The Best Birth Control Pills to Treat Acne
BEST BIRTH CONTROL PILLS TO TREAT ACNE
There was a recent study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology that found birth control pills to be as effective as antibiotics when fighting acne breakouts. This is great news for those who are deciding whether oral contraceptives are right for them anyway. As a young woman, dealing with constant acne breakouts can be a blow to the ego and self-esteem. This is when job interviews and first dates are par for the course. There is no lack of acne remedies on the market, but it’s very difficult to find a treatment that does what it says. One thing that has been proven to help clear up the skin in young women is birth control pills. Dermatologists have been prescribing oral birth control pills to treat acne for years.
How Birth Control Pills for the Treatment of Acne Works
Birth control pills are considered a hormonal treatment for acne. So how do hormones play into the overall formation of acne? Here’s how: Acne forms as a result of overproduction of sebum. When the sebum combines with dead skin cells, they can clog the pores and become the perfect environment for the acne bacteria to grow and form into a pimple. A group of hormones known as androgens, which contain testosterone, can stimulate the overproduction of sebum. When puberty strikes, these hormones are known to go into overdrive. When you take birth control pills that have both estrogen and progesterone in them, they help lower the amount of androgens in your body and thus resulting in less sebum production. You must be careful not to take birth control pills that have only progesterone, as they can make acne more severe.
Which Brands are the Best Birth Control for Acne?
While there are many different brands of oral birth control pills on the market, there are actually only three that have been FDA-approved for the treatment of acne, they are: Ortho Tri-Cyclen, Estrostep and YAZ. Each of these three pills contains a combination of low dose estrogen and a form of progesterone. According to studies, there is no major difference between these three birth control pills in relation to how they treat acne. Speak to your dermatologist about how you can determine which of these pills is the best birth control for acne for your personal skin and body. Keep in mind that birth control pills tackle only one of the factors that contribute to acne, which is excess sebum production. For a complete acne-fighting regimen, it’s important that you also use the right products and also incorporate in-office procedures such as blue light therapy and Isolaz.
