Fact or Fiction: Toothpaste Fights Blemishes

I think it’s safe to say that at some point in time, we all have been desperate enough to get rid of a pimple that we turn to home remedies. Every one, myself included, has probably dabbed a little toothpaste on top of a blemish in hopes that the next morning the blemish would be gone and our skin would be clear (and minty fresh.) While many people claim to have success with this homemade acne treatment, is it really working? Despite the fact that you may think it has worked in the past, the verdict might surprise you.

You’ve probably heard time and time again that using toothpaste on a blemish will help dry it out, make it less red, or make it disappear completely. There are also variations of this myth including, “Only use white toothpaste” or “Don’t use cinnamon toothpaste.” Toothpaste does, in fact, contain many active ingredients that could aid in drying out your skin like baking soda and alcohol, but according to the Huffington Post, the amount of these ingredients present in toothpaste may not actually be enough to do the job completely.

If you’ve ever tried this home remedy, you may have experienced the blemish getting smaller or being dried out, which can be misleading and make you feed into this myth, but don’t be fooled. According to the Huffington Post and Glamour, applying toothpaste to your skin can cause severe irritation, redness, burn-like spots on your face, and even skin peeling. Does any of that sound appealing? Not in the least.

Verdict: False. While toothpaste does in fact dry out your skin (which may coincidentally be your blemish) it has way more negative affects than it has positive ones. Keep the toothpaste on your toothbrush and stick to other home remedies like sugar scrubs or baking soda scrubs to help fight blemishes.

How do you keep your skin clear?

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