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
May 22, 2013
Cons:
made me gain so much weight
carcinogen
made sex painful
it did clear up my skin completelry i would only get the occasional pimple befor my cycle. but it made me gain weight like crazy and i never had and problems with my weight prior. it also took away all my sexual desire and made sex painful for me.. it was giving me nygothian cysts on my cervix.. i know it was the pill cuz one i got off it all went away. i was on the pill for about a year.
May 18, 2013
Pros:
Free with my insurance
Wasn't overly emotional
Cons:
Crazy hormonal breakouts
I was very optimistic about this birth control pill (I have been on several over the years) because it's so widely recommended. However, with my hormones probably already out of whack - having the 3 weeks of varying levels of hormones made my skin horrible. I gave it 6 months and now at a month before my wedding I have decided to stop taking it and get back on Yaz. So far so good (fingers crossed). Bottom line: if you struggle with hormonal acne, this is not for you.
January 22, 2013
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
no weight gain, actually seemed to help with retaining water as I seem to be less "puffy".
Cons:
Not sure if it helps with the acne, been on it for t 2 months and no improvement yet.
I have been on and off the pill for about 15 years. I have been getting acne for the last 3 years, which is odd for my age (30's) so my doctor prescribed Yasmin since I take the bcp anyway. I just finished the second month and I see no improvement yet. I am willing to give another few months since I noticed that a few people on here said they didn't notice a difference until about 4-6 months. Hopefully I will see a difference. Other than that, I can't complain, no side effects.
January 19, 2013
Pros:
cleared up my moderate to severe acne within 3-5 months!!! Period improved and was on schedule. NAME BRAND NOT GENERIC!!!
Cons:
mild cramps still but well worth it. skipped one pill and felt VERY nauseous for a two days.
i would recommend!
January 17, 2013
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
This really works! Is a great option for birth control with no side effects, except for the initial breakout that can last up to 3 months. However, if you have to stick it out for at least 4 months, you WILL see a difference in your skin!! I have horrible skin and am getting clear now, it all started with this!
You can use the generic as well, I have used both and saw no difference in my skin.
Cons:
The first 3 months are pretty brutal and will make you break out bad. And I mean bad, but if you can stick it out, it is worth it!
If you are going to try it- give it at least 4 months until you give up. I stuck it out through many embarrassing breakouts and now it works awesome! I don't break out hardly at all (also on the regimen). Try it!!!
January 7, 2013
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
-Cleared the majority of my body acne.
Cons:
-Didn't improve acne on my face.
-Nausea on the first day of use.
I'm 20 and I've had moderate to severe acne on my back and chest since I was 14. I've tried a wide range of topical acne treatments and antibiotics - nothing put a dent in my body acne. It wasn't until I was older that I realized my acne must be hormonal, so I was put on Yaz by my gynecologist. I didn't see any improvement for the first three month, but the only negative side effect I experienced was mild nausea for a day at the beginning, so I stuck with it. At the end of three months my cleared up 80% on my back and 95% on my chest. Oddly, it didn't do much to improve my face acne. I've been on Yaz for a year and a half and my body acne hasn't gone away 100%, but the difference is significant and I've gotten a lot of self esteem back, (which anyone who suffers from body acne knows is a miraculous thing.) I would definitely give Yaz or some kind of birth control a try if you have body acne and have exhausted your other options.
January 3, 2013
Pros:
Cleared smaller bits of acne.
Safe sex.
Regulated and lightened my period.
Cons:
Still got the big cystic pimples.
Must be really, really regulated.
Just because you're taking birth control doesn't mean you need to start having sex too, I started taking it specifically for my acne. I would reccommend birth control to even girls at a young age, because it helps regulate your body and helps you out a lot! Cleared my small pimples, so I actually had some clear skin, but I still had my cystic pimples. Also lightened my period a lot, which reduced my stress which also helped reduce my acne.
December 10, 2012
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Shorter, lighter periods
Cons:
Didn't help at all with acne
Think it caused a gallbladder polyp
It worked good for what it was supposed to do (prevent pregnancy and control irregularly, heavy menstrual cycle) but it didn't work wonders for acne or anything. This and no other BC has ever had any effect on my acne 1 way or another. Had very occasional spotting with this. While on it, developed a gallbladder polyp, which may or may not have been related since it is said to have a link to gallbladder diseases.
August 31, 2012
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
it cleared up my skin
made my skin, in my opinion, "perfect"
barely any pimples
overall, REALLY GOOD
oh an period was much more regular/short
barely any cramps too
Cons:
you do get quite moody, but it's easy to control (my mood swings only lasted 5 minutes at most)
when i got off the pill (i heard the clotting rumours) my skin started getting WORSE! im talking about OILSLICK skin, wierd texture, pores were obvious, i started to breakout, bumps underneath the skin, random marks appearing on the skin. (**i should say all of this happened in the course of 10 months, so it was a slow progression)
i heard all of this is bc of your hormones being out of balance
bottom line, yes i would recommend this. its a good overall contraceptive, it controlled my acne when i first tried it. my only complaint is the results i got after going off it for a while. im back on it now hoping to go back to"before"
August 4, 2012
Product used: LoEstrin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
-no weight gain
-no cramps
-no mood swings
-no nausea (and I have a really weak stomach!)
-no headaches
-very short periods
-sex drive hasn't decreased
Cons:
-spotting for the first few weeks
-the worst acne outbreak of my life :(
I had a really weak stomach from taking antibiotics a while back due to the breakouts I got from Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo, so my gyn prescribed me a lower dose pill, Loestrin 24 fe. I was really surprised at how it felt like I wasn't on a pill at all, as I experienced NONE of the usual side effects for birth control. Suddenly, I started breaking out in horrible cystic acne on my chin and cheeks that was worse than anything I've ever experienced! It's been almost 3 months on this pill and after the first week, I haven't had ONE day of even partially clear skin! I really want to love this pill because I really do feel great (other than my skin), but this is just something I can't handle. I'm going to try to wait it out a little while longer, but I don't have high hopes. I need to be taking birth control and I've been lucky enough to find one that doesn't aggravate my sensitive stomach or make me depressed, so if I don't clear up in the next month, I'm going to start Spironolactone in conjunction with the Loestrin and hope for the best! I'd say that overall the pill is worth a shot because I've had great luck other than the acne, but solely based on my acne experience, I wouldn't recommend it.
Pros:
clears skin dramatically
regulates cycle