Going off of birth control pill and acne

Hello, and thank you so much for taking the time to answer this question.

I have been on the birth control pill (Ortho-cyclen) for 10 years. When I initially went on it at age 17 (for contraception reasons), I noticed no change between my skin as I transitioned on to it. However, when I was 20, I went off of it temporarily (2 months), and my skin erupted into terrible acne! I didn't see it coming; I had never had a problem with acne before. It eventually leveled out once my hormones were regulated by the pill again, but it was very scary and humiliating.

I'm 27 now, and in a few months, I want to stop the pill permanently. My husband and I are wanting to conceive, and I'd like to be done with synthetic hormones for good. However, I'm terrified that my acne will return. I know plenty of women who have had no trouble with their skin going off of the pill, but I'm wondering if by using the pill (even though it was initially for contraception), I have postponed the natural breakout stage I would have had as a late teenager? (My mom had acne as a teenager; I used to think I was just lucky, but after my breakout at age 20, not so much anymore!)

If I did postpone the inevitable by using the pill for so long, is there any way to avoid or prevent an outbreak of acne once I go off? And about how long will it take to normalize once I'm off?

Thanks for any insight you can provide! This has been a huge worry on my mind for several weeks; I know I'm going to have to "face the music" soon enough, but I'm just freaked out by the unknown.  

[loiloi]

Hi. Acne occurs when male hormones called Androgens stimulate the sebaceous (oil) glands in the skin. Some people (especially teenagers) have high levels of androgens, and some people have normal levels of androgens but are particularly sensitive to their effects. Certain birth control pills such as Yasmin and Ortho Tri-Cyclen block the action of androgens and prevent acne. You have not "delayed teenage acne" by taking the pill, but you have prevented it from being a problem.
The majority of people will have outgrown their tendancy for acne at your age. It is normal to get acne during the first trimester of pregnancy, due to hormone levels. The good news is that many women experience clearer skin that normal during the second and third trimester. Acne can return after giving birth (again due to hormone levels). You can restart Yasmin or Ortho Tri-Cyclen 21 days after delivery, as long as you do not breastfeed.
Good Luck, Eloise.

[cindy858]

I got on the pill when I was 26 because I had severe acne since I was a teenager and it cleared up my face amazingly. When I was 30 I decided to get off the pill and to my horror my acne returned after 6 months with a vengence. It was EVERYWHERE and it physically and emotionally hurt. I missed a few days of work and went into hiding a lot. Forget about dating. I couldn't handle it any more. I went back on the pill. At 34 I felt like I wanted to live a clean lifestyle and not be on any medication. I got off the pill again. It's now been 10 months and my skin is actually great!!! I did go through a breakout as my hormones were regulating which ALMOST caused me to go back on the pill but I stuck it out.
The thing that is different this time around than when I was 30 is that now that I'm older my lifestyle has completely changed. I looked deeper into what might be causing my acne. Instead of putting a band-aid over it and taking the pill, I looked at my diet, excercize, stress, level, and cleansers. For my diet I eat less processed foods, no caffine, very little sugar, and lots and lots of fruits and veggies, I work out 3-4 days a week with yoga, I used Proactive for years but it didn't work on me anymore so I asked my dermatologist to give me something. I now use Benzaclin. It's cheaper and works better than Proactive. My skin continues to get better every day, my periods are on schedule so I think I can safely say that the BCPs are out of my system and my skin will only get better from here out.

Good luck!!

[katyjanaye]

So what was the outcome????  I am 30 and also don't want to take the pill again but my skin is so bad!