{"id":8868,"date":"2017-03-10T10:25:09","date_gmt":"2017-03-10T10:25:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acneeinstein.com\/?page_id=5110"},"modified":"2017-03-10T10:25:09","modified_gmt":"2017-03-10T10:25:09","slug":"medications","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/acneeinstein.com\/hormonal-acne\/treatments\/medications\/","title":{"rendered":"Medications – The Ultimate Guide To Hormonal Acne"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
The Ultimate Guide to Hormonal Acne<\/p>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
Hormonal acne can be treated with birth control pills, antiandrogens and other pharmaceuticals. This page covers the pros and cons.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Pharmaceutical treatment options include birth control pills, antiandrogens, and insulin lowering drugs (Metformin). This post doesn\u2019t cover antibiotics. They aren\u2019t specific to hormonal acne and taking them for acne is a bad idea<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Birth control pills, or combined oral contraceptives, contain a mixture of estrogen and progesterone. They reduce androgen production and increase the production of sex hormone binding globulin, which binds to testosterone and further reduces its bioactivity. All BC pills prescribed for acne include estrogen, which helps to offset the acne-causing effect of androgens. The net effect is a significant reduction in androgen levels and acne.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t A 2014 paper<\/a> analyzed 32 studies on the effect of birth control pills on acne. This graph shows the average reduction in acne after 3 months and 6 months of treatment.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t It takes some time for the effects of birth control pills to kick in. Studies show a reasonable reduction in acne by the end of your 3rd cycle.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Keep in mind what while birth control pills reduce acne, the opposite is also true. Many women report a drastic increase in acne after stopping birth control pills<\/strong>. The post-pill acne can be much worse than acne before the pill.<\/p> Stopping the pills means there\u2019s a lot less estrogen to balance androgens, and it may take several months to a year for your hormones to balance.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t The short answer is they are all equally effective. 17 studies have compared the effectiveness or 2 or more birth control pills. None of the currently available BC pills emerged as a clear winner. Some studies showed one to perform better, other studies showed the opposite. These results show all the available birth control pills are, on average, equally effective against acne<\/strong>.<\/p> However, it\u2019s entirely possible one pill works better than the others for you<\/em>. But that\u2019s something you have to discover through trial and error.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Currently available evidence points to BC pills being by and large safe. Some women experience spotting or abnormal vaginal bleeding during the first two cycles on the pill. 10 to 20% of women also report slightly more headaches and moodiness while on the pill.<\/p> The pill is commonly blamed for reduction in sex drive and weight gain. However, a 2014 review<\/a> of 49 studies showed women taking BC pills didn\u2019t gain anymore weight than women who used other birth control methods.<\/p> Changes in sex drive and libido are reported in studies. However, a 2007 study<\/a> of 1716 women taking BC pills showed that over 80% of the participants reported no change in sexual satisfaction. Furthermore, equally many women reported improvements in sexual satisfaction than did report reductions.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\tBirth control pills<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
Beware!<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
What is the best birth control pill for acne?<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
Are birth control pills safe?<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t