Birth Control Pills And Acne
January 7, 2009
It is well known that consuming pills for birth control can help to tackle the menace of acne. In fact you may have consumed it for the above reason. But as new pills are flooding the market, you must know which pill would best suit your need.
Before you start taking contraceptive pills you should consult your doctor who will be having a track record of your medical history and can advise you likewise. But we would like to give you a preliminary idea about these oral contraceptives. Most of the pills in the market are made up of both estrogen and progestin, i.e. synthetic progesterone, which helps in preventing estrogen’s side effects.
Progestins act variedly. They may act as androgens (male hormones) or anti-androgens (blocking male hormones), or at times they are neutral and can do neither of the above functions. Androgens can make the oil glands hyperactive leading to over secretion of sebum and worsening the problem of acne. So, in that case it is advisable to use pills which are anti androgenic.
So, it means that all birth control pills will not help in healing acne. So, if you have acne problem, then go for those pills which has low androgenic activity like norethindrone, desogestrel, norgestimate, levonorgestrel etc.
Currently, there are 4 oral contraceptives, which have got the approval of the FDA for treating acne. They are – Ortho Tri cyclene, Yaz and Estrostep. Another is Yasmin, which partly similar to Yaz, though it has not been specifically approved for acne treatment. Both Yasmin and Yaz contain drospirenone which is an effective anti-androgen.
Now to talk about estrogen a bit, it may be said that estrogen assists acne by balancing the natural levels of androgen and thereby minimizing the oil production by the skin. But modern low estrogen level pills can also help in acne control.
Though oral contraceptives are effective in controlling oil production by our skin, they should be used along with other treatment methods which are specifically meant for such purposes. Retinoids, salicylic acids and alpha hydroxy acids are also good tools for acne treatment. It should be mentioned here that birth control pills, though surely help in acne treatment, start working only after 3 to 6 months, hence giving you another reason not to depend on them solely for treating acne.
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