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 18, 2011
Cons:
Emotional stress
Spotting
I'm on my 2nd month using this birth control and it is the first time I am using it. Never have I ever experienced emotional grief and sadness once I started using this. It works perfectly for regulating my periods, but after the first week of a pack is when I start getting severe mood swings and break downs.
August 15, 2011
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
none that I can think of :/
Cons:
worse acne, SEVERE depression/mood swings and hopeless/suicidal feelings, breakthrough bleeding severely even after 3 months
horrible for me. wouldn't recommend. It has been ruining my life. I mean, I'm pretty sure it's why I have severe crying spells. Especially after reading so many other reviews all over the 'net. My dr. told me to quit taking it immediately. I was just taking it to help even out my hormones(they said I had slightly elevated testosterone but not even bad!) and maybe help my oily skin but it made is way worse. Just wanted to post this incase it could help someone else the way other reviews have made me feel like I'm not alone.
August 8, 2011
Pros:
-no weight gain
-minimized appearance of facial hair
Cons:
-Developed severe PMS
-Severe cramps
-although period always came in the fourth week, sometimes it would linger for an additional 2 weeks even after I had been on the pill for years
-No sex drive
I would not recommend this pill to anyone. It was prescribed to me because I had a hormone imbalance and at first this pill was very helpful.
I just stopped taking this pill and had been taking it for 4 consecutive years. My PMS became so severe and I was very unhappy.
I don't have any problems with acne but I had previously gone on acne meds anyways.
Blood clots are associated with this pill because of the high amount of estrogen so I would recommend starting with a low dose pill. My friends and family were also hearing of the bad rep of this pill and that influenced me to stop taking it.
I don't think having less acne is worth the risk of going on this pill.
I have had other health issues but I'm not 100% sure if they are connected to this pill. But the more reviews I read, the more likely it seems the connection is there.
August 4, 2011
Pros:
Keeps breakouts under control
Reduces oil production
Pretty cheap
Lighter periods
Cons:
Weight gain
Melasma (hyper-pigmentation)
I was on the pill for almost 10 years. My acne was under control and I loved that. But, I gained 50 pounds over this time and developed melasma which made my skin look old and crappy. Been off the pill for 2 months, my hormones are going crazy but I prefer to find a more natural way for the acne.
July 9, 2011
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
lighter periods
bc
Cons:
bad acne breakouts
mood swings
some migraines
sunspots/freckles
bags under eyes
i have tried yasmin, levin, estelle and now yaz. when i am not bc i have perfect skin and am very happy. yasmin made me break out
levin made me sleepy
estelle made me vomit every time i drank
and yaz is making me break out again ive just finished my third packet now, during my second packet i was extremely moody and had horrible break outs. once i got into my third packet my mood swings stopped and my break outs ceased. but now at the end of my third packet i've broken out AGAIN. I'm going to keep trying for another few packets and if the situation does not clear up i will change bc yet... again. if anyone else has these same symptoms can you please recommend me a bc that does not make me break out? we may have similar hormonal patterns.
April 23, 2011
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
-cleared up my skin
- no cramps
Cons:
- boobs grew
it is fantastic at clearing up my skin i had moderate acne for 4 years it wasn't to bad but just bad enough to make me self conscious, i finally went to the doctors and the doctor put me on it. I noticed improvements in like the first week! it was amazing, now my skin is clear and stays clear. the only problem was that my boobs grew which resulted in stretch marks.
December 1, 2010
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Helped acne
Shorter periods
Cons:
None
When I first started YAZ, my acne was terrible. It was all over my t-zone, my face was red and splotchy, and it was just a awful. Within the 1st 2 months of taking the pill, my face cleared up an insane amount. All I really had was scarring. But lately, 4 months or so, my skin has been breaking out again. I feel like no matter what I do, I look like a mess. I don't know if maybe I've just been on this particular pill for too long and I need to switch, but it doesn't seem to be helping my acne anymore. I'd say that I recommend you give it a try, but it may not be the miracle cure.
October 30, 2010
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
To be honest, I actually cannot think of any.
Cons:
I was prescribed Yaz to combat my moderately severe acne and my severe menstrual cramps. I was told that this pill "had the least amount of side effects". For one, my acne did not clear up nor did my cramps subside. If anything, they got worst. I was about a week off finishing my first 3-month prescription of this pill when I developed a blood clot in my groin which resulted in a pulmonary embolism, putting me in hospital for 10 days. I was only 17, too.
This pill was the only conclusion doctors could come to of the reason behind my blood clots - i've flown overseas and have had major surgery with no complications whatsoever. I go on the pill for 3 months, and bam. I'm not trying to deter people, as apparently what happened to me only occurs in 1 in every 10000 people, but it has forever prohibited me from using any hormonal contraception again and pregnancy could be a very serious issue. Based on all of this, I wouldn't particularly recommend this contraceptive. After what it put me through, I wouldn't wish that pain (or scare) upon anyone.
July 7, 2010
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
-Haven't had ONE breakout since I've started.
-Boobs are a bittt bigger.
Cons:
-Boobs are sore.
I've only been on the pill for 9 days. Maybe that's why I haven't gotten so many side effects?. But I'll keep track and write here again if things change at all. So far, I haven't even really noticed I'm taking the pill. I've had no cons, except my boobs being sore when I really push them in, or especially sleep on them, or if I have any type of rough contact with them, but that doesn't happen very often, because I've learned to sleep on my stomach and such.. I also like that my boobs are a bit bigger. Before I started the pill, they were on the small side, at a B cup. That's fine for me, because I'm only 15, but bigger would be nice too, I wouldn't mind :).
And the BEST thing has been that I haven't had ONE breakout since I started the pill. My skin is starting to look a tad clearer because I don't have any new breakouts. BUT, it hasn't started to actually clear my other blemishes or marks, but I'm assuming it won't do that until a few months in, so I have to wait and be patient.
Everyone comments on nausea, depression, mood swings, headaches, and more, as the most common side effects, but so far I've had ZERO :) Over all, Despite all the horrible reviews, I personally think this is the pill for me. Everyone's different but I find no side effects with this pill :).. so far atleast. let's hope it stays like this! -So far, SO GOOD :) I say don't let reviews scare you!!
April 27, 2010
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
regular periods
less acne
can skip a period if i have to
no pregnancies
Cons:
cramps
headaches
takes a couple months to kick in, but same goes for any birth control.
i've struggled with acne for about 5 years now. i refused to go on accutane so my derm told me to try birth control. i tried Ocella (generic brand of Yasmin) and it was HORRIBLE. i had the most painful, worst, digsgusting break out that i ever in my entire life. i told my dr. to switch it and she gave me Yaz. within a month i was getting less pimples and the older ones were going away quicker. I've been on it for just about a year now and i only get 2 or 3 small pimples instead of 10 big ones all over my face. The pimples are a lot smaller & go away faster. I do get more break outs during that time of month, but thats because its all hormonal. The only bad thing i noticed since starting Yaz is that i get bad cramps & headaches the first 2 days when i get my period, but you have to remember certain BCs work differently for different people. For some people it makes them not get cramps. Other than that, i would definetly recommend trying it!
Pros:
Cheap
Regular periods