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
October 5, 2012
Cons:
- severe depression
- no libido
- SEVERE acne that lasted even when I got off the pill
I took yaz which kept my skin clear for years even after I stopped I'd get one or two but nothing serious, I decided I wanted a pill less linked to blood clot risk and tried OTC each week the hormones increase and around week 2-3 I woke up with a new cyst daily I was currently modeling and obviously can work until things cleared up but those suckers take forever. The worst part is my hormones never balanced out and my skin stayed that bad indefinitely until now I'm back on yaz. Biggest mistake of MY LIFE. This pill can work for some people but the increasing hormones just really don't work for some people. I'd go with yaz, it's more anti-androgenic and stable.
September 10, 2012
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Controls PMS symptoms
regulates period
birthcontrol
clears skin with time
Cons:
Breakouts are MUCH worse the second month of taking this pill.
My 16 year old was put on Yasmine and Aczone for moderate to mild acne. She also had a somewhat irregular period and cramping.
The period symptoms went away quickly and she had NO side effects such as weight gain. moodiness etc but The first month her skin broke out a little more but by the middle of month 2 she had many breakouts where she never had them before like on her cheeks. They were deep, large, red breakouts that took awhile to heal. The Aczone did not work at all but benzoil peroxide seemed to help. I asked the doc to the give her an antibiotic, Solodyne and now she is beginning her 4th pill pack and she has no new pimples. She is healing a couple from month 3 and has some red marks but all in all her skin is MUCH better. We hope to get her off of the Solodyne in the next couple of months so hopefully the Yasmine will work well on its own or just with some topical treatments.
July 27, 2012
Pros:
No Cramps
Larger Breasts
Decreased Apptite Initially
Cons:
Bad Breakouts during week 3
Breast Tenderness
I am finishing up my second month of the pill and so far I have not seen any changes in my break outs. It always get pretty bad around my pms week and this month was no exception. I would say contrary to what a lot of girls are say my appitite actually decreased the first month. I will notice how it affected it more when I get back to school because I tend to eat more when I am home. The most noticable side effect in my case would be how sore my breasts have become. I have very little breasts (A cup) and I can definitely tell they are swollen. I could give or take having the larger breasts because I am only 5 foot tall and don't need them to be huge. I've been on several birth controls before this and have had swollen breast but I think they have gotten larger on this one out of all the others. I am sticking with this pill for a little while longer because everyone has said it takes at least 3 months for the acne to clear up. I have hopes that next month my pms breakout won't be as severe.
July 2, 2012
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
-Likely to clear acne related to hormones/menstrual cycle
-Free in the UK
-Can skip periods
-Eases other forms of PMS
Cons:
-Not suitable for everyone
-Can be difficult to get prescription for
-Bad side effects if you go off it
This is my second time on Yasmin, both times I went on it for a mixture of wanting to ease my periods and clear my acne. This time round I have only been on it two weeks and my skin is clearing, last time I was on it I saw results in 1-2 months. I came off in January 2012 after a year and half on it, my doctor thought it was aggravating my migraines (turns out I had a food intolerance instead). The side effects coming off were terrible - panic attacks, anxiety, severely heavy periods and a gradual return of my acne. I am much happier being on it and it is a birth control that works for me in all aspects. This pill is not suitable for everyone, if your acne is not hormonal related it is likely to make things worse. If you're over 35 and smoke, have a history of clots and/or severe migraines it is also not recommended. To conclude, if you think your acne is linked to your periods and do not have health issues that would make it unsuitable then you may want to ask your doctor about this option.
March 8, 2012
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
I'm not pregnant!
Cons:
Terrible feeling of sickness most days
Always tired
Hormones went crazy
Weight gain
Spots in first month
Ive never taken such a terrible pill in my life. I've always had a very high sex drive with my partner until taking these pills. On the 7th day of the monthly break from taking the pill did my sex drive start to come back so I know it's definitely this pill. I'm a very strong minded person and this pill makes me cry about everything which is definitely not me lol. I'm moody, angry and my anxiety is sky high. Never ever again.
February 15, 2012
Pros:
No weight gain
Prevent Pregnancy
Predictable Periods
Cons:
Take The Same Time Daily
This Product Works Wonders For Me, I Love It
December 9, 2011
Pros:
-Didn't get pregnant.
-My skin was beautiful while I was on it
-I actually lost weight
Cons:
-Anxiety
-Horrible irritability
-When I decided to stop taking it is when my acne started
-Unbalanced my hormones
I wasn't on the medication to help acne. But once I went off of it. I messed my face up. I'm still trying to get it back to normal and it's been over a year
October 28, 2011
Pros:
No babies
Cons:
Unspeakable mood swings
Acne breakouts
Tired
I have never had a problem with any birth control prior to taking Tri Sprintec. I have been on Yaz, Ortho Tri Cyclen, and Seasonique with zero side effects or problems. I started taking Tri Sprintec because I lost my insurance coverage and needed something cheaper than Seasonique. My doctor prescribed Tri Sprintec because of it's price. To put it simply.... it sucks. From day one my acne increased. I have light acne, with flare ups around my period but this stuff made new pimples appear DAILY for the entire two months I was on it. Maybe I should have given it longer to work itself out, but after two months of breakouts I couldn't take it anymore. I've been off of it for nearly a month and my face is just now recovering. This stuff was terrible.
September 14, 2011
Product used: LoEstrin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
acne cleared first 6 months
Cons:
acne came back severly after 7 months
no sex drive
weight gain!!!
LADIES IF YOU HAVE ACNE I SUGGEST YOU SWITCH TO *BEYAZ* iv had acne since i was 12 and i am now 21 and beyaz is really helping, it has spironolactone in it which helps acne so i really recommend it! if you have coverage you shouldnt pay much but if not it runs about $85/amonth..... hope this helps!
August 6, 2011
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Clear skin
Cons:
Price in Australia (expensive)
I didn't experience any real negative side effects that alot of women seem to speak of. No weight gain, hair loss and i didn't get any blod clots or have high blood pressure issues at all.
I feel OK about recommending it to a friend but the only downside for me is the break through bleeding so I've had to move to Yasmin.
Pros:
- prevent pregnancy