Deborah Grey, Mumbai: Many young college-going teenagers are taking contraceptive pills to get rid of acne and pimples.

Today, young people are placing a huge premium on good looks and acne or pimples are a big no-no. Youngsters fear dating someone with a face full of pimples. “No. I will not go out with anyone with pimples.

They are just so ugly,” says a young boy. Youngsters are now resorting to extreme measures to get that perfect glowing peaches complexion. Even if one may not believe, they are taking contraceptive pills to do away with all the marks on their face. “They hear about it from their peers and start popping pills without proper advice from a doctor. This leads to various complications. I have come across 35-40 such cases in the last six months," says Gynaecologist, Jaslok Hospital, Dr.Rishma Dhillon Pai.

Several key hormonal changes take place during teenage years, which is why many youngster develop acne and pimples.

Contraceptive pills contain hormones such as progesterone and oestrogen, which is why teenagers start popping these pills to control their acne problem. Many new pills contain Drosperinon, fourth generation progesterone, which is known to have a positive effect on women's skin and hair.

However, doctors warn that taking these pills without consulting a gynaecologist can lead to excessive weight gain, hirsuitism, and irregular menstruation.

"It can lead to many serious problems like deep vein thrombosis or clotting of blood in the veins... which can be fatal,” says Dr.Rishma Dhillon Pai. As for the glowing complexion, a healthy lifestyle and high self-esteem is most likely to take care of that without the need of popping pills.