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
June 5, 2009
Cons:
I have never had acne before but now i get a new pimple like every other day, Iv gained some weight but i think thats normal during the first months of the pill. I have spotting like crazy.
Im gonna stay on it another few months just to see if this is the initial side effects but I cant handle the acne problem. I am on the generic version, Trinessa, and my doctor said that its practically the same thing. Please if anyone can help me please respond.
May 24, 2009
Pros:
Improves skin, good contraceptive, regulates periods,
Cons:
Less PMS control over time. All other results last though.
I started Ortho Tri-Cyclen over 10 years ago for acne, irregular/heavy periods, and PMS. It helped my skin become much more clear, regulated my period, and kept the babies away. About three years ago, I tried to switch to a different pill because my insurance would only pay for the generic version of regular OTC. Tried OTC-Lo and saw none of the benefits beyond the birth control aspect. Then Yaz. For the first three months that was not bad. Very short, light periods and decent skin. But over the next two years, it all went downhill. Acne came back with a vengeance, periods became ridiculously irregular to the point that I was almost constantly bleeding and slightly anemic, and moods became very irregular with lots of irritability. Switched back to OTC. And starting my second month back on it. My skin is improving drastically again, moods improved within the first week or two, and things are regulating again.
Paying out of pocket for it now but it's worth it.
May 18, 2009
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Clears skin, increase in breast size, pms/pmdd not as bad
Cons:
Gained water weight the first few weeks
The price isn't too bad and it really helped my skin which was the main reason I went on it. I get really bad monthly mood swings which did hurt my relationships and this seemed to work a lot better than other pills I have been on. I did gain a little extra 'fluff' for the first few weeks but it just gave me motivation to work out! Overall, Yaz has been great. My skin is clear, my periods are regular and light and my boobs are bigger
May 15, 2009
Pros:
it gets rid of acne and gives you a light period... for me i had no weight gain at all.. infact i lost almost 40 lbs!
Cons:
if you have any emotional problems or depression.. do not take it-- especially if you have PMDD!!!! the pill made my pmdd a million times worse... i found myself crying about everything-everyday. it kills relationships. it made me feel crazy.
it's a great pill as long as you are mentalllly stable. The fact that the dossage in each pill would get higher everyweek made it so i could feel my hormones go crazy every sunday after the new pill. my boyfriend and I almost broke up so many times during the week before my period would start. i remember really noticing that my hormones were a little out of wack when i found myself crying-no balling- at the sight of a dung beatle rolling poop up a hill and i started talking about how beautiful a role they play on earth and how thankful i am for them.... now this is true and all... but it wasn't really a reason to start balling.
May 14, 2009
Pros:
cleared up most of my facial acne and acne on my back
Cons:
must take the pill everyday at the same time with my hectic schedule
it might be difficult at time to remember to take the pill everyday at the same time, but it's worth it. i have been taking ortho-tri-cyclen for about three years now and it has truly helped clear up most of my acne. i have had moderate acne since junior high and now i am in college so i understand how everyone who suffer from acne feels. i think ortho-tri-cyclen is a great option and it's worth giving it a try. word of advice: go to a planned parenthood nearest to you and receive the pill for free. :)
May 5, 2009
Pros:
Prevents pregnancy, increased breast size
Cons:
Breakthrough bleeding, breast tenderness, initial acne breakout
Im finishing up on my first month so the effects ive had could just be due to my body getting used to the pill (Ortho Tri CYclen LO). I started breaking out pretty badly along my jawline (and on my back-very odd for me) at first but the breakouts have stopped and now seem to be going down. Hopefully by next month ill be clearing up. What bothered me was the breakthough bleeding. I get my period for a day or two then it stops. This has been going on all month and is so annoying. My boobs have gotten bigger! YEY! Not as tender as they were two weeks ago. Overall I think I need to just give it more time. My past experience on BC has been great- totally cleared up my skin so Im trying to get back to that point again. I'll post again in a couple months.
May 1, 2009
Pros:
bigger boobs, regular lighter period,havent gotten pregnant and helped me gain weight!
Cons:
none that i know of
I love this birth control, I've told all of my friends to get on it, the only thing i didnt like about it was spotting in the very beginning. I've never gotten any acne, I've never had it.Overall I love it and I love not being a mommy. :)
April 29, 2009
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
No Babies. Cleared up Acne. Better moods. Helped ME loose weight.
Cons:
Anxiety, Headaches around period, Yeast infections
I've been on Yaz for almost a year and I had the normal side effects the first few months I took it, which was headaches. I didn't really notice a difference in my acne until probably about 6 months ago. The first few months I took it I did have headaches or more like a migraine on the right side of my head and I also got yeast infections but they stopped. Now everytime I'm fixing to start my period I get a yeast infection. But not everyone gets yeast infections so other than that there's nothing wrong with Yaz and I would recommend it because if you have really bad mood swings than it helps with that. I'm fixing to switch to Ortho Tri Cyclen and see if the yeast infections stop. Which I hope to God the infections stop cuz it sucks!! Remember every type of birthcontrol pill is different and will do people differently!
April 22, 2009
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Really helps clear acne, helps improve mood, decreased period length
Cons:
Have to make sure you remember to take it
I never had a break out all through highschool and junior high. After having a baby my face breaks out repeatedly, it seems like as soon as it clears up it explodes again but I started to take yaz as a birth control and it has cleared up my face and kept it clear. My face was cleared up in 2 days from taking the pill.
April 14, 2009
Pros:
Didn't get pregnant, cleared up acne for the first 6 months
Cons:
5 lb weight gain in the beggining, severe acne breakout after 6 months of being on the pill. Painful, heavy periods.
I liked it at first but my acne went from one or two a month to 10-15. Too expensive for negative results.
Pros:
Boobs got a little bigger