The Types of Birth Control that Treat Acne
- Birth control pills contain a combination of hormones like progestin and estrogen and help to prevent pregnancy. However, they work on acne because they encourage a steadier, more stable hormonal environment. This means you won't experience extremely high surges of estrogen or androgens. Instead, you'll have a fairly constant level of these hormones, giving your skin time to adjust and recuperate.
- Some types of birth control pills work as an acne treatment because they actively suppress how many androgens are produced. By supplementing your body with a very small amount of estrogen, not as many androgens are produced by the ovaries and with fewer androgens, you'll have fewer breakouts, as it's believed male hormones are the ones primarily responsible for hormone-related acne.
- If the common knowledge is that estrogen reduces levels of androgens in the body and androgens are what cause hormonal acne, then it would make sense to take a high-dose birth control pill, right? Not quite. Low-dose birth control pills actually work better. They help improve acne, regardless of formulation, and produce fewer side effects than the higher-dose versions.
- It seems just about any low-dose birth control pill will help clear up acne, though only a few have been approved by the FDA to be prescribed for this reason. These brands are Ortho Tri-Cyclen and Estro-Step. However, a newer brand called YAZ is also effective in reducing acne breakouts and keeping the skin clear while preventing pregnancy.
- While birth control pills are prescribed regularly to women for preventing pregnancy and for treating acne, they do carry with them some side effects you need to be aware of. For instance, some women develop hyperpigmentation, which causes brown spots on the skin. Others may notice nausea, vomiting, breast tenderness, spotting and weight gain. In rare cases, serious side effects may develop such as depression, headaches, blood clots or stroke.
