Contraceptives which help acne

For some women, acne persists throughout their cycle. Birth control pills that contain both the hormones estrogen and progesterone reduce functional androgen levels, thereby reducing sebum production and acne.

The Food and Drug Administration FDA has approved three types of birth control pills for acne treatment, and all have shown similar effectiveness in treating moderate acne. While all contain the same form of estrogen, the forms of progesterone differ. The three approved pills are:. It may take several months of treatment before acne starts to clear, and flare-ups are common at the beginning of birth control acne treatment.

Your doctor may prescribe topical treatments along with birth control pills. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. For some people, acne isn't just a pesky skin issue that appears every so often; it's a chronic condition. Instead of dealing with the occasional breakout or two, the skin is consistently red, inflamed, and sometimes even painful to the touch.

It's at this point that many look to birth control as a way to treat and control flare-ups. But just like taking any other prescribed medication, you need to do your research and talk to a doctor before using birth control for acneic skin.

That's because not all birth control works the same or provides the same skin-clearing results. A Journal of Drugs in Dermatology study found that combination birth control pills, or those that contain versions of both estrogen and progesterone, are generally best at clearing skin, while hormonal injections, implants, and intrauterine devices IUD's tend to worsen acne. Below, six experts explain how certain birth control methods may improve acne. Combination hormonal birth control, or the main type of oral contraceptive prescribed for acne, contains two hormones: estrogen and progesterone.

Together, these hormones suppress ovulation. A typical menstrual cycle includes menstruation a period , a follicular phase, ovulation, and a luteal phase, which are all driven by fluctuations in hormones from the brain and ovaries. The pill stops these fluctuations and in turn, stops ovulation.

Birth control works by affecting your body's hormone levels, which is how, along with preventing unwanted pregnancy, it can also impact other hormonal-related issues like acne. This environment is perfect for acne flares. Some women are more sensitive to circulating testosterone and develop hormonal acne," says Levin.

Taking birth control pills can stabilize these hormones and decrease the amount of testosterone in your body. Levin, who also works as a clinical instructor at Mount Sinai, says Ortho Tri-Cyclen, a popular brand of birth control, has been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration FDA for the treatment of acneic skin. Yaz contains the hormone progestin drospirenone that is known to be especially effective in the reduction of hormonal acne.

While certain brands of birth control carry the FDA's approval as an acne treatment , others are still prescribed off-label with some success. Other times, people who are prescribed oral contraceptives for other indications find that a bonus "side effect" is an overall reduction in their acne symptoms.

Not all birth control pills are effective at fighting acne and although other pills may certainly help, the FDA has only approved three birth control medications for treating acne: Yaz, Estrostep, and Ortho-Tri-Cyclen. They are prescribed for the types of hormones they contain. Yaz is considered the most effective of the three as it contains drospirenone which is a synthetic version of the sex hormone, progesterone.

It helps to treat acne by blocking the effects of testosterone, a type of androgen. This birth control contains another type of synthetic progesterone called norgestimate, making it the second most effective of the three. Estrostep contains norethindrone and ethinyl estradiol which lower testosterone levels.

This is considered the least effective of the three at treating acne. These three birth controls are most commonly prescribed for acne; however, doctors may prescribe other types of birth control that can also work for some patients. Every patient will respond to the various birth control options in a different way.

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