Acne can be the bane of one’s existence, and leaving the teenage years
is no guarantee of leaving the acne behind as well. Home remedies to get
rid of acne and reduce acne scars abound as do more expensive medical
approaches. Is it really possible to get rid of acne without seeing a
dermatologist? Some people claim that toothpaste can get rid of acne. Is
this the case?
Before answering this question, let’s first consider what acne is, how
it is treated and how those treatments might have ingredients similar to
those found in toothpaste. Acne is actually a disease of the skin. It
involves the hair follicles becoming inflamed or infected in some way
and thus producing pimples. The tiny pores in the skin are linked to
glands that produce an oily liquid called sebum. When dead skin cells
carried by sebum are blocked, the oil accumulates under the skin
resulting in a pimple. Diet, hormones, stress, genetics and even
bacteria all exacerbate acne. It is commonly thought of as a condition
that happens on the face and perhaps less so on the shoulders and back,
but acne can occur in other places on the body as well.
Acne is
commonly treated using antibiotics, hormones and various topical
medications. Benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid and Vitamin A are all
ingredients in many medications that are applied directly to the skin to
combat pimples. They are not present in toothpaste, however, so can
toothpaste get rid of acne as well?
The answer is sometimes, and
it is probably not the best approach, but it can be used if other
methods are not available. Baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, silica,
alcohol and other ingredients typical to toothpaste are drying agents
that will help combat pimples. These drying agents are present in the
white part of the toothpaste, so choosing an all-white toothpaste to get
rid of a pimple is better than a toothpaste with colors throughout it.
Gels and tooth-whitening toothpastes should also be avoided. Many gels
lack the active ingredients necessary to get rid of acne while
tooth-whiteners are simply too harsh for skin and can possibly even
bleach it. A toothpaste with low fluoride content is also a good idea
because fluoride can cause a rash even on people who ingest it with no
problems. The very best toothpaste for acne reduction is an organic
brand because it will generally lack fluoride that is not naturally
occuring as well as other potentially harmful ingredients.
Application of any topical acne remover should begin with clean skin,
and toothpaste is no exception. Once the skin is clean, a small dot of
toothpaste no larger than the size of a kernel of corn can be applied
directly to the pimple. Because toothpaste can severely dry out the
skin, application should be limited only to the pimple itself and not to
other parts of the skin. While some sources advise leaving the
toothpaste on overnight, it’s best to gauge initially how one’s skin
reacts to it particularly if the skin is sensitive to begin with.
Washing the toothpaste off after twenty minutes or so to check for any
skin irritation is not a bad idea. The toothpaste can then be reapplied
and left for a few hours or overnight. If it does not get rid of the
pimple the first time, it can be reapplied over several days.
Acne scars are caused by a kind of overcorrection. Collagen repairs the
skin, but too much of it leads to scars. Therefore, toothpaste can
reduce acne scars as well by getting rid of pimples before they have
time to damage the skin more severely.
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