Diane 35

Diane 35 for acne and excess hair

Diane 35 is a pill rather than a skin treatment: each tablet holds 2mg of cyproterone acetate and 0.035mg of ethinylestradiol. Women look it up when acne is stubborn, or when oily skin and hirsutism (dark, coarse hair in a male pattern on the face, chest or tummy) are driven by androgens, the male-type hormones. Cyproterone acetate is an anti-androgen that blocks them, and the cyproterone acetate page explains how it does that. The ethinylestradiol half keeps the cycle regular and stops ovulation, so the pill also prevents pregnancy. It takes the place of another hormonal contraceptive and is never added to one.

One strip, one cycle

Take the first tablet on day one of your period. A strip has 21, so you finish on day 21 and then wait a week before opening the next one; the period-like bleed turns up in that week. Packs come in multiples of 21. Do not expect much from the first strip, because acne and unwanted hair move slowly and several strips in a row make a fairer test. Once things have cleared, treatment usually runs for three or four more cycles and then stops, restarting only if the problem returns.

Diane 35 or the plain combination?

Diane 35 and Cyproterone Acetate And Ethinylestradiol are the same tablet: the same two ingredients at 2/0.035mg, with the plain one listed for severe acne and hirsutism. Diane 35 is the brand name, so compare the pack sizes on each page and pick on that.

Side effects and clot risk

Most people notice nausea, headache, tender breasts or mood and weight changes, if anything. The one that matters is a clot in a vein. Compared with pills containing levonorgestrel, clots are somewhat more common here, and about as common as with desogestrel pills. A history of clots, stroke, migraine with aura, severe liver disease or breast cancer rules the pill out, as does pregnancy. A swollen, painful calf, chest pain or sudden breathlessness needs urgent treatment.