Ortho Tri-Cyclen and Acne Essay -- Medicine Medical Birth Control Pape

Ortho Tri-Cyclen and Acne What does Ortho Tri-Cyclen do for the treatment of acne and how does it work? In 1960, the medical world of the United States was revolutionized by the introduction of The Pill. For the past forty years, The Pill has been the most popular form of reversible birth control. But beside the stellar contraceptive effectiveness rate ranging from 97-99.9% (when taken as directed), many other non-contraceptive benefits exist in conjunction with this method of birth control. Studies have proven that a women’s incidence of ovarian and endometrial cancers, benign cysts of the ovaries and breasts, and pelvic inflammatory disease, all decrease with pill use. Heavy bleeding and severe cramps are also minimized (www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/CONSUMER/CON00027.html). Recent claims state that birth control may also effectively treat some types of acne. Though, back in 1966, The Rocky Mountain Medical Journal published an article illustrating the effectiveness of estrogen-progestin combination in the treatment of stubborn acne, and maintaining that the cyclic admin istration of oral contraception is a useful measure for many women. It was not until January 2, 1997 that marked another big step in the world of the birth control pill when, for the first time, an oral contraceptive was approved for marketing by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an effective treatment for acne. Ortho Tri-Cyclen, originally introduced in 1992 by the Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical Corporation, is the first low dose birth control pill approved for a noncontraceptive indication. (www.pslgroup.com/dg/fa6a/htm.) Ortho Tri-Cyclen is the only birth control pill that has been clinically proven for the treatment of mo... ... acne vulgaris. Journal of American Acad Dermatology, 37(5Pt1), 746-54 Olson WH, Lippman JS, Robisch DM, (1998). The duration of response to norgestimate and ethinyl estradiol in the treatment of acne vulgaris. Internal Journal of Fertil Womens Med, 43(6), 286-90 Redmond GP, (1998). Effectiveness of oral contraceptives in the treatment of acne, Contraception, 58(3 Suppl), 29S-33S Redmond GP, Olson WH, Lippman JS, Kafrissen ME, Jones TM, Jorizzo JL, (1997). Norgestimate and ethinyl estradiol in the treatment of acne vulgaris: a radomized, placebo controlled trial. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 89(4), 615-22 Van Hoff MH, Hirasing RA, Kaptein MB, Koppenaal C, Voorhorst FJ, Schoemaker J, (1998). The use of oral contraceptives by adolescents for contraception, menstrual cycle problems or acne. Acta Obstetrics and Gynecol Scand, 77(9), 898-904