This made this wonder if I was the last person to learn about this magical acne-zapping pill.
“Females with moderate to severe inflammatory acne of any skin tone would be good candidates.”
Seventeen percent of those surveyed said their primary method of birth control was an IUD or implant.
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So it’s not hard to imagine an increased demand for spironolactone, either.
Others suggest that the IUD itself may worsen acne due to the hormone progestin that is released."
What is spironolactone?
For the past two decades, it’s also been prescribed as a treatment for hormonal acne in women.
Who is spironolactone for?
While most women can tolerate spironolactone well, it’s not for everyone.
“I almost always see a few zits come back if I don’t go back to it.”
But even she deals with a (slightly) negative side effect: period irregularly.
Patients who are or have transitioned from female to male should not take spironolactone for the same reason.
Should I take spironolactone or antibiotics for acne?
Unlike the antibiotics also commonly used to treat acne, spironolactone is considered safe for long-term use.
Dermatologists need a drug alternative for treating acne.
And they have a very good one in spironolactone.
They analyzed data on more than 6,600 women and girls taking spironolactone to over 31,000 taking antibiotics.
Anecdotally, the two drugs appear to work equally as well in her practice, Dr. Shah tellsAllure.
“It’s really a case by case basis.
Some patients respond better to antibiotics, whereas, others do better with spironolactone,” she says.
“However, we do need more data comparing the two options directly.”
Is there a topical version of spironolactone?
As someone who loves to spread the good word of spironolactone, I’ll definitely cheers to that.
For more acne treatments:
Now, watch how acne treatments have evolved over the past 100 years:
