Birth Control Pills

[Journey]

my daughter thinks she has horrible acne.  I'll admit that she doesn't have the greatest skin and yes she does have some pimples but I don't see them like she does.  I totally understand her frustration though so don't get me wrong.  She has tried almost everything on the face of this earth to try to clear it up and they just won't go away.  Accutane is not an option and I don't think a doctor would even recommend it because her skin is just.not.that.bad.  so we are thinking of birth control pills.  has anyone had any experience using them for this purpose?  She has read that they can cause mood swings and anger and sometimes my nice daughter can be very angry because of her perfectionism (is that even a word?) so she's kind of afraid of that being a problem.  but I as a mom, want to know the good, the bad and the ugly.  So anyone?  TY!

[Hyacinth]

Have you been to a dermatologist for an evaluation and treatment options?

 

Has she tried zinc? 

 

I wouldn't want to mess with hormones simply for the sake of clear skin. I mean, if she needed it for birth control and the clear skin was a happy side effect--great. But the risks wouldn't be worth it to me. 

[Journey]

we have an appointment for the dermatologist in September (takes that long) she's been to her pediatirician for the acne but what was prescribed doesn't work.  yes, she has tried zinc.  honey.  oil pulling.  eating naturally.  toothpaste on them, proactive, the one in the purple and silver box regime, drinking green tea, water, no dairy, no fried foods, over the counter topicals, the list goes on I can't even remember more.   I just feel like it's her hormones raging on a daily basis.  when she gets her period she gets them heavy and very very bad cramping.  IDK if all of it ties in together. 

[Loowit]

If she hasn't seen a dermatologist I would recommend she do that first.

 

I would not mess with my hormones just for clear skin, although I know that it is a hard time for teenagers that are going through it and they think it is the worst thing in the world.  I think I would much rather deal with the emotional mindset behind it and help her come to terms with it than offer a medical solution that is (IMO) overly aggressive.

 

My experience with BCP was not positive.  They caused me to gain weight, along with emotional side effects. 

[TeacherZee]

I don't have experience with this reason for using it but I will say that BCP evened out my mood swings.

[Camelfeet]

I would have no problems taking BC for clear skin, especially if the BC might help out with the other period symptoms.  I had bad acne as a teen and it DESTROYED my self esteem and happiness. 

 

I'd still see a derm.  When my 11 year old is a few years older, I intend on getting her on the bcp for her acne.  Puberty isn't being kind to her skin and I don't want her to go through what I did, but hers is bad and I'm looking to prevent having to get accutane for her.

[LatteMama]

In my early 20s I tried all kinds of BCP.  Some cleared up my mild to moderate acne and some didn't.  But all of them caused me to gain weight!  I would take acne any day over being fat.  And it messed up my moods like crazy. 

[arnold]

Go for it, bad skin can ruin self-esteem in a teenager, or even an adult for that matter.

[HS Mom in NC]

Acutane and birth control pills aren't the only 2 options out there.  See a dermatologist for a complete list of options.

[JumpyTheFrog]

DH's body acne flares up a lot when he eats more than tiny amounts of fruit. He ate a lot of bananas one month and it was terrible.

 

Perhaps cod liver oil (for vitamin A - retinoids like Accutane are related to vitamin A) and probiotics would help. Also, I've seen online places selling some sort of blue light treatment that is supposed to help. I can't remember what it's called.

[kitten18]

I would have no problems taking BC for clear skin, especially if the BC might help out with the other period symptoms. I had bad acne as a teen and it DESTROYED my self esteem and happiness.

 

I'd still see a derm. When my 11 year old is a few years older, I intend on getting her on the bcp for her acne. Puberty isn't being kind to her skin and I don't want her to go through what I did, but hers is bad and I'm looking to prevent having to get accutane for her.

I completely agree.

[Word Nerd]

Have you been to a dermatologist for an evaluation and treatment options?

 

Has she tried zinc? 

 

I wouldn't want to mess with hormones simply for the sake of clear skin. I mean, if she needed it for birth control and the clear skin was a happy side effect--great. But the risks wouldn't be worth it to me. 

:iagree:

[Ailaena]

 I would take acne any day over being fat. 

 

 

That's hilarious, because I would NEVER choose acne over being fat.  That's your face that people have to look at...

[rebbyribs]

I'd look into it for your daughter because of the heavy periods rather than the acne.

 

Personally, I think birth control pills were terrible for me.  I started different versions of the pill several times, and each time, I would have phases of weepy depression for the first few months, gradually getting mostly better as I stayed on the pill.  What I didn't realize until I was off the pill was just how out of control they made my moods, even after the first few months.  Once I was over the worst of the depression (the first few months), my emotions felt "real", and I had no idea they were affected by the hormones.  When I stopped taking the pill in my late 20s, I started feeling calmer and more able to cope with setbacks. It was SO NICE to get off of the emotional rollercoaster.  If I'd had any idea, I would've stopped MUCH sooner.  

[Valley Girl]

we have an appointment for the dermatologist in September (takes that long) she's been to her pediatirician for the acne but what was prescribed doesn't work.  yes, she has tried zinc.  honey.  oil pulling.  eating naturally.  toothpaste on them, proactive, the one in the purple and silver box regime, drinking green tea, water, no dairy, no fried foods, over the counter topicals, the list goes on I can't even remember more.   I just feel like it's her hormones raging on a daily basis.  when she gets her period she gets them heavy and very very bad cramping.  IDK if all of it ties in together. 

 

I wouldn't do anything more without seeing the dermatologist. I'm not familiar with most of the remedies she's tried (honey, toothpaste, etc.). But as far as the Proactive and/or OTC meds go, did she use them long enough to be able to judge if they really worked or not? I'm not saying she didn't, and I'm well aware that they don't work for everyone. But one thing our doctor cautioned us was that it can take many weeks (longer than I realized) for certain topical ointments to work. He found that teenagers often get impatient if they don't see results quickly and stop using the product before the ointment has a chance to do its job. Acne stinks.

[DesertBlossom]

I wouldn't. I would try changes to her diet and other "natural" remedies before birth control. But I don't like the idea of hormonal birth control at all. 

[Catherine]

we have an appointment for the dermatologist in September (takes that long) she's been to her pediatirician for the acne but what was prescribed doesn't work.  yes, she has tried zinc.  honey.  oil pulling.  eating naturally.  toothpaste on them, proactive, the one in the purple and silver box regime, drinking green tea, water, no dairy, no fried foods, over the counter topicals, the list goes on I can't even remember more.   I just feel like it's her hormones raging on a daily basis.  when she gets her period she gets them heavy and very very bad cramping.  IDK if all of it ties in together.

It doesn't sound like prescription medication for acne has been a big part of the picture here. If ACNE, and not the other issues (moodiness, etc.) are really the problem, I would pursue some of the many available prescription meds that the dermatologist will offer. However, the cramping and heavy periods would almost definitely improve on the pill. Whether you pursue it really depends on how much your daughter perceives these issues as a problem.

[Snoopytwo]

Has she tried The Regimen on Acne.org? Basically it is benzoyl perioxide, but you use a lot of it. It has really worked for both my son and my daughter.  After about three months, they both had pretty clear skin. Make sure you follow the instructions on the website exactly.

 

Hoping it works for your dd :grouphug:

[MicheleinMN]

Dd saw a dermatologist and is on bc, an antibiotic, and a retinol A cream.  Her skin is MUCH better, but still not flawless.  The bc makes a huge difference, as her skin goes completely awful on her off week.  I don't think I would have done this for my older girls (dd 20 and my step-daugthers), but it was the right choice for this child.

 

Mood swings I think are less. Skin is MUCH better.  She might have a tiny bit of weight gain, but she had lost a bit before going on it, so hard to say.  She did have quite a bit of trouble with nausea, but that could be the bc or the antibiotic or the combination of the two.  She now takes her pills in the morning and that seems to be much better.

 

HTH

[HSmomof2]

Agree to see the dermatologist before doing anything else. BCP made my acne worse as a teen. I took BCP for very heavy periods and anemia. Then saw a dermatologist about the acne.....he put me on a combo of topical clindamycin and retin-a which worked wonderfully to clear the acne.

[Seasider]

Your dermatologist would not be able to write a prescription for Acutane unless s/he ALSO wrote an Rx for bcp. Current protocol (according to our docs) is to not have the first without the second.

 

I agree with the visit to a dermatologist. With two of my teens, the doctor was able to say for one, "this is typical, wash with this and use a little benzoyl peroxide," and for the other, "if you and mom agree, I think it's time to consider birth control pills as a treatment option."

 

I will say that you may need to shop around for a derm who really understands teens/young adults and takes them seriously with regard to how society often takes things at face value...no pun intended. Acne that is widespread, constant and unresponsive to regular care can have a real impact on self image.

[Journey]

thanks guys.  the problem is is that it IS affecting her self image.  People literally, almost on a daily basis, tell her/me she is beautiful...katy perry, zoe deschanel, Kristen stuart are the usual references but ALL she sees are the pimples.  It makes me so sad.  People are worth so much more than outward beauty (though in this world, it helps to be attractive, sad to say), I just want her to be happy with herself acne or no acne but I do understand her frustration and want to find SOMETHING to help her! 

[Word Nerd]

thanks guys.  the problem is is that it IS affecting her self image.  People literally, almost on a daily basis, tell her/me she is beautiful...katy perry, zoe deschanel, Kristen stuart are the usual references but ALL she sees are the pimples.  It makes me so sad.  People are worth so much more than outward beauty (though in this world, it helps to be attractive, sad to say), I just want her to be happy with herself acne or no acne but I do understand her frustration and want to find SOMETHING to help her! 

 

I definitely agree that you need to help her find something. I just wouldn't start BCP before consulting with a dermatologist first and knowing what options are available and which would be recommended for her specifically. It sounds like there are other reasons BCP might be beneficial as well.

 

[Mommyof4ks]

Has she tried coconut oil? It has antibacterial properties that clean the face well. I get acne when my face gets too dry. Birth control pills did make me moody and I gained weight and looked bloated. Also, be sure to check her for cardiopipid issues, because most of us who are prone to blood clots have no clue until we take pills and get a clot. IMO that should be standard testi g before handing out BC pills.

[Lolly]

I have one on bcp for acne. It also helps her as a competitive swimmer (Aunt Flo always comes for big meets, and it makes a real slow down in times.) For it to work for her, she needs to be on the continuous dosing. If not, she really flares during the week off and spends the next three weeks healing. On continuous, she gets a pimple now and then. But, nothing like what she has without bcp. One of my other girls is on bcp for heavy bleeding, cramps, and mood reasons. She has had a hard time finding one that works. She had severe depression on one (the ones the other dd is one), continuous spotting on one, and severe mood swings on another. It sometimes takes a while to find the right one for some people. Also, some bcp work better for acne than others do. The only problem my two have had with weight gain was with depo provera. Both have gained a bit of weight since starting it, but I think that is mostly due to age. Plus, one really needed that extra bit of weight! (None of which actually seems to be fat on her. It is all muscle.)

[morgan]

Honestly, BCP just made my acne worse. A lot worse. And I had mood/depression issues as a lovely side effect. I tried all the major ones that claim they improve acne... with no success. But I didn't get pregnant, so they did accomplish their main objective :) 

 

 I know it sounds odd, but going dairy-free has cleared up years of cystic acne and I have met several other women that told me changing their diets really helped (typically reducing carbs, sugar and/or dairy). The book Feed Your Face might be worth reading, it by a California dermatologist and offers some good diet suggestions to improve skin. There are some pretty mild, non-irritating topical meds these days that any dermatologist should be able to prescribe or let her try samples. 

[Ausmumof3]

Have you looked into her hair products? Various hair products can cause or exacerbate acne. I would look into diet and environment first because bcp weren't a positive experience for me and so many others I know. When you need birth control you can use lower dosage implants etc now.

[Guest]

my daughter thinks she has horrible acne. I'll admit that she doesn't have the greatest skin and yes she does have some pimples but I don't see them like she does. I totally understand her frustration though so don't get me wrong. She has tried almost everything on the face of this earth to try to clear it up and they just won't go away. Accutane is not an option and I don't think a doctor would even recommend it because her skin is just.not.that.bad. so we are thinking of birth control pills. has anyone had any experience using them for this purpose? She has read that they can cause mood swings and anger and sometimes my nice daughter can be very angry because of her perfectionism (is that even a word?) so she's kind of afraid of that being a problem. but I as a mom, want to know the good, the bad and the ugly. So anyone? TY!

My dd went on them because of debilitating cramps. She didn't have much acne, but now her skin is totally clear. I also went on them for adult acne and heavy periods about...four years ago? I am not on them right now, but it was really, really great to have my skin totally clear.

 

P. S. I tried many, many natural remedies, but nothing made the slightest difference but getting the hormones under control.

[AK_Mom4]

Yes. DD20 uses BCP for acne control. Her cystic acne got so bad (think dime sized red lumps on her face!) that she had to do a round of Accutane, but it has been controllable since then just with BCP. They have the side benefit of making her periods lighter and also reducing cramps to almost nothing. It also helped with moodiness. All around, it has been a good thing and no negative side effects.

[Jamee]

Best thing for my skin was anti-malarial meds. ;)

 

[MaeFlowers]

I can't recommend BCP because I have never been able to tolerate them but I do want to recommend something elsr, this book http://www.amazon.com/Skin-Type-Solution-Leslie-Baumann/dp/0553383302. (If the link does not work, it is The Skin Type Solution by Leslie Baumann.)

I have always had troubled skin, both acne and dryness. Acne products either made it worse or I was allergic to them. This book helped me so much! She explains how the skin functions and why you are having problems. She recommends various products but, more importantly, she recommends ingredients (both what you need and what to avoid) so that you can seek out products in your price range. I plan to use this book with both my kids when they get to that age because I don't want them to go through years of using products that don't work like I did. I know how bad acne and skin problems can make you feel. I hope she finds something that works.

 

(Sorry if I sound like an infomercial.)