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 22, 2010
Cons:
Weight gain, mood swings, break through bleeding.
This was the first birth control pill I was on. The first month I gained 15 lbs. I didnt gain any after that but still many years later I still can not get down the weight I was before taking this pill. On the plus side my breast did go from a B cup to a C cup! I didnt ever really see a major difference is my skin either. Only after trying other birth control pills did I see a difference.
November 25, 2012
Pros:
Completely cleared my skin!
No initial breakout (in my case)
No crazy side effects birth control is known to cause
Cons:
Took around 4 months to clear my skin
Won't work for everyone (as every acne product doesn't), but DEFINITELY worth a try!
These pills work amazingly well for ME. After 5 years of having moderate acne with large, painful bumps that left bad scars, I had zero self-confidence. It got so bad that some days I wouldn't go out in public. I was trying every cleanser I could find, going on antibiotic pills and creams, using Differin and Retin-A, trying different birth controls, cutting dairy products out of my diet completely, and going to many other difficult and sometimes extreme measures in order to clear my skin, but nothing worked. But after reading a lot of great reviews about ortho tri-cyclen, I decided I would make one last attempt at clearing my skin. I loved it right away! I barely had any PMS symptoms, and my skin was instantly less oily and every morning when I looked in the mirror I had fewer pimples! For the first few months I still broke out around that lovely time of the month, but I can say after 5 months of using ortho tri-cyclen that my skin is TOTALLY CLEAR! I never thought I would be able to say I don't have acne, but it feels so amazing to be confident going out in public, even without makeup! So, I guess the bottom line is that after much trial and error, I found the cure for MY acne. Everyone's skin reacts differently to treatments, which is why acne is so hard to get rid of. All I do is live a clean lifestyle and take these pills every day, and for MY skin, that's all I need! I drink about a gallon of water every day, ALWAYS wash my face twice a day (using Clean and Clear Continuous Control cleanser), keep bacteria off my face (use clean makeup brushes, sleep on clean pillow cases, etc.), and take these pills every night. It truly is an amazing feeling to have clear skin! If you haven't found what works for you yet, I know exactly how you feel, and I would encourage you to start by drinking a lot of water, keeping your face clean, and living an overall healthy lifestyle. From there, I would definitely recommend trying ortho, just remember to be patient! Good luck :
March 9, 2011
Pros:
clears skin
no side effects
regulates period
Cons:
none
This really cleared my skin as a teenager and I stopped going on it as an adult because I thought it had stopped working but I was so wrong. My skin got SOOO much worse when I stopped and restarted. Always talk to your doctor before starting or ending medication (duh!). I wish I had. Now I'm back on the pill and I'm finally seeing results after 3 months. Be patient because it can really help if your acne is hormonal (like mine). Good luck!
October 22, 2010
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
-no period pain at all.
-no bad moods.
-bigger boobs after only a month and a half.
Cons:
-nausea the first week i took it.
-sore breasts in the morning.
-about 9 or 10 more spots, but hey, it has to get better before it gets worse, right?
just stick with it, i've read so many bad reviews but my mood has actually improved, and my energy has got so much better!
July 13, 2010
Pros:
-Enlarged breasts
-Lighter period
-Hair growth decresed
-Acne clear up
-Little weight gain
Cons:
-First couple of weeks, chest pain occured
-Breasts were a little sore from enlargement
-A little moody the week I was on the "reminder" pills
I take birth control pills for hirtsuism; pcos symptom, and for acne. The pill, since I started a month and a half, has decreased the time that hair grows back, i haven't gotten break outs, but lone pimples here and there, and my breasts have gotten bigger, with maybe a couple of pounds gained from a little increase in appetite. bottom line: so far so good, hasn't caused many side effects other than the stated facts they give you and not much of it.
April 9, 2010
Pros:
stopped major breakouts, reduced sebrum production (oil), regulated cycle, controlled hormonal acne
Cons:
melasma, terrible acne and oily skin after coming off the Pill, fears of long-term severe side effects
I used the Pill for 10 years. It really helped my adult acne at first - especially the hormonal variety that springs up two weeks before my period. After a while though, I'd say about 5 years, my body grew used to it. I even developed melasma (darkening of the skin) above my upper lip and on my cheeks and forehead. This is why I came off the pill, which resulted in EXTREMELY oily skin and major breakouts for about 6 months. Now, thanks to benzoyl peroxide used 2X per day, my acne is again under control, but I'm still dealing with the melasma. If you have moderate to severe acne, I'd recommend trying the Pill because it WILL help, just be cautious about staying on it beyond 5 years or so due to long-term severe (and not so severe) side effects.
March 5, 2010
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
Kept acne more under control
Cons:
I gained some weight, but was able to lose it and keep my weight under control!
I took Yaz for 3 and a half years! Kept my acne under control for the most part! There were good times and bad for my acne, but it was still MUCH better than without the pill! As soon as I stopped taking the pill, I broke out like crazy and have been battling horrible acne ever since. I am going to start taking a different birth control pill now. Fingers crossed!
February 14, 2010
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
not pregnant, increased libido
Cons:
caused the worst break out i've ever had in my life!
My acne was fairly light when I started Yasmin - it was the first birth control I ever took - and I regret it soo much! I wanted to go on, obviously, for contraceptive reasons, but then ended up breaking out terribly in spots I never had acne before within weeks of starting it! So I kept taking it for 3 months, since that the "trial" time, and it got worse and worse - it literally took me 2 years to FINALLY get rid of all the acne it caused - there's even still a little bit of scarring/redness now after 3 years. For the love of God, please, PLEASE, never take this pill!!!!!
May 18, 2011
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)
Pros:
-Cleared up my back and chest acne completely after 5 months
-Gave me somewhat shorter periods
-Took away pre-menstrual cramps and all menstrual discomfort all together
-Easy to keep track of your period/ know when it's coming
Cons:
-Acne got worse for the first 4 months (very bad)
-Easy to forget to take it everyday
My main issue with acne was with my back and chest area, I never really had acne on my face or anywhere else on my body (besides the occasional zit or two).
The acne was definitely most severe on my back than anywhere else, where i got several incredibly painful cysts and nodules at one time, accompanied by redness and scarring. They re occurred for years with the common acne cyst on my chest.
Once I gave up on relying on the summer sun to clear them up, I went to the dermatologist. She prescribed me several different anti-biotics after another (Doxycyline, Minocycline, Erythromycin, etc) and topical treatments (Differin, Tazorotene, Stievamycin, etc) to see which was most effective. None worked significantly well for me and some even made it worse- except for the Stievamycin (which I cannot live without and recommend for everybody!) Anyway, after hearing about the benefits of birth control on acne, I decided to try it My doctor put me on Yasmin because he said it was the best for treating acne. So the first month or two, my acne stayed the same and I saw no improvements nor worsening. However, the next couple of months were horrible and my acne was worse than ever. But I was determined to not give up and I'm glad I didn't. I'm in my 5th month now and I haven't had a cyst or nodule on my back or chest for weeks- this is the clearest my skin has ever been. I pair my Yasmin with a stievamycin gel that I put on at night and they are honestly a match made in heaven, they work wonders together.
So if you're on/going on Yasmin primarily for acne, I would say be patient and consistent- it works!!!!!
December 16, 2010
Pros:
clears up hormonal acne (cysts) and deeper pimples.
Cons:
takes a while to work.
might cause weight gain
makes you breakout at first
I started this in August, Tri-Cyclen, and it really took a while to see positive effects. It really does make you breakout somewhat bad at first, and usually around the mouth and chin because those are hormonal places to breakout. It took at least three months to really start to clear up, but now it's doing a great job! As for weight gain, I don't think it did that to me, and if so it wasn't anything more then maybe 2 pounds. Overall, it cleared up my acne when really nothing else worked. And it's only 10 bucks a month!
Pros:
Prevented pregnancy. Made breast bigger.Covered by most insurance companies.