Toothpaste as a Home Treatment for Acne
Is Toothpaste Really a Home Treatment for Acne?
Sometimes a home treatment for acne is just what is needed to clear your acne. Other times it is not. One home treatment for acne that some individuals swear by is applying fluoride toothpaste as a spot treatment to pimples. Can this home treatment for acne do more harm than good?
There Are Those Who Swear By It
Many acne sufferers insist that toothpaste has helped reduce the size of their pimples. When you hear favorable experiences with a particular home treatment for acne, you can definitely be tempted to try it. Before you do, though, keep some tips in mind.
Do Not "Paste" Your Face
If you decide to try toothpaste as your home treatment for acne, make sure that you apply toothpaste sparingly. Use traditional toothpaste as gel toothpaste won’t be as effective. If you have back acne or acne on your shoulders, you might want to try applying toothpaste there to see how this home treatment for acne works for you. That way if you have a negative reaction you will easily be able to conceal it. Part of the reason this treatment is successful for some is because the toothpaste dehydrates the pimple.
If after trying this home treatment for acne on your back, you would like to try it on your face, dab just the smallest amount possible on one pimple. Don’t try this home treatment for acne on all your pimples until you first do a spot test on just one pimple. If you react favorably, you can then try this home treatment for acne more often. You can also experiment with different toothpaste brands such as Crest, Colgate, and Aquafresh.
Some Do Experience Less-Than-Ideal Results
Keep in mind that some people don’t react that well to toothpaste. Personally, the skin around my mouth gets red if I get toothpaste on it when washing my face. Overall, this home treatment for acne has little risk involved because you are simply using a product that you normally use every day to brush your teeth.