This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Acne and oral contraceptive pill

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

  • some women find that their acne and/or hirsutism improves whilst taking the combined oral contraceptive pill

  • the best response occurs if a pill is more oestrogenic - this is because the oestrogen in the pill causes raised levels of sex hormone binding globulin, which in turn binds with excess free androgen:
    • examples of oestrogenic pills include Brevinor, Marvelon and Ovysmen

  • in severe cases Dianette may be considered (1,2,3):
    • co-cyprindiol (Dianette®) or other ethinylestradiol/cyproterone acetate containing products
      • licensed only for women with severe acne that has not responded to antibacterials and for treatment of acne in women with moderately severe hirsutism
      • risk of venous thromboembolism is higher in women taking co-cyprindiol than a low-dose COC - should not be used solely as a contraceptive and use of an additional hormonal contraceptive with co-cyprindiol is contraindicated (1)
      • whilst on treatment the patient should be evaluated regularly by a clinician and the patient advised to be vigilant for signs and symptoms of VTE
      • should be discontinued 3 months after acne has been controlled
      • for the individual product - consult the Summary of Product Characteristics and consider UK Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use

The respective summary of product characteristics must be consulted before prescribing any of the drugs mentioned above.

Reference:


Create an account to add page annotations

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.