Does Toothpaste Really Work to Reduce Pimples?

Bad skin is brutal. Especially when you have an important meeting, new clients to meet and, worst of all, a date.

For years there has been a rumour going around which suggests that putting toothpaste onto a spot or pimple can help to reduce it’s appearance or make it disappear completely. This is a tip that has been passed down to me via my mother, but I have never been able to replicate the results.

So, I did some research into whether toothpaste really does work to reduce pimples.

The Answer!

The argument is really that toothpaste is used to kill the bacteria that start the infection in the first place, and protects the sore while you’re doing your thing; living. Most people put toothpaste on their skin before they go to bed because nobody wants to be walking around with huge white dots all over them.

So, does toothpaste actually work for spots?

The answer is very unclear, unfortunately. There are some reasons why it does work and others which say it does not. The main argument is that toothpaste kills off bacteria, which was in fact true at some point at least. At one point in time, almost all toothpaste contained “triclosan”, which kills bacteria. You’ll be disappointed to know that triclosan was found to affect thyroid health and most toothpaste these days do not use them.

Secondly, the argument is that toothpaste dries out the skin, and therefore reduces the appearance of spots. There is some evidence (and many dermatologists) that support this but it can also be argued that in fact, the opposite is true. The contact with the toothpaste will dry out your skin and cause the damaged area to become redder, and potentially take longer to heal. Not good at all!

It seems that the age-old remedy could result in your skin actually becoming worse, and not better. All these years I have been duped.

The Bottom Line

In some ways, toothpaste does work for pimples, but there may be unwanted side effects that could make everything look worse.

Rather than using toothpaste, there are actually products that can help reduce the appearance of spots and will help to reduce unwanted redness and swelling. These can be found online very easily and can be purchased at a similar price to toothpaste itself. Don’t be silly and put toothpaste on your face like it is the 1940s, try a purpose-made cream instead.

The Answer!

The Bottom Line

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