Birth Control & Acne

Note: I am NOT a doctor. You should always discuss concerns with your skin & birth control with your physician. 

Birth control is used for many purposes but it can be used to help your acne. 

How does birth control help acne:

-regulates hormones 

-lowers body testosterone level, which can reduce acne (testosterone is the male hormone that increases oil production)

Before starting or stopping birth control remember these things: 

-sometimes your acne will flare up when starting or stopping birth control (hormones are changing) this may last around 3 months

-hormonal breakouts are typically cystic and located around the chin area 

Which birth control is best for acne: 

Generally skin is clearer when the pill has moderate to high forms of estrogen. 

Higher is estrogen and lower in androgen. 

A few examples include: 

-orthotricyclen 

-sprintec 

-zovia 

Which birth control is bad for acne: 

Higher in androgen and low in estrogen. 

A few examples include:

-depo-provera (plus you'll gain a TON of wait...trust me my body has never been the same)

-mirena or skylar IUD

-nuvaring 

Remember I am in no way a doctor but after researching and discussing with physicians I thought I would share these tips. Many of my clients struggle with acne issues and birth control so I thought this information could be useful.