What Causes Acne On My Face After Taking Oral Contraceptive Pills?

Posted on Sat, 4 Apr 2015

Question: My wife was detected with PCOS some years back and she is taking contraceptive medicines for past 3 years. Is there any harm for taking this medicine for such long time? She left this medicine in the middle for 4 months which resulted in irregular periods and lot of acne on face. So she restarted taking this medicine upon doctor's advice. Can she take this medicine for some more months? Recent ultrasound suggests no cysts in the ovary. Her height is 5'2" and here weight is 52kgs. I think her weight is ok though she is doing regular exercises/yoga to reduce the weight to 50kgs. The issue is that her face was filled with lot of acnes. She used a mixture of egg white and lemon on her face for last 2-3 weeks and keeping that overnight, washing in the morning. Is this a good thing to do? Her acnes are almost gone now but there are lot of acne scars on her face and her face also looks very dry and non-fresh. I would like to know how can this be treated? We were contemplating skin scaling but I am fearing that even if this is done, the acne might resurface and cause the same issue again. Please suggest.

Answered by Dr. Aarti Abraham (13 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Peeling is a good option, continue with XXXXXXX

Detailed Answer:
Hello
Thanks for writing to us with your health concern.
Well, PCOS is often kept under control with oral contraceptive pills.
Most of these pills are quite safe even if taken for years.
So dont worry, if she has not faced any complications in the past, she is not likely to face them in future.
Certain conditions increase the risk of major complications while on pills, she should be screened for those - smoking, heart disease, history of blood clots, severe hypertension, migraine etc are just some of those.
IF a doctor has prescribed her the pills, then most factors are ruled out, and she can safely continue to take them, for a few more months.
Dont worry about this.
Acne is caused by PCOS itself.
SHe should avoid touching her face often, and should keep it clean always.
Using a good moisturizer that is non oily is important, a gel based moisturizer ( Sebamed ) is a good option.
Acne scars unfortunately remain, and skin peeling / dermabrasion then is the best option for her.
Acne then can be kept under control with good ointments and medications as prescribed by the dermatologist. XXXXXXX pills in itself will help in controlling the acne.
All the best
Please feel free to discuss further.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Aarti Abraham (48 hours later)

Thanks for your reply. She actually had one peeling some months back but she left the medicine in between and acne again resurfaced. Can she go for peeling again? I mean does that harm her skin by doing this exercise again?
Finally, is there a way PCOS can be treated fully?

Thanks!

Answered by Dr. Aarti Abraham (36 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Yes, second session can be tried.

Detailed Answer:
No in expert dermatological hands, a second session of peeling can be tried.
PCOS can only be controlled, not cured.
It abates during pregnancy, breastfeeding and after menopause.
Take care.
Please feel free to contact me directly anytime using the following direct link -
http://doctor.healthcaremagic.com/doctors/dr-aarti-abraham/64623

Note: Revert back with your gynae reports to get a clear medical analysis by our expert Gynecologic Oncologist. Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar