmacy for advice, pharmacist suggested to keep on taking it, they might go away. Day 3 Slept from 2am to 11am, woke up with light pain in my legs, felt like I had a night out in my high heels or something. Tired, but overall feeling ok. Changed my mind, and took another pill. Then all the side effects showed up again around 3pm. Didn't fade untill late night that day. Day 4 Eyes were feeling better, pressure went down, didn't take any pills, had a bad headache from 4pm to bed time, but ate a lot of food. Mood swing has gone, was still feeling bit tired. Day 5, woke up at 6am ( 7 hours sleep), light headache, overall, no more fatigue nausea vomit feelings, mood swing gone, eyes are good to look at computer screen. The commercial of this pill made me happy, I thought, wow, finally, I can eliminate mood swings and depression with this pills to treat my acne, when previous pills was making me depressed. I wouldn't be happily to continue if I could tolerate those side effects, afterall I have been tolerating them for 4 or 5 years. But with Yaz, those side effects were just too much. I've decided to come off the pills totally, yes, ance might come back, but I'm willing to try alternatives rather than messing up with my hormones.
May 10, 2010
Pros:
It made my boobs half cup larger. Regulated my period. Got it exactly the same time every month.
Cons:
It made my acne worse immediately. especially areound the lipline. my forehead was the worse affected
I would reccomend it if you dont have acne probelems. my boyfriend said i was easily irritated when starting this pill. overall, i like it. Free at planned parenthood
June 6, 2010
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Shorter, lighter periods
Acne cleared up drastically
Relieved moodiness around period
Virtually no cramping
Cons:
Bigger breasts, unwanted
I know all women are different, but boy, my OB/GYN did well! I'm going into my fifth month on YAZ. The first two months were horrible, breakouts every day. But halfway through month three, almost overnight, my acne faded and faded. My skin used to EXPLODE at that time of the month; I would be miserable, and my cramps were unbearable. After Differin, Ziana, and OTC products had failed, my doctor finally recommended the Pill. Now, although I do break out around my period, it's one thousand times less severe. I would strongly recommend this Pill. But here's a warning, give it time! At least three months. Also, if you're a forgetful person it might not be the best option. But, here's the bottom line for me: I love me some YAZ!
March 28, 2010
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
it works birth control wise..
Cons:
since ive started taking this ive started getting pains and my heart beats faster. it really only made my acne worse. i was told to research it by a friend and discovered that its side effects are WAY terrible, and that it shoud actually have been recalled. it causes more things than it solves, including liver and kidney damage.
this form of preventing acne wouldnt be the best step to take.. its risks are greater than what it solves.
December 1, 2009
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
cleared up skin! -no weight gain, no mood swings, short & light periods, regulated periods, no pregnancies
Cons:
a little breast soreness. price( but it's worth it in my opinion)
I had mild acne before going on the pill but nothing too bad, just a few pimples right before my period. My gyno put me on ortho lo, and kariva which both gave me awful cystic acne around my jaw line. i still have scars! I have been on yaz for 3 months now and i love, love, love it! I have only had a few tiny breakouts but no cystic pimples.
( i am also taking spironolactone prescribed by my dermatologist but didn't notice a huge difference until i started taking yaz)
November 9, 2009
Pros:
Cleared acne, and free through planned parenthood or just $5/month through Cal State University system.
Cons:
very low libido
low dose hormonal contraception is known to lower testosterone levels, and that's how they get rid of acne. Nothing ever got rid of my acne. After a few months of being on the pill my acne lessened and healed. Unfortunately, testosterone is also responsible for libido. Although it rid me of acne, it also rid me of my sex life. So I went off the pill, and sure enough a few months later I was broken out again. Since I figure my acne is purely hormonal, I'm trying special diets in an effort to prevent the acne from within.
October 9, 2009
Pros:
My acne COMPLETELY cleared up. I could even eat foods that in my past have made me break out.
Cons:
Most days I wanted to throw up, and on the other days I actually did throw up.
The clear skin wasn't worth the sick feeling.
September 26, 2009
Pros:
It works great at preventing pregnancy. It began to clear my skin some after 1-2 months. My breasts got bigger. It's on the Walmart list and is very affordable.
Cons:
My breasts were sore. My face didn't clear as much as I hoped. I gained 10lbs around the 3rd month and had a lot of sugar cravings.
If you don't mind sore boobs and weight gain and don't have bad acne, then it's not bad. I just don't want to gain weight, and I want clearer skin. I work hard to stay thin and I exercise daily. I went from 113 to 123, and saw no end in sight so I got off it and started feeling better immediately. I am going to try Yaz. I hear a lot of good things and my dermatologist recommended it after I visited while on this particular brand.
September 9, 2009
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Definitely cleared up my acne after 6 months of use. No pregnancies!!! Relatively inexpensive. Lighter, 3 day periods!!!
Cons:
Some depression at first, but that faded. Some breast pain, like when you get your period.
I got on Yasmin because I was desperate for an acne solution, and heard that progesterone could help. I had tried Ortho Tri- Cyclen, but that didn't work. Pro-Active, and other acne treatments made my skin worse. So, I vowed to try Yasmin for a year and if it didn't work I'd just give up. After 6 mos. my skin was sooo much better, and I was sooo much happier. My periods even got lighter, and used to last 7 days, and then only 3 days. Also I wasn't worried about getting pregnant, which was a plus since I was really only using Yasmin for my acne. After a year my skin was almost completely clear...but then my insurance changed and wouldn't cover it anymore..so since my skin was clear I just went off of it. After 3 months I started breaking out again, annnd getting lots of abcesses. After about 6 mos. of not being on Yasmin my skin is totally back to crappy acne take over. So, I just decided I'm going to pay $66 a month for it..it'll be worth it to me, if I can have clear skin again.
July 30, 2009
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Skin has become smoother in rough places. Havent got pregnant
Cons:
Worse breakouts ive ever had! Depression. Low sex drive. Leg cramps. Migranes
I been on this nearly 3 months now... first month was fine, second month I got awful leg cramps and migranes for the first two weeks and my back acne which is usually mild went awful! big horrible boils.
Now Im on my third month, no leg cramps, migranes are still here, my back is much much better, boils have gone and its getting clearer BUT... my face i awful I am waking up every morning at the moment with atleast two new spots! and they are big and ugly, so its really getting me down. I hope it will do like what my back did and get better next month. If it doesnt IM SWITCHING! Ive never felt so ugly in all my life
Pros:
Does clears acne