Hi Ladies,

Did any use Alesse for acne and find it beneficial??? If so, how long did u have to wait before seeing a difference?? Thanks..

JUST SAY NOOOOOOO!!!!!!

alesse is highly androgenic (high in male hormones that make you break out)...my face was fine before I went on it and then i took it and a month later my face was covered in horrible cystic bumps.....you need one that is not androgonec...
-M

Thats strange, my doc said it would help with the acne...Actually two doctors said it would..They told me to get off Diane-35 and go on Alesse instead...Diane-35 did nothing for my acne...So far so good with the Alesse...Maybe that was the initial breakout you were having with the Alesse...I will look into this further...Thanks for the input, I really appreciate all the feedback I can get....

I went on Alesse 3 years ago and I was on it for a good year and a half. My acne problems began a few weeks after I started taking it and it took me a long time to realize that it could be the problem. I went to my dermatologist and she showed me the chart of the best bcp's for acne and Alesse was definitely at the bottom for being the most androgenic. I have since changed to Yasmin which has worked wonders. I would definitely NOT recommend Alesse to anyone with acne or even clear skin for that matter, it was a horrible experience. But everyone is different so who knows how your skin will react.

Although it is true that every woman reacts differently to BCPs, I agree that Alesse is one of the most likely to cause acne, according to everything I've read about BCPs. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/t_down.gif

Hey Ladies,

Thanks so much for ur input....I really don't know what to do as even Diane-35 didn't help me....I don't think my acne is hormonal then...Isn't Diane-35 meant for acne??? It would give me cysts in places I never got them before...So frustrating...

Most birth control brands can help women who suffer from acne, but some are more successfuly than others. Ortho-tri-cyclen is the most prescribed pill, and also is used to treat acne, So is Diane 35.

Alesse isn't usually the best pill for women who suffer from acne. You should try something with higher estrogen levels like any of the ortho products.

Product Queen,
All acne is hormonal, but perhaps estradiol and cyproterone are the wrong combo for you. Did it do NOTHING for you??? Or did it somewhat decrease your acne? Do you have signs of a deeper hormonal imbalance...wieght issues, hirsuitism, imbalanced cycles, body acne, etc??? Have you gone to an Endocrinologist to find these things out?

I know that for me, Tri-levlen (estradiol) reduced my free testosterone levels by 50% and as such, it only reduced my acne breakouts by about 30%. A few months later they ADDED Spironolactone (200mg) and that helped to reduce my breakouts by 60% - 80% depending on the Season (usually only 60%). Now I no longer take BC, but still take a lower dose of Spiro (150mg) and follow a Gluten-Free/Low Grain Low carb type of diet and am now 99% clear and NO LONGER suffer from menstrual pains (was always regular)!!! So there's a magic treatment out there for you, you've just gotta experiment a bit more. ;-)

Good luck

I was on Tri-Cyclen for 6 months and it made my skin worse, so I asked my doctor to put me on Diane 35...cleared me up for the first month, then the next 5 months my skin gradually got worse. When I went back for another prescription, she put me on Alesse because the increased risks of Diane worried her, and my skin is looking awesome now (I'm on my 3rd month of Alesse). I'd heard so many testimonies from people who said that Alesse made their skin worse and I was afraid to try it, but to me it's been a godsend :-) I guess "different strokes for different folks"

Thanks again ladies....SweetJade, how did u go about seeing an Endocrinologist??? My doctor never suggested I see one but I am interested in seeing one...For the Diane-35 that I was on for years never did anything for the acne, only gave me more bumps where I never had them before...I gained about 12 pounds from it but ever since I stopped it about a few months ago I lost the weight I had gained from it..It also made me quite moody..I have been on Alesse for about 2.5 months....So far I have not gained weight from it, but it still seems like its not doing anything for the acne.....When does it kick in for acne???? You guys are so supportive, thank you so much....

When i went to my doctor he prescribed alesse, but i stopped using after 1 month, and went on orthotri cyclin, i noticed a lot of wieght gain so i stopped it and i am now back on alesse. Before when i was on alesse i hadn't noticed any changes in my acne- good or bad, but i am hearing all of these horror stories about it and wondering if i should stop taking it. Or how long should i wait? how long before the results show?

I was on Alesse for regulating my cycles and it cleared my face right up after a couple of months. I was impressed.
Unfortunately, I had to switch pills for other reasons, and broke out again.

I have been on Alesse for about 3 months now and I haven't noticed a change in my acne (good or bad)....Going to wait another month or so because for some people they don't see a change till 6 months.....Unlike Diane 35, Alesse didn't make me gain weight.....So it has been better than Dinae 35 overall....

My acne got worse on Alesse...I stayed on it for 4months! Horrible! I am now taking ortho and it's working for me :)

I have been on Alesse for about 2 years now, and i have not had any problems with it. I did not gain weight, and I did not break out. I presonally am not very prone to pimples, just clgged pores, but Alesse has given me no troubles. It has not cleared up my face though either. My roommate has been taking ortho-tri and she likes it and feels it has helped her skin. Hope this helps, but everyone is different. -ASUgirl

LOL all women are different, one pill that can be a quick fix can be the reason for cysts for another.

Alesse was terrible for me. I was only on it for a month but I had to get off b/c it made me break out really badly. I switched to Diane-35 and was on it for 2 years, which gave me the best results. I was pretty much clear and got the occasional pimple. My doctor advised I switch to a lower dose BCP, Marvelon. My skin isn't as clear as before but it's still better than Alesse.

Hi everybody,

Alesse sucks!
Sorry I'm sure its different for everybody...
But Alesse has made my skin 10x worse than it was originally.
It reversed the progress that Accutane accomplished.
I took it about 1 and 1/2 year after Accutane (because I started breaking out again), and now my skin is a mess.
I have a dermatologist appointment next week.
I don't know what to do now?
Topical meds (clindoxyl and differin) are no longer working too!
Ahhhhhhhh.

I have also tried Allesse and it didn't help with Acne.. it didn't help as much with the cramps and flow either.. but everyone reacts different to each pill, unfortunately you have to try them out.. one after the other until you find on right for you... its a long... frustrating process!!

I just switched to Alesse from Diane about 2 months ago. Diane completley cleared up my skin, but I wanted to get off because of the high dosage of hormones and the weight gain. Reading all the posts about Alesse causing break outs is really freaking me out. Im ready to switch to Yasmin!! DID ANYONE HAVE A GOOD EXPERIENCE WITH ALESSE?!

i would ask your Dr about putting you on orthtricyclen, (I have heard)it is the only bcp approved by the fda to be marketed as an acne medication. I have been on it for years and it works awesome! it takes a month or two to start to notice a difference though.

For some reason I believe Alesse suppresed my acne. Well I really don't know how but I never had any acne before Alesse so I got on it for birth control reasons only. Well I gained about 25 lbs. which was terrible so I wanted to get off to see if I could lose weight. In the first 3 months the weight just melted off but then my face started breaking out and slowly it got worse. So I got back on the pill but this time I tried Yasmin. My face was pretty bad at the time but now Yasmin has totally worked wonders! My face is looking great now.

Well, Ortho-tri-cyclen was horrible for my daughter's acne. She gave up in her 5th month cause it just got worse and worse. I was wondering if that one didn't work, which would be the logical one to try next? And, why do derms hardly ever approach acne hormonally for teens?