{"id":137345,"date":"2019-03-27T02:00:39","date_gmt":"2019-03-27T09:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/?p=137345"},"modified":"2020-04-17T06:40:32","modified_gmt":"2020-04-17T13:40:32","slug":"how-birth-control-affects-acne","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/how-birth-control-affects-acne\/","title":{"rendered":"How Birth Control Actually Affects Acne, According to a Dermatologist"},"content":{"rendered":"

For a lot of us, the bane of our teenage years, aka acne, comes back to haunt us in adulthood more often than we\u2019d like to admit. Around\u00a080 percent<\/a>\u00a0of people from puberty to age 30 struggle with some sort of acne.<\/p>\n

Zit-covered (and so over it), we found ourselves on a journey to discover the best possible solution, and somewhere along the way, we wondered about birth control.<\/p>\n

So can it actually help with acne? Below, a dermatologist weighs in on birth control and its impact on breakouts.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all about hormone balance<\/strong>
\nAccording to Dr. Yoram Harth, a board-certified dermatologist and medical\u00a0director of MDacne<\/a>, \u201chormonal imbalance is one of the leading causes of acne.\u201d Harth explains that three primary hormones are involved in this process. \u201cTestosterone is a male hormone (androgen) that is produced in both men and women. In high levels, testosterone increases the size of the skin oil glands and the sebum production (oil) in the skin. Both men and women can suffer from either too high or too low levels of oestrogen and testosterone, which can trigger a range of health issues like the ones discussed in this article. Thankfully there are plenty of advice websites around that can help offer impartial guidance, check out trtuk.co.uk <\/a>for a prime example,” he says. “When the oil glands in the skin grow, they are frequently clogged by dead skin cells, leading to overgrowth of acne bacteria, more inflammation, and more acne.\u201d Progesterone and estrogen are produced only in women, but progesterone\u2019s effects can mimic those of testosterone to increase breakouts. <\/p>\n

Birth control content matters<\/strong>
\nHarth explains that it\u2019s often the mix of hormones in your birth control that determines its effect on your skin. \u201cAs a rule of thumb, birth control pills that contain a low level of progesterone will have a lower androgenic (testosterone-like) effect and would be more valuable for people with acne.\u201d<\/p>\n

Healthy hormone combos<\/strong>
\nHarth’s birth control recommendation for the average acne sufferer? \u201cTaking birth control pills that contain both estrogen and progesterone lowers the number of androgens in your body,” he says. “The best birth control pills for women with acne typically contain at least 35 micrograms of ethinyl\u00a0estradiol and progestin with a low androgenic effect.\u201d Regardless of its form or impact on other menstrual symptoms, not all birth control is created equal. \u201cBirth control pills that contain only progesterone can make acne worse,\u201d Harth explains.<\/p>\n

Research has something to say<\/strong>
\nThough birth control has many potential benefits, it also carries a risk of side effects. Either way, according to Harth, \u201cthe FDA has approved three types of birth control pills for acne that combine estrogen with low dose progesterone. Ortho Tri-Cyclen, Estrostep, and Yaz. Yasmin and Alesse have not been approved by the FDA for use in acne but have also been shown to improve acne.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether or not your doctor determines that birth control is the right choice for your acne, knowing your options is the best first step. As always, be sure to consult your dermatologist or doctor with any health concerns.<\/p>\n

From adult acne to dealing with a UTI, women bear some serious struggles. To help ease the pain, doctors share their best advice for avoiding a UTI<\/a>.<\/p>\n

xx, The FabFitFun Team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":"For a lot of us, the bane of our teenage years, aka acne, comes back ...","author":5063680,"featured_media":137357,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4,5,275],"tags":[],"thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/static.fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/27113647\/pills.jpg","thumbnail_url_middle_card":"https:\/\/static.fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/27113647\/pills-386x200.jpg","formated_date":"March 27, 2019","category_name":"Wellness","category_icon":"https:\/\/d3vodd1ws13xud.cloudfront.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/10113835\/health-2.svg","author_name":"","trending":false,"sponsored":false,"random_color":"#c6fdff","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137345"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5063680"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137345"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137345\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/137357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}