For just about every affliction known to man there are myths that circulate concerning their possible remedies. The best way to get rid of a pimple is not exempt. Your grandma may have said something like “put some butter on it.” Now I don’t think you would ever do that, but there are some rumors we may want to look a little deeper into. Toothpaste on pimples is one of these.
Have you wondered does putting toothpaste on pimples help get rid of them? The best way to tell is to look at the ingredients in toothpaste. This way we can figure out what putting toothpaste on pimples should do to your skin and acne.
Fluoride: This is a usual ingredient in most toothpaste. In 1976 a dermatologist reported a rise in the cases of acne around the mouths of many of his patients. He believed the fluoride in the toothpaste they were using was causing this increase. Even though I do not see any data specifically backing up his claim, I do know fluoride has been classified as a skin irritant. Using toothpaste without fluoride, or at least a low concentration of fluoride is your best bet. It has also been found that toothpaste on pimples is more effective as a paste, rather than a gel.
Baking Soda: This has become a common ingredient in toothpaste today. Baking soda is a great at exfoliating the skin, making it excellent in the fight against acne.
Mint: Mint is often used in skin care products as it is good for the skin and is known to be effective against acne.
Antibacterial Agents: A lot of the toothpaste on the market today has antibacterial properties. Most acne has the bacteria known as Proprionibacterium Acnes growing in it. Since the main antibacterial agent used in this type of toothpaste is Triclosan, which is known to fight this bacteria, this type of toothpaste can be helpful when putting toothpaste on pimples.
According to all the information above, I would say toothpaste on pimples is helpful to fight acne. There are a few things to keep in mind though when using toothpaste on pimples. First, the toothpaste has other ingredients which may not be good for the skin, so apply the toothpaste only to the pimple. Secondly, the toothpaste can be very drying to the skin so make sure to also use a non pore clogging moisturizer on your face.