Despite using a variety of acne treatments, are you still suffering from spots and blemishes? Are you also having trouble clearing acne on your chest or back? Are you asking yourself, does birth control help with acne? If you answered yes to any of these questions, hormone therapy for acne might be an option for you.
Hormonal therapy is any type of medication that works with your hormones. Hormonal therapies for acne include oral contraceptives (birth control pills) and spironolactone. Dermatologists use birth control in the treatment of acne when other treatments and topical medications have not been successful alone. However, oral birth control might not be right for everyone. If you are over the age of 35 and smoke, have heart problems, have a history of blood clots or migraines, or haven’t reached puberty, oral birth control may not be the answer. Talk with your doctor.
Birth Control Used In Acne Treatment
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved four combination oral contraceptives for acne treatment in women who also want to use it for contraception. These include Ortho Tri-Cyclen, Estrostep, Yaz, and Beyaz. Because you may not notice the benefits of this treatment for several months, combining it with other acne treatments for the first few weeks may be beneficial.
Your doctor’s treatment plan will be based on your age, the type and severity of your acne, and how much time you’re ready to devote to it. It is common that you may need to wash and apply treatments twice a day to the affected area for several weeks. Topical and oral therapies are frequently used together.
There are a variety of hormonal birth control options available (including the pill, Nuvaring, IUDs, shots, or implants), but combination oral contraceptive pills are the only ones used to treat hormonal acne. There are two types of birth control pills: combination pills (which contain estrogen and progestin hormones) and progestin only pills (which contain only progestin). To treat acne, both the progestin and estrogen combination birth control pills are needed. This is because the estrogen component helps counteract androgen hormones (like testosterone), which in turn prevents your body from producing too much oil and clogging your pores. Progestin only pills are not used to help with acne. Certain progestins contained in combination pills may be more helpful than others according to research. Drospirenone is the progestin found in Yaz and Beyaz and has been found to be the most helpful for acne. However, drosperinone has been linked to an increased risk of blood clots compared to other progestins. Norethindrone and norgestimate are the progestins found in Estrostep and Ortho Tri-Cyclen, respectively, and are also helpful for acne.
Discount Birth Control
Studies have answered the question of ‘Does birth control help with acne?’. Many people have experienced results in treating multiple types of acne, although results may vary. Talk to your doctor if you are still battling acne after trying topical treatments and see if hormonal treatment is right for you. Before your next trip to the pharmacy, Use The Easy Drug Card price finder to find the lowest prices on prescriptions in your area. Download our free discount prescription card to get up to an 80% discount!
Resources:
“Acne” The Mayo Clinic, 11 June 2021,
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/acne/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20368048
“STUBBORN ACNE? HORMONAL THERAPY MAY HELP” American Academy Of Dermatology Association, 11 June 2021,
https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/acne/derm-treat/hormonal-therapy
