Do Birth Control Pills Prevent or Cause Acne?
There have been long standing rumors circulating about the correlation between birth control pills and acne break outs. Many people claim that birth control pills
increase the likelihood of breakouts while many completely disagree claiming that birth control pills substantially decrease the likelihood of breakouts.
What is the truth? In order to understand the truth, it is imperative to understand what the birth control pill is and what it does. Once that understanding
is developed, the connection is quite simple.
The purpose of a birth control pill is to prevent pregnancy. Birth control pills do this by altering both hormonal patterns and the natural female reproductive cycle.
Birth control pills can either be made up of either progestin alone (called the minipill), or of a combination of synthetic estrogen and progestin.
The combination birth control pill has estrogen, which is usually in the form of ethinyl estradiol, or mestranol. The majority of birth
control pills use estrogen in the form of ethinyl etradiol, which acts to lower levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) and increase the sex
hormone binding globulin (SHBG). This in turn lowers testosterone. There is a certain capacity in the human body that can be claimed by the
summation of testosterone and estrogen; the amount one increases, the other proportionally decreases. When testosterone production is suppressed,
the amount of oil produced by the sebaceous glands is reduced. Since birth control pills reduce the amount of testosterone within the body, they
often improve hormonal-based acne breakouts.
The fact is that birth control pills do effectively help fight acne breakouts in some cases. In fact, recently
doctors have begun prescribing birth control pills specifically to reduce acne in patients, but this acne fighting
strategy comes with a huge risk. The draw back is the numerous side effects of birth control pills that can cause very
erious and sometimes life threatening consequences. It's possible that the pills may make your acne even worse or stop
acne from being fully treated. Make sure to consult a doctor before deciding to seek any sort of prescribed drug.
The most effective way to treat acne is through prevention. While the birth control pill may help decrease acne
breakouts in some women, it is easier and less risky to prevent acne breakouts by taking care of your skin daily
with acne products that are designed to prevent clogged pores and cleanse dirt away.