Are birth control pills (and other methods of hormonal birth control) an effective way to get rid of acne? What about developing acne after coming off of hormonal contraceptives? Is there any way to avoid this?
Watch the video and find out what the deal is with acne and the birth control pill.
Here’s me playing the littlest hobo in the movies. I rubbed dirt and ketchup into my shirt hahah… I personally think I’m trying a little too hard to look homeless. What do you think?
I have a bit of a story about this:
When you’re playing an extra, they don’t provide you with clothing. They choose people from a database based on their look and whether they have clothing that fits the scene. However, they do have hair and makeup people to fix you up a bit.
So they sent all the “homeless” types to the makeup trailer to put dirt on their faces. When I sat down, the makeup trailer had really bright sort of fluorescent lighting and when I looked at my skin I thought ‘ugh.. it doesn’t so look so good right now!’. Even though I knew bright lighting doesn’t flatter anyone, I thought it looked a bit uneven and blotchy.
Anyway, almost immediately after these thoughts were running through my head, the makeup lady said something like ‘yeah, sit still… I just gotta dirty your nice even skin tone up a bit’. I thought…. ‘what? Awesome.’
It was just a nice little reminder that we are our own biggest critics and that other people seriously don’t notice our imperfections! Even the makeup lady who examines skin all day!
So go easy on yourselves!! 🙂
Bridget says
April 10, 2011 at 3:14 pmOh my gosh, you are so funny!! You are so cute as a hobo……and I love the look on your dog’s face! 😉 I was laughing while watching your video because you get just as mad and frustrated as I do when talking about issues like doctors putting people on birth control pills and other drugs/antibiotics. I think I was about 19 or so when I went on birth control–my doctor put me on it WHILE I was also on antibiotics for my acne and never said a word about side effects, dangers, potential problems, nothing. 19 is certainly old enough to ask questions of my own but, like you said, you just assume that your doctor is doing what is absolutely best for you and I remember feeling too intimidated to voice my concerns or doubts. I remember my skin being okay (it’s never, ever been great) while on BC and antibiotics, but it has been a constant struggle ever since going off them, at about age 22. Keep in mind, that was 10 years ago (I’m 32) and my body and horomones are still completely out of whack. It’s really had such a damaging effect on my body, my digestion, any good bacteria that at one time existed in my body, and ofcourse, my skin. I appreciate that you don’t sugar coat these issues, they are vitaly important and need to be taken very seriously,..and honestly, maybe it’s okay to “scare” a few people ;). I wish I had had someone to tell me the facts so I could at LEAST have had all the information required to make an informative decision when I was younger. I guess you live and you learn but I still cringe when I think back to how completely clueless I was. Thanks again for another informative video! And movie extra work??? Niiiiice! 🙂
Tracy says
April 10, 2011 at 10:49 pmThanks Bridget! Yes, doctors are so intimidating.. I find it hard to speak up against them too. They’re always so final about ‘Yes, you must take drugs. Other options? No. There are none. Side effects? No. They’re in your head.’ GRR they really do make me so angry.
kelly says
April 12, 2011 at 4:32 pmmy dermatologist put me on birth control pills and spironolactone when i was 18 and i had perfect clear skin for 6 years. when i went off both of those at 24 and got pregnant, i thought the acne breakouts were pregnancy related. well, i’m 32 now, my youngest is almost 4 and the acne is still here! and seems to be getting worse and spreading to my whole back, ugh. i am trying my hardest to change my diet but i often wonder if there’s any hope for me?! you are very beautiful and inspiring tracy, i hope someday i can come to your blog and shout “i’m clear, i’m clear!”
Maja says
April 13, 2011 at 2:31 pmthis is my story! never had big problems with my skin as a teen, went on a birth control and had perfect skin ever, went off and couple of months later my skin slowly changed, first some bumps appeared then more black heads, then white heads and inflammation…it is frustrating!
Sometimes when i get desperate i think about going on the pill again thinking of it as a quick fix, but after watching this video you made me change my mind!
Thank you 🙂
fruit says
April 23, 2011 at 8:38 amwhich movies you are in? I wanna check them when they run 🙂
Tracy says
April 25, 2011 at 8:53 amI was in Mission Impossible 4, some movie called Once Upon a Time, and in a tv show pilot for a show called Heavenly (it sounded like a terrible show haha)
Kayra says
May 4, 2011 at 10:04 amI think you should check out this post on acne.org about a woman who came off birth control and broke out so she went back on it. This time around she is weaning off of it (taking 3/4s of a pill, then a half, and finally one fourth. It was kind of like Tracy said to do if you were on BP.) The last post she made was 17 weeks after going off birth control and she has only gotten one pimple. Check it out.
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/ACNE-BCP-weaned-bcp-t285993.html&st=20
Tracy says
May 4, 2011 at 4:23 pmOhh.. very interesting! I didn’t recommend that because I just assumed that birth control pills wouldn’t really work with the wean method like it would with BP and antibiotics… I’m glad to hear that it might! Thanks for the resource Kayra 🙂
Anndria says
October 3, 2011 at 10:00 amHi Tracy you are very inspiring! I am on birth control pills right now and have been taking them for two years already. I have gone through many websites and am trying to see if using food to clear your skin really works. I have even been to Alicia Silverstone’s website. I asked some people if they’re skin has cleared after stopping bc and changing their diet. But some have seen no difference even after doing this for three years. Going vegan, cutting out sugars.. I am so afraid of stopping the pill and then trying to change my diet and nothing happens. What do you think?
thanks, Anndria
Tracy says
October 3, 2011 at 10:23 amHi Anndria!
Some people change their diet but don’t necessarily get it right. I personally don’t feel like vegan is the healthiest way to eat and quality animal products provide many many nutrients not found in plant foods. Plus many vegans eat a lot of soy, wheat, and other things that are actually very unhealthy and can contribute heavily to acne. I made a video about this actually….. search “vegan” in the search box up top there and you’ll find it. Also, diet is only one piece of the puzzle! People also need to make sure they are taking care of themselves holistically to balance their hormones… exercising enough, looking after their emotional health.
Some people do still need a little help after they go off BC though and one supplement you can look into is Vitex. It helps with hormonal balances, and particularly the usual imbalance that occurs after BC pills. Another one is DIM, which helps your body to metabolize unnatural estrogens in your body and may help to balance things out. Good luck Anndria 🙂
Anndria says
October 4, 2011 at 5:49 amOh I see. Makes sense, it’s really good to know. I will definitely check these things out! and thanks again for your help Tracy! 🙂
Anndria
Jennifer says
November 16, 2011 at 5:46 pmTracy, So im def thinking about getting some Vitex. This video is exactly my story, like many others. My question is. Do you know or can you speculate on whether it would give me a healing crises of acne…make it worse before it gets better?
I have done a lot for my health in the last two years- most being in the last year in particular. I juice greens as well as green smoothies, i try to limit my wheat, sugar and dairy intake, and I take coconut oil internally. I also limit the amount of Parabens i slather on my body, I exercise semi-regularly, and the meat i do eat is organic lean meats and only about twice a week- altho i do eat plenty of organic pastured eggs that I buy from a neighbor. While I’m happy I’m getting to my ideal weight and health, certain things that are good for me give me quite painful and embarrassing acne on my jawline and neck- which i know is unbalanced hormones. None of the health changes I mention ever helps any. In fact the coconut oil gave me a healing crises so bad that i stopped because I dont want to leave my house when my skin is really bad. 🙁
Anyway I’ll get back on point. I want to try Vitex because that is something I haven’t tried yet. But if it gives me more acne I wont know what to do. Other than vitex, do you recommend anything else in addition? Thank you so much for your videos and interaction.
Tracy says
November 16, 2011 at 9:54 pmHi Jennifer… I’m not really sure if Vitex causes detox breakouts or not.
To be honest, if you have that strong a detox reaction to coconut oil, I’m guessing you have some kind of digestive issues that are the true root cause of your hormonal acne. Coconut oil is great against candida and the such, so … yeah. I’m guessing that even though you eat healthy, you need to do some gut healing.
I’d probably recommend getting checked for allergies with a naturopath or doing a candida cleanse. But… that will cause a detox breakout, so I don’t know what to say :/ A consultation about your hormones would also be helpful so that you can make sure vitex will actually address your imbalance. You don’t really know what your hormones are truly doing until you get a saliva hormone test.
Dee says
December 14, 2011 at 8:39 pmBoo for the birth control pill! I too was victimized by trusting my pharmaceutical salesrep ( oops i mean doctor) at the naive age of 16 and given a super strong birth control pill which I used for years. I of course had glorious skin while I was on although my skin was normal before hand too, just not as great. i went on birth control for birth control reasons not for acne reasons. Now its ten years later and I stopped the pill because it gave me melasma ( not gonna go into detail cause i dont wanna ramble) but really..if its giving me melasma lets talk about wake up call.. so i immediately stopped taking it and now… i have acne. Moderate, hideous, and emberrassing. UGH. i hate my doctor now even though im thankful for having this learning wake up call/opportunity for change. So its been 4 months now and im taking vitex and trying to eat all the right things but.. no improvement yet. I know i have to wait it out but I REFUSE TO BE A LONG TERM VICTIM OF THIS DAMN DRUG so i need to liberate myself of all of the abusive toxins i innocently put inside my body and make the acne go away soon too so im reminded of it every time i look in the mirror. ANYWAYS the reason im writing is because i just wanted some inspiration, i know all the negative stuff already but I wanted to some ammunition in my fight now. Tracy can you share a little more about how soon after you developed it, and how you slowly but surely made it go away afterwards? im just happy there is hope that it can go away. i get that we make mistakes and make bad decisions growing up but i believe we need to able to recover from them as well. Just tell me it gets better somehow. 🙂 It was nice to see that you were telling your story with nice glowing skin after its all said and done. F U synthetic hormone invader and thank you tracy! xxoo
Dee says
December 15, 2011 at 6:17 amAlso Tracy in your video, you mention that sometimes it has a PERMANENT effect on testosterone levels and stuff afterwards and obviously this freaked me out. I watched the video again to listen closely and you say that the acne does not ever go away for those people. ugh that was hard to hear cause for me the samage is already done. I was on them for ten years and im trying really hard to get the demon out of my system. BUT how do I know if this is reversable or not for me? when do you know if you have this permanent effect on testosterone you speak of? ….anyways looking forward to your reply.
blessings.
Tracy says
December 15, 2011 at 7:59 amHi Dee,
I maybe should have worded that better as to not sound so scary… what I believe I meant was that it could (not for everyone) have the permanent effect of throwing your body and hormones off balance unless you do something about it…. balance your lifestyle, take supplements that are specific to you (get a saliva hormone test)… etc. I don’t have any proof or anything, it’s just more theoretical based on the fact that it doesn’t seem like some people’s post-acne does go away afterward until they purposely try to balance their bodies
Dee says
December 15, 2011 at 3:24 pmOkay well i go on the ‘purposefully trying’ mission! Thanks tracy, i really enjoyed your life story by the way.keep motivating
Dee says
December 15, 2011 at 3:47 pmOh and by the way, to Jennifer, the vitex ive been taking for two months now has not in any way given me any kind of healing acne. I havent noticed a change in my skin yet from it, i can only assume that maybe it would be worse if i werent taking it i dont know. your supposed to take vitex for 6 months to a year, it promotes the regularization of the menstrual cycle therefore sorting out some sort of rythmm within the body post birth control and therefore easier on the face acne. So but yeah theres no purging effect at all.
NickyFraggle says
December 18, 2011 at 10:55 pmHi Tracy
I have a question about birth control pills. I have been subscribed them by my Doctor but not for my skin. I have a lot of excess hair where a girl shouldn’t 🙁 including my face. Obviously this is a huge deal for me. I’m not considering using them for any other reason but the way this makes me feel is really not good.
The doctor promises me that this should help with the ‘feminising’ hormones but I’m a little confused because my hormone tests came back completely normal. I don’t seem to have a hormone imbalance. I guess I must have had at one point though?
Essentially I was wondering if there were any other options I could consider – I’m keen not to take any medication but I don’t know if this is possible? I just don’t understand why I need more feminine hormones if mine are now in balance? I did ask but Doctors aren’t too keen on answering questions!! I realise you’re not a doctor but you seem to know a lot about a variety of things so I just wondered!
Thanks Tracy 🙂
Nicky xx
Tracy says
December 19, 2011 at 8:53 amHi Nicky!
Hmm well if you already got your hormones tested and they are normal, then I’m not sure what to say… except to ask what kind of hormone test it was? If it was from the doctor, I assume it was a blood test, and apparently blood tests are not very accurate so that might be the problem… because if you have excess hair and acne, it definitely sounds like a hormonal issue to me. Look into saliva hormone testing, it’s the most accurate…. read up about it on google! 😀
Dee says
December 19, 2011 at 5:13 pmNicky I was wanted to put in my two cents to see if it could help you. First of all, I developed this problem AFTER stopping the birth control pills! The pills messed up my body so bad that i essentially stopped producing any natural female hormones on my own afterwards and now im in the process of fixing the mess the synthetic hormones did to my body. Ya while i was on the pill i was as hair free and acne free as possible but what happens when you eventually and inevitably need to stop? its not worth it. I am working hard on organizing my inner self so that i can get rid of acne and hopefully stabilize all the hairy nasties. the acne will go in time and then maybe you could look into getting electrolysis or waxing or whatever. You can try looking into homeopathy or things like that too. You might just be hairy and that might just be you so you dont need to fix that with store bought pills. the hair is probably way more noticable to you than to others, but if its a real problem just remove it on the outside with threading or things like that. Im just really stressing staying away from birht control pills. Never mess with nature. i learned my lesson hard and fast.
cheers
Dee says
December 19, 2011 at 6:19 pmOh and Nicky i almost forgot, abnormal hair growth on the face of a woman is often associated with Poly cystic ovarion syndrome wich often cant be diagnosed through a hormonal blood test. Ask your doctor for an ultrasound ( i had to do this) to check for cysts. If you have a problem it will show there. With this syndrome you can also have acne. Regardless, dont despair. Check out the lovely lady from raw radiant health she had PCOS and she reveresed it completely with healthy diet and lifestyle! she has completely cured herself! ( the docotors of course told her it needed to be treated with medication) BUT she wanted a CURE 🙂 yay for determination and self love!!
Tracy says
December 19, 2011 at 6:22 pmI love Natasha from Raw Radiant Health 😀
NickyFraggle says
January 4, 2012 at 2:21 amHi guys,
Thanks so much for your help and advice. I don’t have PCOS (Poly cystic ovarion syndrome) thanks, so this isn’t something I need to consider. I’ve been tested for it even though I have none of the other signs.
I’ll definitely look into a saliva test – it was a blood test so possibly might not be that accurate. If I do have a hormonal imbalance is there a natural way to fix it? The hair is very noticeable – I’m not talking about your average amount of hair that most girls moan about lol! I wish I was!!!
Thanks for your help. I’ll definitely look at Natasha’s website.
Nicky xx
Tracy says
January 4, 2012 at 7:52 amHi Nicky,
Yes, if you get the saliva hormone test and find out exactly what sort of imbalance it is, there will be natural supplements that will help you to balance them and manage the symptoms. In the end though, hormones go out of whack because of underlying reasons… usually a nutrient deficiency or lacking digestive function accompanied by allergies and that sort of thing, so I would suggest working on improving that in the meantime if you aren’t already.
Alternative? says
January 6, 2012 at 3:55 pmHi Tracey!
I, as someone who does NOT want to get pregnant, feel the need to be on some form of birth control aside from just the condom (at the very least, for mental security). After listening to your video, I really don’t like the idea of the pill… do you think any of the other options (ring, impalanted forms, etc) are better? or are they all similar in that they cause problems post-use?
what would you do if you were me (someone wanting prevention from pregnancy)?
You’re website and insights are wonderful, and I wish you good luck in the future! Thank you for doing this.
Tracy says
January 7, 2012 at 8:06 amI definitely understand, but there isn’t actually a perfect solution. All the hormonal options (ring, etc) do the same thing as the pill. I have a copper IUD, because at least it doesn’t have hormones, but some women react badly to the excess copper and end up with problems too (plus it’s expensive if you live in the States just to try it out and see). See the article I just posted about copper toxicity for an explanation. In the end, I honestly don’t know :/ Before my IUD I just used condoms.
Mary says
July 11, 2012 at 10:39 amIf you ever feel like expanding on this topic, I would be interested to hear about how the morning after pill and also the abortion pill affects acne, specifically how it affects certain acne-causing hormones such as progesterone.
Carol says
May 29, 2013 at 3:37 pmI wonder why nobody mentions how birth control pills change a woman’s personality? They seem to do it so subtly and over time so that people don’t notice it. You basically just wake up one day and you have permanent PMS and irrationality that you think is totally normal. When I was on it my skin was clear too, but I also gained 40 pounds and my moods were all over the place. I didn’t realize how bad it was until I came off the pills and my mind unfogged. I can think more clearly now and I lost the weight.
Tracy says
May 30, 2013 at 8:25 amYep, I think many women have similar experiences! They really don’t inform people very well, probably because they know it would scare most people away and they’d never make any money off it.
Amanda (now in Colorado) says
July 16, 2013 at 2:32 amI went off the pill 2 months ago ( because I ran out) I decided to try the copper IUD I first ears about on this blog, do a week ago I had it inserted. It resulted in lightheadedness and nausea for about an hour. I sat on the toilet in the same building but not office of my Gyn! Felt silly. Then I had cramps for about 24 hrs and bleeding for 3 days. Now that has ended, I hope! And it will be worth the $800 (about half my insurance didn’t cover) I am SO stoked about being hormone drug free. I also recently started using the diva cup, so hopefully excess flow my Dr said I’d have won’t be a big deal. All these changes are a direct result of the Love Vitamin’s influence. Thank you
Tracy says
July 17, 2013 at 4:06 pmHi Amanda,
Good luck with the IUD, I hope it goes well for you! Ouch that it was $800, I feel really lucky it’s so inexpensive in Canada. All the more to hope that it is trouble free for you … I love mine 🙂
Mary says
July 17, 2013 at 4:15 pmIf anyone is strapped for cash, if you qualify, Planned Parenthood will cover the entire $800 cost of the IUD. This is in USA.
Wendy says
October 31, 2013 at 6:50 pmHi Tracy,
I’m reading everything I can on hormonal acne but with all I’ve tried, I haven’t been able to conquer it. I thought maybe you or your followers could share some wisdom…? I went off the pill (heavy dose) in January after 10 years. Had many issues with it. I had been off the pill once before and got cystic acne so bad I went screaming back to the pill! First few months off it were fine, but for the past 3 months I’ve been getting a new pimple every other day. Some cystic, some small. And all throughout my cycle, whereas it used to be only ovulation and PMS! I’ve been eating a mostly wholefoods diet for years now, I drink green smoothies, eat almost zero refined carbs, high quality fats, lots of veggies, I take supplements where needed (to improve known deficiencies, such as iron), a great multi, high quality fish oil, probiotics… And my acne is only getting worse… Had my androgens tested and they are not high at all, they’re in the low-normal range. My progesterone is low though (other hormones in the low-normal range), so I’ve been on Maca root for months, and on Vitex for a month. I drink nettle & licorice root tea every day, take a natural liver support supplement and have tried every anti-acne skincare regimen I could find. Nothing. Not even the antibiotics I’ve been on for a week (because I’m starting to look like my chin is boiling!) are helping. My lifestyle is really healthy, I eat right, I exercise, I have tackled every known deficiency, take quality supplements, have a sensible skincare regimen and I’m completely lost about what else I can do… Any ideas? Sorry for the long story, but just wanted to rule out getting advice that I’m already following. Thanks.
A desperate acne-sufferer
Tracy says
November 1, 2013 at 9:08 amHi Wendy, yikes, so sorry to hear what you’re going through 🙁
My advice.. post your question again in this thread: https://thelovevitamin.com/769/can-you-wean-off-the-birth-control-pill/
The ladies in there will give you advice. This will indeed pass with time, but I understand that every second counts when you’re breaking out badly. If nothing at all is working, you might even consider going back on the birth control pill, clearing your skin, and then starting the process of weaning off the pill, which seems to be pretty effective at preventing these insane breakouts.
Tracy says
November 1, 2013 at 9:09 amHi Wendy, yikes, so sorry to hear what you’re going through 🙁
My advice.. post your question again in this thread: https://thelovevitamin.com/769/can-you-wean-off-the-birth-control-pill/
The ladies in there will give you advice. This will indeed pass with time, but I understand that every second counts when you’re breaking out badly. If nothing at all is working, you might even consider going back on the birth control pill, clearing your skin, and then starting the process of weaning off the pill, which seems to be pretty effective at preventing these insane breakouts.
Valerie says
October 20, 2014 at 6:25 pmHi tracy,
I am following since like almost the beggining and decided to finally follow my instinct in a more natural way. I am on birth control pill because I have been on accutane in the past, and I decided that I wanted to get back to my natural states. I am always been a big fan of the nature and it was hard to accept that deep down inside me I have what some people called a “granola” side. I am very conscious about my environment. So I am on Diane 35 and each time I have tried to quit, it was a big mess with my skin, my mood, my cycle…
I have considered to wean off the pill as suggested on your blog. However, I met my naturopath today and she waa concerned of the impact on my cycle if I decided to wean off. She decided instead to give me zinc, milk thysle and vitamin B, and start as well magnesium and hormons serums to regulate them two month before I quit my pills.
I am so concerns about acne coming back. She didn’t talk to me about Vitex or Estroblock, maybe because I am from Canada/Quebec…. i don’t know. I decided to switch my personal care product from face to toe to natural ones. Do you have any suggestions?? Big thanks!
Tracy Raftl says
October 21, 2014 at 8:21 pmHi Valerie 🙂 I agree with her supplement recommendations, although vitex is often helpful too… and estroblock is awesome too! I can’t say which ones are right for you but you’re on the right track. I really don’t know why she would discourage the weaning thing, I would think that quitting cold turkey would have a much more intense impact on your cycle? But… I don’t know. I’m not a naturopath. I’m just going off what all the women in the birth control weaning thread have said
Valerie says
October 22, 2014 at 3:09 amThanks a lot! I’ll keep
In mind the vitex and estroblock is ever I don’t see good results! I don’t know yet if I will wean off or not. I’ll continue to meditate on that to find my way through this journey 🙂