Jim Shelton's Pearls

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October 10, 2003

OCs and acne

My sister takes an oral contraceptive which advertises it improves acne. Is that true of other OC brands as well?

Probably all low-dose combined OCs improve acne about the same. According to recent review of OCs in the New England Journal: "Some formulations have been approved for a marketing claim regarding their beneficial effect on acne, but all low-dose combination oral contraceptives cause a similar decrease in the concentration of free testosterone, the presumed mechanism for the improvement of acne."

Of course not all women will have improvement in acne.

References:
Petitti DB. Combination estrogen-progestin oral contraceptives. NEJM 2003; 345:1443-50.

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The "Pearls" offer answers to commonly asked questions about family planning. These "Pearls" are prepared by Dr. James D. Shelton, Senior Medical Scientist, Office of Population, United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

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