NEW YORK, Dec 3 — Social networks are brimming with all kinds of beauty hacks designed to make users’ lives easier, while also creating viral hits. However, in the absence of professional advice, not all tips are wise to follow, even when it comes to traditional home remedies and time-old tricks. So, contrary to what has been doing the rounds on TikTok in recent months, toothpaste was created first and foremost for dental hygiene, not for fighting blemishes.

Just like fashion, beauty also seems to be an eternal process of repetition. Back in the 1990s, toothpaste was said to work wonders for drying up a pimple that was about to pop. As a result, teenagers curious to try out this miraculous cure would smear their faces with toothpaste — and we’re hardly exaggerating — before hitting the hay in the hope that the said miracle would occur at the stroke of midnight. But, in the morning, the only visible result was all-too often a messed-up pillow.

Nearly three decades later, the magic of social media has revived this old-school hack. On TikTok, savvy influencers — and would-be toothpaste evangelists — have brought this beauty trick back into fashion. And many users seem to rave about its effects. To hear them, you’d think that the result would be spectacular. Except that, in reality, toothpaste is not an anti-blemish lotion and even less a miracle product.

Whether on social networks or elsewhere, dermatologists are unanimous: Toothpaste is ineffective in fighting acne, or any unwanted pimple. The products contained in toothpaste have neither drying nor healing properties, contrary to what you may hear on TikTok and elsewhere... To sum up, even a whole tube of toothpaste wouldn’t be enough to get rid of your blackheads.

Dr. Muneeb Shah, a dermatologist followed by more than 11.5 million TikTok users, is known for regularly sharing his reactions to the social network’s latest beauty finds. The professional recently placed toothpaste for pimples in his top three worst acne hacks — between potato and rubbing alcohol. Let that be a warning to anyone tempted to give it a try.

On the other hand, contrary to what we might also read here and there, nothing says that toothpaste can worsen a skin breakout, or dry out the skin. Indeed, the product is no worse than certain patches which, according to some videos circulating on TikTok, can leave significant scars. — ETX Studio