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

According to Bioclarity, some types of birth control can contribute to acne, but taking birth control doesn't directly cause acne. Because of hormone fluctuations, "As pores fill up with excess sebum, the oily substance may combine with dead skin cells, debris, and P. acnes bacteria, and begin the formation of a pimple." "Since hormonal fluctuations are a major cause of acne due to increased amounts of androgens, the level of hormones in birth control can affect the frequency and severity of acne breakouts." In conclusion, this is an exaggerated/ misleading statement because birth control doesn't directly cause acne, it just depends on the person's hormone levels.  

https://www.bioclarity.com/blogs/clear-skin/can-birth-control-cause-acne

Answer 2

According to Dr. Anna Klepchukova, intensive care medicine specialist and chief medical officer, Birth control that contains a progestin that has an androgenic effect on your body is likely to increase the chances of acne breakouts. 

Apart from acne, androgenic effects can consist of balding and unwanted hair growth. 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved several types of birth control pills to treat acne. All of them are combination oral contraceptives that contain both estrogen and progestin 

Choosing the one best for each individual may require some research on their part and a conversation with a doctor or gynecologist. 

The same birth control could have different effects on different people, just like any other medication. 

Source: https://flo.health/menstrual-cycle/sex/birth-control/can-birth-control-cause-acne 

Answer 3

This is all depending on the persons genetics as some people get super bad acne while others naturally don't get as much acne. There are also different types of birth controls that cause different side effects so it's very important to look at the side effects and ingredients for everything you're consuming.

Comments

There are also lots of studies on different birth controls, and you can access some of this information by asking your doctor !

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What are your sources for your fact-check?

Answer 4

According to the article from Flo, "Different pills have different chemical formulations, and the side effects these chemicals can have can vary from person to person." The article continues on to say that some birth control doesn't contain the same ingredients and that some might contain more progestin or estrogen that can give an "androgenic effect on your body." Androgen is a male sex hormone. 

Flo

The article written on the Westlake Dermatology website by dermatologist Doctor Melinda Conroy, provides 4 types of FDA-approved birth control for acne which are, "Ortho Tri-Cyclen, Estrostep, Yaz, and Beyaz. This shows how not all birth control can help reduce acne and these 4 FDA-approved can be used for this purpose. Doctor Conroy also says that "Birth control pills that contain only progesterone may cause acne." Saying that usually pills that only contain progesterone it leads to higher chances of producing acne as progesterone, "can raise body temperature and increase sweating in addition to increasing sebum production. Combined, this often makes acne worse."

Westlake Dermatology

From the research I did, I concluded that it depends on the type of birth control you take and how your body responds to it is what determines why some people have certain symptoms and some don't such as acne. Also, birth control that contains progesterone can lead to acne developing. If someone is serious about taking birth control to reduce acne or is scared to take it because of the effects, they should try speaking with their doctor and a licensed dermatologist. 

Answer 5

Many medications contain a variety of chemical ingredients, and each person will react differently to these chemicals' side effects. This explains why some people use birth control pills without developing acne, while others do.

The number one health app, Flo, has been recognized for themes like this and has cycle prediction and menstruation monitoring features. They have also investigated this subject, claiming:

 There are many different birth control choices on the market. While they all prevent pregnancy, not all birth control choices contain the same ingredients. Most hormonal birth control contains estrogen and progestin. Different contraceptives use different types of progestin, and each type of progestin can affect your body differently. There are some contraceptives choices that can increase the chances of acne breakouts by containing a progestin that has an androgenic effect on your body. 

(https://flo.health/menstrual-cycle/sex/birth-control/can-birth-control-cause-acne)

How each individual's body responds to the contraceptive will differ depending on that person; thus, we can't solely justify birth control as the main cause of acne.