When you suffer from acne, it's common to try and seek out remedies and cures from any and everywhere. Cleansers and creams are the most commonly sought-after treatments, but sometimes, other medications can help drastically improve your skin. Beyond antibiotics and vitamin A, some birth control pills are surprisingly effective in eliminating acne. Does this Spark an idea?
What is Yasmin?
Yasmin is a type of birth control pill. A combination of drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol, it is a low-dose pill that is intended to prevent pregnancy without the side effects of the higher-dose contraceptive pills. While not approved for the treatment of acne, it might be prescribed in an effort to bring balance to the patient's skin and reduce oil production.
What is Acne?
Acne is a skin condition that can appear as a variety of blemishes, including whiteheads, blackheads, papules and pustules. It can range from just the occasional pimple to constant breakouts with cysts that can leave disfiguring scars. Acne can occur in anyone at any age for a variety of reasons from allergies to hormones.
Yasmin for Acne Treatment
Yasmin has not been approved by the FDA to treat acne, though doctors will sometimes prescribe it for that reason. Another brand called Yaz, which is very similar to Yasmin with just slightly different amounts of ingredients, has been approved by the FDA, meaning Yasmin likely provides similar results on acne as Yaz. Since both of these drugs include an ingredient called drospirenone, they work to lower the amounts of androgens in the body, which decreases acne breakouts.
Side Effects
While Yasmin has shown to be effective as both a birth control pill and an acne treatment, it does carry a few side effects with it. Common side effects include breast tenderness, headaches, nausea, yeast infections, diarrhea and back pain. In some cases, Yasmin can cause acne, though that is rare.
Precautions
As with any birth control pill, you should not make the decision to take this medication lightly. If you have diabetes, headaches, breast cancer, adrenal insufficiency, blood clotting problems, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, kidney disease, or liver tumors, you shouldn't take this drug. Likewise, if you smoke, you shouldn't take Yasmin, because the risks outweigh the benefit of clearer skin.
Tags: birth control, birth control pill, control pill, acne though, been approved, shouldn take, side effects
