Do Birth Control Pills Work On Acne?

One of the better ways of controlling acne is using low-dosage birth-control hormonal pills. Despite serious debate about possible long-term side effects of using the birth control pills, they become increasingly popular amongst women across the World (yes, gentlemen, this isn’t for you) not only as a birth-control method, but also as an easy acne treatment.

How do birth control pills work on acne?

The main reason of acne is the androgens’ (male hormones’) overproduction. They cause the over-activity of the oil glands in the skin, which, in turn, causes the pores’ clogging and starts breakouts. Low-dosage hormonal pills, while used mostly for birth-control, reduce the amount of androgens in the body, thus curing most light or moderate cases of acne.

Is it popular?

Yes and no. While it is very popular to take such medications for birth control, acne isn’t usually treated this way. However more and more physicians (gynecologists and dermatologists alike) start prescribing birth control pills as a mean to treat light or moderate cases of acne. In Canada one of the low-dosage birth control pills (Diane 35) is widely used not as a birth control pill, but as a part of acne treatment.

Has it been proved?

The anti-acne effect of birth control pills has been studied and most researchers agree that using hormonal pills is advised both for birth control and acne treatment. It has been proved that using them reduce the severity of acne.

Possible side effects of using birth control pills for curing acne

However, low-dosage birth control pills aren’t perfect. First, they can’t cope with severe acne cases – they can regulate the androgens’ level only to a degree. Then, there is a problem of more or less serious side effects. Tampering with body’s hormonal balance is possible and can help in keeping birth control and in treating acne, but it can also be dangerous. It is advised to balance the gain – birth control, acne treatment etc. – with the potential losses. And one more thing - always use them under your gynecologist’s supervision, whether you need them for birth control or acne treatment.

1. Depression

Depression is probably one of the most common side effects of using birth control pills. Acne will be cured anyway, but you may rather wish not to replace it with depression.

2. Minor health problems

In a few cases birth control pills, even if they’re low-dosage ones used for curing acne, can cause several annoying and/or moderately dangerous side effects, such as vaginal bleeding, fluid retention or melasma - dark patches in the skin, similar to those caused by mynocycline. As with depression, you may consider acne something better than those.

3. Major side effects

There are also some very rare, but extremely serious side effects of birth-control pills. They are known to increase chances of having a heart attack, blood clots and breast cancer – and these are even greater if you’re a smoker.