Time to consult your doctor for effective birth control pills for the treatment of acne! Hunting two birds in one shot is possible now! If you are looking for ways to have a good contraception and also clear your skin of acne, you better embark on the safe birth control pills. They are the sure shot ways of avoiding unwanted pregnancy. Also they have proved their mettle by reducing the formation of acne at all ages. Many couples have made use of different brands of birth control pills for acne, depending upon their efficacy and suitability in a particular couple.

Why birth control pills for acne?

This is the question most girls and ladies ask. Why is it so that the same birth control pills we use for contraception can be used to prevent break out of acne? Well, it is a well known fact that the eruptions or acne result due to imbalance in androgenic hormones in the body. The testosterone is present also in a woman, the main culprit that induces oil glands or sebaceous glands to produce excess oil, thus increasing the chances of blockage of pores and acne.

The birth control pills that contain estrogen mainly reduce the production of testosterone in the body. The pills for acne do this by decreasing the luteinizing hormone (LH) levels and increasing the levels of sex hormone binding globulin. As this sex hormone globulin is blocked, automatically the testosterone levels drop. Thus it is observed that women who use oral birth control pills have low levels of body testosterone, a fact that reduces the chance of acne.

What are the different contraceptive pills used to lower the acne risk?

  • Now we know that the pills for acne should reduce the testosterone levels in body. This means that the birth control pills that have anti-androgenic effect help in lowering the acne risk.
  • For mild to moderate acne in women, the birth control pills can be the best prescription acne medication. Even for severe forms of acne, birth control pills can be used along with exclusive topical skin treatment. Ortho-tricyclen is a combination of 0.035 mg of ethinyl estradiol and norgestimate. This is used frequently to reduce the acne risk along with providing adequate contraceptive effect.
  • A combination of 0.020 mg ethinyl estradiol and 0.10 mg levonorgestrel can be considered as the best pill for acne. Marketed as Alesse, the product has very good anti-acne effect because of its low dose estrogen. Due to the low dose effect, this birth control pill also reduces the side effects of cardiovascular insufficiencies and obesity.
  • Cyproterone acetate in combination with ethinyl estradiol is used in some birth control pills. It has been postulated that this combination is also useful for blocking the androgenic activity, thus lowering acne significantly.

Thus the birth control pills in combination of certain elements are used as pills for acne. But definitely one needs to be patient for the effect to be visualized. May be after few months of starting birth control pills, you can notice difference in the acne formation. The stages in the life of a woman when there are maximum fluctuations of hormones, that is, during puberty and menopause, there are chances of flaring up of acne. During this period if the birth control pills are used after weighing its pros and cons, one can be benefited.

All and all, always consult your gynecologist and skin specialist before starting any of these birth control pills, when all other options fail to control the flare up of acne!

Best Pill For Acne

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