Your Questions About Acne Treatment For Severe Acne

Questions about birth control?

I am a 17 year old girl who suffers from moderate to severe acne. I am not sexually active, nor do I plan to be. I have tried almost every OTC acne wash as well as a prescription acne wash (Benzac) & two prescription topical treatments (BenzaClin & Retin-A Micro). BenzaClin worked wonders for a few months, but unfortunately stopped working. I applied Retin-A Micro for seven weeks, and did not see any results other than more breakouts and skin peeling. Benzac did a mediocre job of clearing up my acne.

I also believe I have PMDD. I get very depressed, anxious, and irritated for two weeks before my period. Everybody around me notices a significant difference in my emotions during this time. It is extremely miserable. I feel immense relief after my period starts.

I am tired of having this severe acne. It is so embarrassing and hinders my self confidence a great deal. I feel I cannot go to town without applying a load of make-up, which is time consuming and annoying to me. I am also tired of having this horrible anxiety and depression before my period. It effects me as well as those around me, and I feel horrible about it.

I was wondering if birth control can help control these symptoms? If I take birth control, will it mess up my hormones even more? Also, will it effect my chance of getting pregnant if I decide to when I get older? Will it effect my libido? Is there anything else I can do or take to control these symptoms besides birth control?

Sorry for all of the questions & long post! All answers will be very much appreciated; thank you for reading!