Can Oral contraceptives be used in the treatment of Acne?

Many women with acne find that most other acne treatments have proven ineffective, even antibiotics and topical retinoids. One of the reasons why this may be is because sometimes acne is caused by hormonal changes in the body.

The female body contains androgens, female hormones which help to maintain hair and skin by stimulating the sebaceous glands to produce the skin oil known as sebum. However, if excessive androgens are produced, it can cause the sebaceous glands to start producing excessive sebum. This sebum collects at the pores of the hair follicles and mixes with dead skin cells to form a plug which clogs these pores. Once this happens, the excess oil can collect in the clogged pores, creating boil-like raised bumps, or the pore can become infected with bacteria. This causes the pimples, the symptoms of acne.

Oral contraceptives, usually the birth control pill, can be prescribed as a kind of hormonal therapy. They contain estrogen and progestin which suppresses the androgens produced by the ovaries. This causes a reduction in the production of excess sebum, one of the main causes of breakouts, and so treats the acne.