BOSTON -- Women now have a new option when it comes to birth control, and there's a new way to zap away acne.

NewsCenter 5's Liz Brunner reported that a laser long used to rid the skin of precancers has a new purpose.

"We found when we were treating patients with these precancers that their acne was getting better," Dr. Bruce Katz said.

Laser Photodynamic Therapy, or PDT, works by decreasing the amount of bacteria on the skin. The treatment involves up to eight sessions and costs about $700. Dermatologists said that it clears up acne as well as the drug Accutane does without the side effects.

For more information, call Dr. Dany Touma at (617) 414-6760, or Dr. Jeffrey Dover at (617) 731-1600.

Birth Control Pills

The first birth control pill ever designed to allow women to skip periods became available by prescription this week.

Seasonale cuts the number of periods to just four per year by extending the number of active hormone pills taken in a row, maintaining the lining of the uterus for a longer period of time.

The risks appear similar to other birth control pills -- including, in rare cases, heart attack and stroke, especially for smokers and those over 35.

Click here for more about Seasonale.

Date-Rape Drugs

Four North Shore bars are serving up more than drinks -- they're educating their customers about the dangers of date-rape drugs.

Napkins at taverns, like the Pickled Onion, are printed with the names and descriptions of the most popular drugs, which because they are colorless and odorless, can easily be slipped into food or drinks without the person knowing it.

"Hopefully people will see it, will look at it and people can make it a part of their conversation and essentially break the silence about sexual assault," North Shore Rape Crisis Center spokeswoman Corleigh McKinnon said.

The effort is called Project Bar and is sponsored by the North Shore Rape Crisis Center and Endicott College.

The napkins, which also contain the 24-hour crisis hot line phone number, will be distributed Thursday nights until the end of the school year.

The hot line phone number is (800) 922-8772.