Can birth control pills help acne?

Yes, some do: Please look up the name of the drug you might take. Common and serious side effects of many oral contraceptives can be found here: http://www.Nlm.Nih.Gov/medlineplus/druginformation.Html (full disclosure: this is from medline of the nlm. I was on the board of directors of friends of the national library of medicine when it launched medline. Py).

Multiple ways: Research shows that these pills can clear acne by slowing down overactive oil glands in the skin. Sometimes, bc pills are used along with a drug called spironolactone to treat acne in adult females. This medication lowers levels of the hormone androgen in the body. Androgen stimulates skin's oil glands. Additionally, the estrogen helps bind testosterone and decrease its effect on the skin/glands.

Often times they can: You need a work up of the acne, at your age you should usually not be having that problem, more common in younger pts, you need blood work to check testosterone nad dheas levels and other tests, but teh pill can bind much if the free circulkating testosterone so it doesn't egt to teh skin to help cause acne and at your age u should be on loloestrin the lowest dose pill 10 mcg estrogen- safer.