Birth Control and acne
Birth control isn’t the acne cure-all that some people seem to think it is. I
was very
surprised and frustrated when my Ortho Tri-Cyclen was not significantly helping
my acne. My derm
told me that this is very normal; BC only helps in about 50% of the acne cases.
He said that
(surprise, surprise) OTC, which was a household name 20 years ago, was being
replaced by other BC
drugs. OTC was freaking out about being replaced, so they tested on acne, and
saw some good
results. Therefore, they can now say they "cure" acne, again making it a
household name.
However, it’s all in the advertising… I still take my OTC, but I don’t count
on it to help my
acne.
I hope this helps some of you!
Karyn
November 27th, 2004 at 2:02 am
yeah its pretty hit or miss with bc clearing acne.. works for some and not
for others… guess its just trial and error.. that makes total sense about
the OTC marketing themselves to a new niche!
November 27th, 2004 at 7:56 am
It’s just as hit / miss with the hormone balancing they were intended to do
- Katie
… this whole thing, along with the whole viagra thing, makes me wonder if
they’ll come up with a bcp for men and call it something else
December 6th, 2004 at 2:26 am
I have had the same experience with bcp. I took Alesse, which screwed
with my body really bad, so I went off that and onto Ortho Cyclen,
which my doctor told me would help with my acne. I was on it for
almost a year, with little improvement. It changed my acne a little
bit, from little bumps to big ones instead. I decided to quit taking
the Ortho because I wasn’t sexually active and it wasn’t helping my
acne. At first, for a couple of weeks, my skin was ok-a couple of
little bumps. Then, when it came to be that time of the month, my
face went insane on me-tiny bumps all over my forehead and chin area.
Even a few popping up in strange places-arms or hands.
I’m considering going back to the doc to see what they can do for me,
but I also thought of diet instead. Has anyone had success with
lowering their carbohydrates and getting rid of acne? I know I’m a
carb addict and think I’ll try that first. Any help?
Mindy