Contraceptives and Female Acne

A gynecologist to get rid of pimples? Absolutely. Oral contraceptives, the most common hormonal medications used today, can be part of the treatment because they lower free testosterone. The male hormone testosterone appears at low levels in a normal healthy female. At certain stages of life, such as puberty or menopause, testosterone levels can vary greatly, producing a host of disturbing symptoms, including acne that resists all conventional treatments.

Some oral contraceptives have been approved for treatment of acne in women who want to be on the Pill. These drugs reduce the number of pimples by about 50%, on average. While this is significant, birth control pills don’t adequately clear the skin of all women with breakouts. And, of course, they are not an option for women who prefer not to take oral contraceptives. There are other ways, however, to prevent the hormonal triggering of acne.

Other testosterone blockers can produce similar results. Spironolactone is usually quite effective. Spironolactone is most often used combined with oral contraceptives, but it can also be used by itself. Originally developed as a blood-pressure medicine, spironolactone blocks a specific blood pressure-raising hormone. Because testosterone resembles this other hormone chemically, it is blocked by spironolactone as well. Although no existing studies have shown that birth defects can arise with the use of spironolactone, since it blocks testosterone, such complications are theoretically possible. Therefore, it would probably be best not to become pregnant while taking this medication.

Another oral contraceptive contains drospirenone, a form of progesterone (a female hormone), and a close cousin of spironolactone. The FDA has not come up with labeling instructions for its use as an acne treatment in the United States. However, its effects are about the same as that of low dosages of spironolactone. Research has shown that spironolactone at lower doses is less effective…so drospirenone may not be an answer for acne treatment.

Always remember that there is no “overnight cure” for acne. Once a breakout has risen to the skin’s surface, it must heal gradually. The temptation is to treat acne only when breakouts occur, but the better course of action would be to prevent the breakouts from happening in the first place. Above all, when you find an acne treatment that works for you, use it all the time, not just when those whiteheads and blackheads stare back at your from the mirror.

Articles on Female Acne:

• Androgens and Female Acne
• Female Acne and Treatment
• Menopause and Female Acne
• Hormones and Female Acne