Hi Dr. Pickart - I recently read comments from a dermatologist who stated you should wash off any toothpaste that gets onto your skin around your mouth because it damages the skin. Could you comment on that?

thx

Hi Bunni, That is interesting... ...It could be that MANY toothpastes as well as Shampoos & Body Washes contain the ever dreaded Sodium Lauryl Sulfate which causes the bubbles in toothpaste -or- the foaming action in washes...

I don't think that this is something that you want to leave on your skin, so your Dentist is probably correct in telling you to make sure that you rinse thoroughly & wash it off around your mouth... ...

As far as Shampoos & Body Washes go, so MANY products contain SLS & I don't neccesarily KNOW that it is as harmful as many people fear ... since it is in low doses in these products & is WASHED OFF your hair & skin when used...

I think that even SB Folligen Shampoo contains some SLS which gets washed out of your hair within a few minutes...

I've found the my favorite Arm & Hammer PeroxiCare Toothpaste aslo containd SLS, but I opt to still use it since it works better than other more "natural toothpastes" I've tried.

Yes, You do just want to make sure you wash the residue off from around your lips... ...

My guess is that any sane person would wash off excess toothpaste that is on their face after brushing their teeth.

That dermatologist must have a strange clientele.

I agree with the Doctor. I don't think most people walk around looking like they foam at the mouth.
However, working in a maxio-facial surgical office I have seen patients develop allergy to Flouride and tartar control ingredients. Your Dermo may have been reffering to this circumstance. In which case you need a brand without those ingredients..

quote:

Originally posted by Dr. Pickart:
My guess is that any sane person would wash off excess toothpaste that is on their face after brushing their teeth.

That dermatologist must have a strange clientele.

I bust out laughing when I read this.

…But then I thought of my BF who not infrequently shows up with some toothpaste on his face. He rubs it off when I call it to his attention. He's well kempt overall, but I think some guys don't bother to use the mirror except to shave. They think it's poncy or something to look for more than a split second. or maybe I should blame the ADHD. LOL

If a doc had told me about skin damaging toothpaste, I'd have asked her, "how so?".

If I brush my teeth with a foaming toothpaste I get a canker sore. I also get a lot of gunk buildup on my scalp, sore spots, and excess hair shedding from using detergent shampoos. I wash my hair with mild soap or herbs. Some folks are more sensitive than others, maybe your derm was referring to that.

By detergents I mean common ones like sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate, Sodium myreth sulfate, cocomidapropyl betaine, etc.

It SEEMS to me that perhaps your derm was trying to find an excuse for those "pesky lip lines" that form as we age... ...

If it was only that EASY!...

Ok I can imagine the uproar over this.... but I recall reading somewhere that some people used toothpaste to speed up the removal of spots. I don't understand it exactly.... but from memory if you had a redness developing which was going to be a spot, the toothpaste drew the bacteria to the surface or something was the reasoning behind it. I have never needed to do it, so wouldn't know but figure its food for thought at least.

There are a lot of arguments out there that toothpaste isn't as healthy as we are led to believe often for the teeth and preventing tooth ware - but I am not dentist!

I have read a long time ago in a skin book that thetoothpaste residue which you can't see but certainly can feel burning(I can)can cause eraser sized nodules on the chin by sides of mouth.It is strange but i believe it.Obviously,things can be on your skin without being visible.Some books have even recommended putting toothpaste on a pimple to dry it up.I beleive it is damaging from my own darkened scars that look like pimples but are not there.

Well, in truth, toothpast- once we are adult- has negligable benefit. Children, especialy if not exposed to floridated water require that supplament in the toothpast. As adults the paste acts as a lubricant, and as a taste incentive to brush longer. Thus TP made for adults have other ingredients, like Triclosan(antibiotic) for gum disease. Or a variety of mild acids to reduce tartar.