What You Should Know

Due to the increasing popularity of IUDs for convenient birth control, we have been seeing more women in CONNECTED’s office frustrated by severe acne. Many come to see us because their GP or gynecologist has told them that their hormonal IUD (eg. Mirena, Skyla) is unlikely the cause of their acne, because the hormones only act locally. Unfortunately, we hear this far too often at CONNECTED. So today we’re revealing the relationship between IUDs and acne.

How do hormonal IUDs work?

Hormonal IUDs prevent pregnancy for up to five years by releasing a small daily amount of levonorgestrel, a synthetic form of progestin/progesterone. Levonorgestrel increases your cervical mucus so that the sperm cannot reach the egg. It also thins the lining of your uterus, making it difficult for a fertilized egg to implant itself on the wall and result in pregnancy.

How do hormonal IUDs cause acne?

Since hormonal IUDs can affect your hormones, it can cause acne, particularly if you had breakouts during your adolescent years and if you’re already breaking out before contraception.

Progestin has an androgenic effect that stimulates the oil glands within the skin to overproduce sebum. Once there’s excessive oil on your skin, it can mix with sweat, dirt and dead skin cells to clog your pores leading to acne. It also has an inflammatory action on the skin leading to a greater chance of deeper, painful blemishes.

What to do if you’re prone to breakouts?

If you are prone to breakouts, we recommend that you talk to your healthcare provider or Naturopath about an alternative birth control method that won’t aggravate your skin. We also encourage you to consider the many other factors that contribute to acne and to take the time to get to understand your skin.

{Resources: Suhonen S, Haukkamaa M, Jakobsson T, Rauramo I. (2004) Clinical performance of a levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system and oral contraceptives in young nulliparous women: a comparative study. Contraception. 2004 May;69(5):407-12.}