birth control

[WanderingSoul]

Hey guys.. I haven't posted on this board in several months, because my face has been clear! (Well, maybe i'll get one pimple occasionally, but nothing very bothersome.)

And the secret is definitely birth control pills. (I am really sorry to all the non-females here, because I guess this won't be all that helpful to them.) It takes one or two cycles for it to kick in, but it DOES work. I've used ortho-cyclen and ortho-tricyclen (generic), and BOTH have worked very well for me.

Anyways, just wanted to throw that out there. And, when I did get acne, it was all the time; not more noticeable before my period or anything like that. So I didn't think it was hormonal.. but apparently it was. Because ALL my acne has cleared up!

Hope this helps.

[krista4730]

Hi! I just read your thread on birth control. I'm 19 and I use to never have a problem with acne maybe a pimple here and there but it seems lately for the last few months that I break out...not all the time but alot more than what I use to. And I've tried absoultely everything and like I said its mild-moderate acne. So I just started on Ortho- tricyclen because I thought maybe it was hormonal. I've only taken it one month and I'm getting ready to start the second month. It kinda seem like the whole first month its got kinda worse but maybe I was just thinking that. I know you said it cleared up your face and how long should it take before I start seeing any results? And is there a chance that It really did make my face worse in just the first month? Thank you!

[babygirl2005_21]

Yes birth control has always kept me pretty clear. I was on Alesse but I had to stop it because it made me gain weight. When I stopped it my face broke out like crazy. I had to get back on the pill so now I take Yasmin. I can't say it keeps me as clear but no weight gain so that's good. Do you think when it is hormonal acne you get cysts? Or do you think hormonal acne can be whiteheads too?

[krista39]

When I break out I get little whiteheads....and it seems like there is two or three that pop up every hour!lol but my face will be clear for a few days and then it will do that. Did you face get worse for the first month you took birth control?

[WanderingSoul]

Krista-- It definitely took me a few months to see any results with the birth control.. And the results weren't sudden; it was gradual... but one day I was like, "Hey, I'm not getting pimples anymore!" That was maybe 3 months after I'd started.

I don't think I had an initial break-out when I went on the pill.. but, it had gotten pretty bad by that point. If I didn't break out any more, I also didn't improve during that time. I don't want to scare you, but for some people, I think birth control pills can increase acne (maybe not all kinds of bc pills though). But.. if you want to see if this works, I would do 2 more months of it, and then decide.

Krista-- I don't know if hormonal acne is specifically cysts or whiteheads. I'm confident I've found a solution for my skin, but I do NOT have any grandiose delusions of now being an "acne expert." My pimples were basically your standard, pink-bump pimples. But I would think hormonal acne could be anything. ??