Birth control pills cause acne

Question

People say that birth control causes acne while others say it doesn't. Some people actually say that it helps with acne. Are there any studies that show correlations between the two?

Answer 1

Yes, taking birth control does lead to acne. 

"Any time a woman begins to take an oral contraceptive, it takes a while for the regulating effects to kick in. Until it does, your hormones continue to fluctuate, which means that androgens may still rise and lead to acne." from Dr. Robert B. Topham a dermatology expert. 

https://www.holladaydermatology.com/blog/does-hormonal-birth-control-cause-acne#:~:text=Any%20time%20a%20woman%20begins,rise%20and%20lead%20to%20acne. 

Comments

Your answer and hyperlink seems to provide evidence that in some cases, birth control can cause acne. So birth control does not always lead to acne, but it can.

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Yes but the hormonal changes don't always lead to acne and can actually lead to sebum production being decreased, which actually would help with acne
https://www.scripps.org/news_items/7002-how-do-birth-control-pills-help-with-acne#:~:text=Birth%20control%20pills%20that%20contain,%E2%80%9D)%20can%20make%20acne%20worse.

Answer 2

Birth control and acne highly depends on the type of acne a person has. If a person has acne unrelated to hormones, then yes, birth control won't really help. I've included a link to the different types of acne that explains which ones are more hormonal related. If a person has hormonal acne, then typically as soon as the person starts on hormonal birth control their acne will get worse due to the increase in hormones before getting better. The time it takes for the person's face to clear up is dependent on the person themselves, and how long it takes their body to regulate those hormones on birth control.  Conclusion: it really depends on the type of acne that the person wants to treat. 

Acne: Treatment, Types, and More (verywellhealth.com)

Birth control for acne: How it works, types, and side effects (medicalnewstoday.com)

Comments

Do you think that birth control causes acne? From your explanation I understand that birth control won't help clear up acne necessarily, but I can't really discern your stance on whether birth control contributes negatively or causes acne...

Answer 3

According to dermatology specialists at Holladay Dermatology, taking birth control pills affects a woman's hormones. Therefore, when you first start taking birth control and your hormones still have to stabilize, you may see a difference in your acne. However, this should even out over time and not have extreme long term effects. So while birth control can have a slight impact on acne, it shouldn't be causing anything extreme.

https://www.holladaydermatology.com/blog/does-hormonal-birth-control-cause-acne#:~:text=If%20you've%20heard%20that,rise%20and%20lead%20to%20acne.

Answer 4

It depends on the type of pill or combination of pills, and the individual using them. Planned Parenthood states, "Yes. Protection against acne is a known benefit of combination pills — pills that contain both estrogen and progestin. But combination pills do not have an immediate impact on acne. It might take up to six months of use for the pill to bring relief. However, if you’re taking a progestin-only pill, it will not offer this benefit. If, after six months, your acne has not been relieved by taking the combination pill, you should talk with your health care provider about this. She or he can determine whether or not your acne it a sign of a condition that should be looked into." 

Studies have been shown to form a correlation between the two. Contemporary OBGYN states, "A Cochrane review evaluating 31 randomized controlled trials comparing COCs to other pills, acne treatments, or placebo shows that COCs consistently reduced acne lesion counts, severity grades, and self-assessed acne.7 Authors were not able to determine effectiveness of individual COC types with respect to acne improvement. Three oral contraceptive pills hold US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for acne treatment: norgestimate/ethinyl estradiol (Ortho Tri-Cyclen; Janssen Pharmaceuticals); norethindrone/ethinyl estradiol (Estrostep; Allergan); and drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol (Yaz; Bayer). 

Links to evidence:

https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/ask-experts/i-just-started-taking-the-pill-and-now-i-e2-80-99m-breaking-out-doesn-e2-80-99t-the-pill-help-with-acne

https://www.contemporaryobgyn.net/view/contraception-acne

Notes from https://www.contemporaryobgyn.net/view/contraception-acne:

7. Arowojolu AO, Gallo MF, Lopez LM, Grimes DA. Combined oral contraceptive pills for treatment of acne. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012(7):CD004425. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004425.pub6

Comments

Don't forget to add a rating to your fact-checks (true, false, opinion, misleading, etc.). Would you say this is partly true?

Answer 5

There can be effects from birth control on acne.  From the National Library of Medicine (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279209/)

I found the answer in an article from the National Center for Biotechnology Information published by the National Library of Medicine.  This article was routinely fact-checked and updated.  Birth control has not been shown to cause acne, but in many cases has shown evidence of reducing it.  Different types of birth control affect acne in different ways, however, all in ways of reduction.  

NCBI (NLM) - All of the birth control pills tested were able to improve acne. They reduced both inflammatory and non-inflammatory acne.

The studies showed that most of the pills had a similar positive effect on acne. Some medications did a little better than others in individual studies. But further studies are needed in order to be able to say whether they are actually more effective.

None of the other studies found any of the pills to be better or worse than others. So any claims that a certain pill will lead to much better skin than others pills should be taken with caution.

Answer 6

The statement that birth control causes acne is misinformation. When taking birth control, one's hormones are affected, one of those being androgen levels. Androgens are the group of hormones that are responsible for sebum production. When androgen levels are high, excess sebum is produced which then leads to acne. Birth control can help lower androgen levels, which in turn can lower sebum production and help clear up skin.

https://www.nurx.com/faq/can-birth-control-cause-acne/

Answer 7

According to the website, "Medzino United States," birth control can cause acne depending on the type of pill that one takes. Not all pills are created equally and different forms of medication can actually make acne worse or arise. Birth control pills that contain progestin hormones are more likely to worsen acne. This also depends on the different body types and how hormones react differently compared to others. 

https://www.medzino.com/us/health-center/does-hormonal-birth-control-cause-acne/

Comments

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Answer 8

According to an Article by the Holladay Dermatology & Aesthetics in Holladay Utah, “using the pill to treat acne has been an accepted FDA-approved practice for many decades” and “in general, hormonal birth control pills are considered an effective treatment for acne in some women” (HDA, Utah).

Some people might get on birth control and experience even more acne than they had when they started the pill. According to the same article by Holladay Dermatology & Aesthetics, “any time a woman begins to take an oral contraceptive, it takes a while for the regulating effects to kick in” (HDA, Utah). Until your hormones have time to balance out, you could experience a rise in androgens which could cause you to have acne flare up. Overall, this article by Holladay Dermatology suggests that it is not the birth control that makes you have acne but it is the change in the balance of your hormones that can trigger some until it is regulated. This is a reliable source because Holladay Dermatology & Aesthetics is a professional and trustworthy Dermatology facility. 

Master Esthetician and creator of Art of Skin Care, Inc, Jeana LeClerc, suggests that acne safe birth controls are those that contain “at least 35 mcg or .035 mg of Ethinyl estradiol and progestin with a low androgenic effect”. 

Sources:

Does hormonal birth control cause acne? Does Hormonal Birth Control Cause Acne?: Holladay Dermatology & Aesthetics: Dermatology and Aesthetic Specialists. (n.d.). Retrieved March 6, 2023, from https://www.holladaydermatology.com/blog/does-hormonal-birth-control-cause-acne#:~:text=Any%20time%20a%20woman%20begins,rise%20and%20lead%20to%20acne. 

LeClerc, J. (2020, November 3). Acne Lesson 7: Birth control and acne. Art of Skin Care. Retrieved March 6, 2023, from https://learn.artofskincare.com/acne-lesson-7-is-your-birth-control-pill-giving-you-acne/ 

Answer 9

Birth control can help or worsen acne BUT it depends on the type. 

According to Scripps Health, a not-for-profit, integrated health system in San Diego, pills that contain the hormones estrogen and progesterone reduce functional androgen levels. This causes a reduction in sebum production and therefore overall "helps acne".

However, there are other types of birth control that contain only progesterone (but not also estrogen), and these pills can make a person's acne worse. 

It is important to note that birth control's main purpose is typically not to treat acne, but the FDA has now approved three different kinds of birth control that DOES work to mainly help acne. These include Ortho Tri-Cyclen, Estrostep, and YAZ. This is according to https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/acne/birth-control-for-acne-treatment. 

Link to Scripps Source: 

https://www.scripps.org/news_items/7002-how-do-birth-control-pills-help-with-acne#:~:text=Birth%20control%20pills%20that%20contain,%E2%80%9D)%20can%20make%20acne%20worse.

Answer 10

Birth control pills are a very safe and effective way to prevent pregnancy. However, what a lot of people don't know is that these pills can also be used to treat acne. Jonathan Dunn, MD and OB-GYN at Scripps Clinic Carmel Valley said in an article, "Certain types of birth control pills can help treat blackheads, whiteheads, pimples, and cystic acne. He then went on to explain how they're very effective in treating hormonal acne that is along the jaw and lower face.The FDA has even acknowledge how these pills can help fight acne and have approved three types for acne. These types include Ortho Tai-Cyclen, Estropep, and YAZ. However, it's important to recognize that birth control pills won't clear up acne overnight and will take several months before the acne starts to clear up.

https://www.scripps.org/news_items/7002-how-do-birth-control-pills-help-with-acne

Comments

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