New regulations for oral contraceptive prescription in France in 2013: what is the impact on adult female acne?

Abstract

Background

In 2012, a young French woman lodged a complaint against a pharmaceutical company having suffered a cerebral stroke. The French health authority recommended all prescribers of hormonal contraception (HCP) to favour second-generation HCP.

Objectives

To evaluate the consequences of these recommendations on female acne.

Materials and Methods

A prospective multicentre study using a standardised questionnaire completed by 1,724 women.

Results

The mean age was 26.57 years; 58.7% of the women had changed their HCP during the last 12 months. The initial ratio of first or second/third or fourth-generation drugs was 5.5%/82.9% which changed after the recommendations to 70.6%/29.4%. Among the patients who switched from third or fourth to first or second-generation drugs, 83.9% considered that their acne had worsened (p<0.0001). In those patients who received a local acne treatment, 72.1% had additional systemic treatment.

Conclusion

This study confirms the important rise in prescriptions of first or second-generation HCP. This switch has resulted in a significant increase in acne, requiring treatment for the large majority of patients, thus confirming the role of a hormonal factor in female acne.