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
January 1, 2007
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Cons:
Depression, anxiety, panic attacks, horrible weight gain. Since going off of it I have not had a period, I am so bloated I look 3 months pregnant. I had never had a problem with acne, my skin is so disgusting. My pregnancy breast have gone up to DD.
Do not take this BC and I feel like there should be some class action suit. This pill has changed my life for the worst. I feel like I have fallen apart at 34.
December 2, 2006
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
As a means of birth control it's very effective (if taken on time), clearerskin, very short periods.
Cons:
when first taking it: headaches, slight tiredness, very weepy
after some time: Leg cramps, constipation, fatigue & sleeplessness Major fast moving mood swings, crying, feeling very anxious &/or guilt ridden for no reason
I'm 27, I've never been on any pill or medication prior to using Yasmin. I do not recommend anyone to take this pill and for those who are currently using it-I think you should get off of it or switch to something else IMMEDIATELY(talk to your doctor). Early on the symptoms were mild- the weepyness & tiredness. It's been just over a year since I've been taking it & starting having major mood swings, in a few hours I experienced feelings of being very anxious, to guilty, to really depressed & couldn't get up out of bed (I couldn't even sleep).
I'm not taking any other medication or vitamins... and I've never felt anything this bad. I stopped when a friend suggested it is probably the pill. These pills should be taken off of the market or a least come with a warning for women to watch for signs of depression, anxiety & paranoia.
Don't believe me...go to any forum where women discuss the side effects of Yasmin...you'll see that there are many women who have had this experien
November 20, 2006
Pros:
I don't really know yet
Cons:
A little mood swingy but that's about it.
Well I started OTC about a month and a half ago for birth control reasons, but I was optimistic about the acne benefits of it also. I have been using Benzaclin, a benzoyl peroxide acne cream for about 2 1/2 years and that worked great, but I still got a few small breakouts around my period. The problem is now I'm breaking out pretty bad. I am still in my second month of OTC, and I don't want to stop it because it seems like maybe it will clear up and I still need the birth control, so is there anyone who had really bad acne the first month or two or three but it cleared up? and should I keep using the benzaclin?
October 23, 2006
Pros:
worked perfectly! my skin cleared up completely
Cons:
none
i had moderate acne and had tried everything else. I finally was going to try accutane but before i could do that i had to go on bc. They gave me this contraceptive and it worked 100 %...I didn't even need accutane.
October 14, 2006
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
I have moderate acne. That's why i took OTC, it made me breakout more and gain weight all in one month. The acne and weight was so embarrassing. i couldn't stop eating. Some may say i should of taking it more then a month but trust me i was food monster! i dont think i can afford to feed me self like that. :)
If someone had same experience and been cured with different birth control pills please let me know by emailing at [email address removed] or leave a comment. Its very upsetting that i'm that odd ball who was not cured.
August 21, 2017
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Cleared acne but side effects
I've had severe acne for over 12 years, since the age of 9. I've tried various over the counter and prescribed creams/ gels etc. I also took various anti-biotics as prescribed by my dermatologist. These worked somewhat however not dramatic differences were seen. I have tried every lotion and potion and skin "hack" under the sun. Yasmin cured my acne within a few months. Of course my skin is severely scared however it has cleared almost all my cystic acne and my complexion is so much clearer! Of course I always have one or two spots but compared to the full face of hormonal acne I once wore, this has been such a dramatic improvement within the 7 months I have been taking it. Despite this, Yasmin did give me awful cellulite. I was technically underweight for my age and height so this was obviously worrying as I did not gain weight- just cellulite.
October 6, 2017
lol wait till you go off it
June 19, 2017
hang in there, it pays off
Initially going on it was pretty rough. I went through a rollar coaster of side effects. Nausea, headaches, minor weight gain, 1st month wasn't a good time but I just finished month 3 and my cystic acne has completely cleared up as well as the side effects and I couldn't be happier. Although the adjustment period was rough I think it is worth it in the long run.
June 12, 2017
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
So far so good but some fatigue
My 17 year old daughter has struggled with acne for years and we have tried virtually everything including accutane (which she was pulled off of because her liver enzymes spiked). Nothing has lasted. She had tried the pill previously (Ortho tricycline I believe) but she started to break out worse and gain weight immediately so she was too discouraged to continue past about a month and a half. She has just started yasmin. She did have an initial breakout towards the end of the first week through the second week. There were a few days that it was pretty bad. A lot of small whiteheads all over. By the third week that breakout stopped and she is clearing nicely. She is into the first month's placebo pills now and actually went without makeup yesterday and did not feel like people would be staring at her (her words). She is definitely healing now but has a ways to go. Lots of red healing marks and a few small pimples left but the initial breakout seems to be over (fingers crossed). She is very encouraged and feels like this will work for her and she will finally be clear with smooth skin. Luckily initial breakout was short lived. The only side effect she is having is that she is very tired. Nothing else. No weight gain, no headaches, etc. Did anyone else have this tiredness? I am wondering if it will go away after awhile or if she will just have to deal with it the whole time and if so if there is anything she can do to try to help mitigate her fatigue.
June 13, 2017
Hello, I will be finishing my first pack of Lucette tomorrow 14/06/2017 ( Lucette is the same as Yasmin but cheaper brand). So far I have had awful tiredness - as an example before I started on Lucette I was able to go to bed early and wake up ready to start the day. Now I go to bed at the same time and struggle to wake up. I also feel like I could take naps throughout the day, I'm hoping this will wear off. My experience so far is that I had awful stomach pains within the first few weeks these seem to of worn off now but my acne is the worst it has been for a long time. I'm hoping by the next pack my skin will start to calm down and clear up - if not i'll be going back to the doctors to try another pill. I have previously been on Dianette which suited me and my acne perfectly however they don't like you staying on that for an extensive period of time as there is a slightly higher risk of blood clots (we're talking marginal).
June 19, 2017
I specifically got the real yasmin for my daughter because I had seen a few posts about some people having issues with some of the generics. She just started her 2nd pack last night. She was less tired on the placebo pills. She has also now started to feel like her boobs got a little bigger. She says they are not sore just a little bigger and she doesn't seem to have gained any weight. She had worse cramps than normal with her period and it seemed to last most of the week so hopefully she will adjust to that. She is still very hopeful that her skin will keep improving.
December 12, 2017
It has been 6.5 months and now my daughter realizes that the yasmin has made her depressed. Although it did help with her skin to some extent she just had a big break out out of nowhere so that doesn't help. She feels so much better when she is on the placebo pills. Her mood is improved and she is happy. The day she goes back on the yasmin she is sad again so she will be going off it. So sad this did not work and now worried about her skin going crazy as she comes off of it.
March 9, 2018
February 8, 2017
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
HORRIBLE BREAKOUT WHEN YOU STOP TAKING IT.
I started taking Yaz when I was 18 strictly for contraception purposes. I never really had acne before I started taking the pill, maybe a few pimples here and there but nothing like what I'm experiencing now. I took the pill for 5 years and the only real side effect I had was it completely eliminated my sex drive. I didn't realize this until I got off of it 8 months ago, and my libido came back full force. My body's making up for lost time I'd imagine hahah. While I was on it, my skin was pretty much immaculate so that was nice... Plus I never got pregnant so it served it's purpose. After being on it for 5 years I think my body got used to it. I started spotting in between periods, or having periods that lasted for 20-30 days.. NOT FUN. My boyfriend and I decided that after 5 years of artificial hormones, my body needed a break so I stopped taking them. My skin was okay for 2 months, it just got increasingly oily until around the 3 month mark and then BAM. ACNE. LOTS OF IT. MORE THAN I'VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE. On my cheeks too, which I've never experienced before. 8 months later and I'm still trying to tame this beast, unfortunately it seems to be getting worse. I now have acne on my cheeks (primarily the right side), jaw, and chin. I've tried everything from oil cleansing to antibiotics. Moral of the story is... Yaz works wonderfully for some people while they're on it. But if you ever decide to go off of it you better buckle up, because it seems to be a long ride back to clear skin. I'm praying this pill hasn't caused irreversible damage to my hormones because it's already caused some scarring on my skin. Beware. The the risks do not (in my opinion) outweigh the benefits long term. If my 18 year old self had known what would happen, I would have chosen another route of birth control.
February 17, 2017
I had almost the identical experience. Tried alysena after the initial severe breakout, and it helped but I'm still constantly broken out. Started Yaz again today, and am now considering Accutane as a permanent solution. Good luck to anyone with a similar situation :)
May 20, 2016
So far, so good...
I was prescribed Yasmin during my first year of college and it worked wonderfully to clear up my acne. Over the years I was switched to Ocella because of my insurance, and finally to the generic. It never made a huge difference until last year when I started randomly breaking out consistently. I went to the dermatologist and she prescribed Spironolactone-- Horrible. She said it would take up to 3 months to take effect, but after two months my face got worse and needless to say I saw no improvement. SO, I decided to ask my OB to change my birth control and she prescribed Ortho Tri Sprintec. I'm only on my second week, but my face has already experienced a significant improvement and it hasn't been this clear in a while. I've had some breakthrough bleeding/cramps after the first two days, but it's been about a week now and it's completely stopped. My biggest concern is the possible weight gain that everyone talks about, although I haven't noticed an increase in appetite so far so I'm hoping I'll be in the clear. Keeping my fingers crossed that it continues to work wonders!
Pros:
No babies, pregnancy breasts