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Is it Safe to Use Toothpaste on Zits?

Using toothpaste on zits is one of the most popular home remedies for acne. Since the olden days, people have used this method as a kind of homemade spot treatment, applying toothpaste directly onto troublesome pimples and letting it stay on overnight. Some swear by this method, but even in the modern age, it is hard to prove exactly how effective it is.

One would argue that using toothpaste on zits is harmless, and it saves money besides. Instead of saving up for over-the-counter (OTC) preparations, which you have to use frequently and therefore have to shell out money for on a regular basis, you can just use toothpaste, which you spend for regularly, anyway! You could just take some toothpaste out of the bathroom, apply it on your face, and sleep with it on - or wash it off after three hours or so, depending on what you have been told.

In effect, you pretty much use toothpaste as a replacement for an OTC facial wash or ointment. There may be some dangers to this, and one will have to think about whether or not the risks outweigh the benefits. There may be some additives in toothpaste that will irritate your skin. Some may advocate using the ones that come in pure white paste instead of the ones that come in fancy gel form. It is assumed that white paste comes with less risk of irritation - however, even generic white toothpaste may contain additives that will react badly with the skin on one's face. Skin sensitivity varies for each individual after all, and some types of skin may be more responsive toward certain chemicals than others.

One thing about toothpaste that may convince people as to its effectiveness in fighting zits is that it has slight cooling properties. A large "ripe" pimple may benefit from a cream that brings the swelling down. However, some OTC acne medications also come with cooling properties, and are safer to use on many different skin types besides.

In the end, we will have to say that there is no scientific evidence that would conclude that using toothpaste on zits works. In fact, there is even a possibility that it will worsen an acne condition.