I've been on BC for several years and have decided to stop. What can I expect re: periods, weight change, skin change, mood change, etc?

Answers (1)

Daniela Ferri (Licensed Esthetician, Acne Specialist) answered (9/20/2012)

Well, at the very least, I can answer the skin part. :)

If you didn't experience any change in your skin from before you went on birth control and after, chances are you won't see much significant change now. There may be a few breakouts during the three or so months it will take for your body to regulate itself and get back to its own levels of normal. Every time your testosterone level goes above your estrogen level, you can get increased oil production in your skin, as one of the roles of testosterone is to trigger oil glands. If your skin care or makeup routine are pore clogging or pore irritating in any way, the oil won't have a way to flow through your pores properly, and inflammation can result from the backup of oil and dead skin cells. Since in the t-zone we produce a little more oil anyway, and since pores around the chin and nose and between the brows are a little smaller due to facial contours, this can result in inflamed breakouts in these areas. This can also happen if your skin is dehydrated from harsh cleanser or lack of attraction of water to your skin from outside, which makes your skin stiff, and therefore, not pliable enough for good oil flow. Your skin care routine is going to be very crucial here.

If you'd like a more personalized approach to making sure a major breakout from this doesn't happen, please feel free to email me for an online consultation at [email protected] :)