by: Rodel Garcia

There are quite a few prescription medications used to combat acne,
but one of the most frequent choices for women is the use of a birth
control pill for acne. This approach can be used with teenagers as
well as adult women, but if you're a guy, you are out of luck. Using
the birth control pill for acne on a man is a recipe for disaster.
The female hormones would wreak havoc on a man's system.

For women though, the birth control pill for acne can be a minor
miracle. And if your acne is severe enough to require use of the
most dangerous acne drug, birth control is an absolute necessity.
You will not be able to take the risky drug without also using the
birth control pill for acne.

Why does using the birth control pill for acne work?
Teen girls and women often experience outbreaks of acne just before
their menstrual periods. This is especially true with teens because
their hormones are often surging out of whack and haven't settled
into a more even production yet. The birth control pill for acne
works by evening out those hormonal surges. When a woman's hormones
are regulated by using the birth control pill for acne, they often
find the breakouts lessen in both frequency and severity.

Is taking birth control pills for acne right for you?
The hormones estrogen, progestin and testosterone can be wildly
unstable in the first few years after a girl enters puberty. The
fluctuating levels of these hormones can really irritate the acne
nearly all teens are prone to suffer. For girls experiencing
moderate or worse breakouts, and the embarrassment that comes with
them, using birth control pills for acne can be a miracle. Not only
do their systems calm down, the breakouts become milder. Adult women
often appreciate the clearer skin that comes with the pill, even
though they weren't using birth control pills for acne in the first
place.

If you are suffering severe acne problems, your doctor may choose to
put you on very effective medication called isotretinoin. This drug,
sold under the name Accutane, is very powerful, highly effective and
absolutely not to be used during pregnancy. This is where birth
control pills for acne are most often prescribed.

Accutane can cause such damage to a fetus that if a doctor
prescribes it for you, he is required by law to make sure you have
two negative pregnancy tests no more than a week before you start
taking the drug. You have to be using birth control, so most doctors
prescribe birth control pills for acne as well, and you must have a
negative pregnancy test before each month's refill of Accutane.

These regulations have been in place for some time, but because
pregnancies while on isotretinoin are still happening, new federal
regulations have been added. If you take the drug, you are required
to sign into a national database so doctors, pharmacists and the
government can track users of the drug and make sure all the
anti-pregnancy precautions are being taken, including birth control
pills for acne and a second form of birth control.

What are the side effects to taking birth control pills for acne?
If your doctor prescribes birth control pills for acne and you take
the correct dosage, using the medication according to instructions,
then the side effects are very minimal.

The standard but generally low risks of birth control pills for acne
or other uses include weight gain, nausea, irregular or breakthrough
(during the month) bleeding. In very rare cases, this medication can
cause problems with blood pressure, blood clots and perhaps even
heart attacks or strokes.

One important thing to know about taking birth control pills for
acne is that if your doctor also prescribes antibiotics, and you're
using the pill for pregnancy protection as well, you'll want to add
a backup method of birth control. The birth control pill for acne
will still help manage your skin, but can fail to protect you from
pregnancy while you're also on antibiotics.


About the Author
Rodel Garcia was an acne sufferer one time in my life. WebAuthor of
these websites and hoping in my own little way help the acne
sufferers cure their acne..
Acne SCAR Products and Reviews
Acne Products and Reviews