Dermatologist or birth control?

So, I%26#039;ve tried everything. My esthetician says that most of my acne is hormonal, and it would help for me to get on birth control. I%26#039;ve looked around and Yasmin seems to be a good one. I%26#039;m 19, and I do have really bad cramps and my period is very irregular. Or, would it be better for me to just go to a dermatologist and get a pill for the acne? Oh, and I%26#039;m not sexually active. The problem isn%26#039;t with hygiene either, I keep my body clean.|||I%26#039;d get the birth control. You%26#039;ll have the added benefit of better and predictable periods, and it probably will help with the acne. If it doesn%26#039;t work, then go see a dermatologist. It%26#039;s kinda a win-win. Even if it doesn%26#039;t work for your acne, your periods will be easier, and then you can go to plan b. Oh, and a huge fraction of people on birth control aren%26#039;t actually doing it for the birth control, but for reasons like yours. The majority of teens on birth control aren%26#039;t sexually active, dunno about adults though. Anyway, it%26#039;s not unusual at all to go on it w/out being sexually active, and you don%26#039;t really have anything to lose from taking it. If it is hormonal like your esthetician says, there%26#039;s a good likelihood that it will help you.|||I have acne too, so I found a nurse practitioner in my area that specializes in skin conditions. She%26#039;s not a dermatologist (so not as expensive), but my acne has improved. She put me on Yaz birth control along with a few medications specifically for acne-differin gel and Septa as a mild antibiotic. She also told me to wash my face with Cetaphil antibacterial cleanser and not use any products with sacrylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. Seems to have worked fairly well :-) I think dermatologists are expensive, so your best bet is to see a regular doctor that knows how to treat acne or specializes in skin conditions. You can try going on Yaz first, see if that works and if it doesn%26#039;t, then go see a dermatologist. Good luck!|||So I%26#039;m almost 17 and was pretty much in the same boat. Getting on birth control does help, but it doesn%26#039;t cure acne completely. Plus, you get all the added benefits of the pill- shorter periods, cramps almost rid of completely. So I do suggest that. But if you want it gone completely (as in, it%26#039;s pretty bad) I would see a dermatologist in addition to getting on the pill. Warning though: I was prescribed pills for acne and it was an awful experience. You usually have to take the medications on an empty stomach, and they%26#039;re very strong. I was sick to my stomach literally every day. I could help you out a little more if you said where you had the acne? Some topical creams are really good but if you have it on your chest or back they bleach clothes bad. If it%26#039;s just on your face I would talk to a dermatologist about those first. Good luck. (:|||I think your difficulty is primarily hormonal and birth control may help. However, just be aware that reduced acne is only sometimes a side effect of birth control. There are some acne medications out there but I have tried many of them and often they do not work as well. It is difficult to live with acne and I have found the best thing to do is try various products until you find something that works. Good Luck!!|||I would talk to a doctor, not your esthetician, who probably had a 6 month course in how to apply cosmetics, and a doctor has like at least 6 years of schooling. No brainer.|||Try the birth control. My acne cleared up when my hormones evened out in my 20%26#039;s. The birth control should regulate yours.|||Birth control.