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
December 14, 2013
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Mixed feelings
Cons:
I experienced severe nausea and bloating
Became lethargic
Is a little pricey (in Australia)
After years of painful hormonal acne and trying all the creams in the world I went to my doctor and she prescribed Yaz (my first BCP).
Within the first 3-4 weeks of use my skin already had begun to clear up and calm down with less angry breakouts and pimples that weren't as deep under the skin.
The only thing is that my body did not like it one bit! I had severe nausea the whole time I was on Yaz (only a month). And when I say "severe", I mean SEVERE. I also started to feel quite lethargic since starting it. It was so bad that I have now changed pill. I don't know if this will happen with everyone or if it was just too strong for me. Despite this, it did wonders for my skin :) I would recommend this for those with severe to moderate acne but side effects always vary between women. If the side effects such as nausea, tiredness and any emotional changes (no emotional changes for me so far) are too much to deal with, it is so not worth staying on. Get on a different one!
December 2, 2013
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Awful!
I went on this birth control after I had a bad reaction to a generic brand of loestrin fe 24. My Gyno recommended it since the generic would be free under my insurance. Worst mistake ever! I never had skin issues. The occasional breakout during my period or from stress. Well the fillers in the generic brand did not work well with me body at all. So I made my first appt to the dermatologist (I'm 25) to see what the heck I could do to get my skin back to normal & she suggested yaz, being it's FDA approved to help with acne. Once I started yaz the first month I broke out even worse! Cystic pimples on my jawline and by my mouth! It was horrible. My dr told me I needed to give it time & it was normal so I stuck with it. The 2nd month my skin cleared and looked decent. Well now I'm on the 2nd week of my 3rd pack & I wanna flip sh*t on my dr for telling to stick it out! My face has never looked this bad. I feel so self conscious & cry to my fiancé. I also have had some stomach issues & problems wearing contacts since starting yaz. Stressing from it does not make it any better! I decided to stop taking the pill TODAY. I don't know if I wanna go back on any bc. I want my hormones to balance out back to normal! Hopefully this clears up soon before the holidays. It's hard to deal with painful cysts on your face when you never had acne before! So my suggestion to anyone going on this; do not do it! If anything get your hormone levels tested before choosing any birth control to find the perfect one for you.
November 11, 2013
Good and Bad
Pros:
No weight gain
Light periods
Light cramps
Cons:
Didn't help acne
Longer periods than past birth control
I initially went on sprintec because I wanted to be on a birth control that would help clear my skin. I used to be on Loestrin 24 Fe, but that just wasn't cutting it. I have now been on sprintec for a little over 6 months and my experience is both good and bad. The good part, I haven't gained a single pound and it hasn't effected my emotions at all. Periods are light and I don't get terrible cramps like I used to. The bad, my skin hasn't improved at all and I actually just started accutane a week ago because I couldn't deal with it any longer. Overall its a great birth control IF you have clear skin already. If you want to go on it for acne, I recommend going on another birth control!
September 21, 2013
Works for some but not me!!!
Pros:
Nothing for me
Works for some people
Cons:
Weight gain 10 lbs
Breakouts got worse
Always felt and looked bloated!
When I went on this pill the only reason was to control my acne. Several of my friends are on it and it has cleared them up. I am 16. When I started I knew that I only had a 1/3 chance of it working. 1/3 of people it works for. 1/3 it does nothing for and of coarse my category 1/3 of people it makes acne worse. I stayed on it for 3 months and I was told it takes about that long to work. However what I didnt understand was that in the 3 months that it takes to work my acne should not have become worse. There really shouldn't be an initial breakout from BCP's. Your acne might not get better however it should not cause your acne to exploded and get worse. Read the side affects from the maker or ask your gyno. I have seen my friends that it has worked for and that is why it is hard for me to rate it. If you are in the group of 1/3 that it works for than lucky you. This is just something you need to try and see if it helps. I also eat really well and am very very active. I put on 10 to 14 lbs and I couldn't budge that weight off me no matter what. It was to the point that I was barely eating and still no weight loss. I actually looked bloated all the time and the weight was all around my middle. I do at least 700 ab and core strengthening a day for my sport and I use to be cut but on the pill it wasn't possible. Again this is just how it effected my body. Once I was off I have just started to drop the weight doing nothing different except eating more but still healthy. I have never struggled with weight ever. I would say give it a try but if your acne gets worse stop because it's not for you. One of my friends that it works for also had a ten lb weight gain. She can't get it to budge so she is deciding if she should live with the 10 lbs or start over looking for a treatment that controls her acne but does put the pounds on some. There is no quick fix. I am having to learn the lesson of being patient and finding the treatment that will clear me up. It sucks but I think it will serve me well as a life lesson.
September 18, 2013
Satisfied!
Pros:
Less acne
Increased sex drive :)
No oily skin
Cons:
Intense bleeding which is probably why I'm more tired
Tired a lot
Slight more intense lower back cramps
My face is less oily, it's helping my acne and I also have a great sex drive since i realky didnt have one to begin with:) but I am tired a lot and I have heavy bleeding if I missed a pill and not horrible but more intense back cramps.
August 2, 2013
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Could have killed me and makes acne worse afterwards
Pros:
Beautiful skin while on it
Cons:
Caused acne 10x worse when I got off
Developed severe migraines, risk of stroke
Causes almost everyone to lose huge amount of hair when you come off
I took Ocella (generic Yasmin) from the ages of 19-23. Before that I took Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo from the ages of 16-19. I only was put on the Yasmin because when I tried to quit Ortho I broke out terribly (only ever had mild acne). What they don't tell you is that when you go OFF birth control pills, your acne often gets MUCH worse than it ever was, because it does such unnatural things to your hormones. Google around and look at the acne after the pill thread on here, you will find a million horror stories of women who took the pill, went off, then developed severe cystic acne. After about 4 years on Yasmin I noticed that I couldn't think straight, always had debilitating headaches, and my muscles were weak even though I worked out a lot. My doctor said that the Yasmin was causing my migraines, and that developing migraines while on the Pill meant I was at an increased risk of having a stroke. Stopping it was hell. I had no idea what I was getting into. I lost at least 1/3 of my hair and had a receding hairline. My hair started growing in gray in places. I had uncontrollable acne that did not respond to BP or extreme elimination diets and supplements. It took about 6 months before my body started feeling normal-ish again and a year before I tamed the acne with Atralin (a brand of tretonin). Don't mess with this stuff, or any pill. Try the copper IUD or some other non hormonal method if you need BC. It is just not worth the risk to your body and skin.
June 8, 2013
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Still Hoping
Pros:
reduced oil production in face
Cons:
Hasnt completely cleared my acne
$30 every month
I have suffered from acne since High School. I am now in my third year of college and am unfortunately still experiencing painful breakouts. Like many, I have tried numerous over the counter medication and topical creams, most which helped temporary but never solved my problem. I am now on my Fourth month of Yaz and am happy but not satisfied. I was really optimistic after reading everyones positive reviews on here, however I am sad to say that I am still experiencing many breakouts. During the first month it cleared up my acne and reduced the oil in my face, during the second month my face started breaking out a lot and again in the third month. I was okay with the breakouts because I figured that I should, like many have said on here, wait it out three months but I am now becoming hopeless. It has definitely helped reduce some acne but not all and like I said I have seen a significant change in the amount of oil production in my face.
April 20, 2013
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Seriously reduced my acne
Cons:
This is not a permanent solution if you even want to have children.
This totally works after a few months but again, it is not a permanent solution
January 23, 2013
Pros:
No weight gain
Seems to slowly cure acne
Cons:
Horrible initial breakout
Mood swings
I have been on this pill for 3.5 months, about to finish my fourth pack. I still have occasional breakouts, though it seems to slowly be getting better. I did not have acne before I started this pill; it GAVE me hormonal adult acne. I am simply sticking with it because of all the reviews that tell you to hang in there. I'm hoping next month is finally the end of this acne bull$&@!!
I went on the pill because I was previously on the patch and insurance stopped covering it.
If you don't have acne, STAY AWAY. I had perfect skin my whole life, now at 25 I all of the sudden have acne. My self esteem has taken quite a blow and I don't know how much more I can take. This month better yield clear skin, and fast.
October 6, 2012
Product used: LoEstrin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Bigger Boobs
Weight Gain(Im tiny)
Lightest periods EVER!!!
Cons:
Hungry way too often and I mean you will eat a meal and ten minutes later you will be hungry again.
First of all there are many versions of this pill. I tried Loestrin 24FE LO last year and the best part is that your period will only be for about three to four days max. It didnt stop acne completely but it was ok for me to go out without wearing makeup. This year I went on Loestrin 24FE and HORRIBLE. I was spotting all month long and the worst breakout of my life. It was huge hormonal cystic acne especially on my chin. The day I stopped taking the pills was the day I stopped breaking out. It all depends on the person and how much hormones you can take. Remember the more the hormones the more the side effects including more initial breakouts. Acne wise this birth control pill is not the best.
Pros:
Can see change within first month
Clears skin quite quickly