Does Toothpaste Help with Bruises? A Closer Look

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The best, easiest ways to speed up your bruise’s healing time according to medicine

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• Overview
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• How to Use Toothpaste for Bruises
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• Medical Solutions
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• Tips

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Did you just notice a fresh bruise on your skin? Toothpaste has been touted as a simple home remedy for bruising, but there’s very little evidence that it actually works (the minty coolness might feel good, though!). In this article, we’ll debunk whether toothpaste really works or not and show you how to try it, plus share the best medically-backed ways to treat and heal a bruise. You’ve probably got everything you need in your medicine cabinet—toothpaste included!

Things You Should Know

• Some think putting toothpaste on a bruise improves circulation and speeds up healing time, but there is little to no evidence to support this. It won't hurt to try it, though!
• Mix 2 parts toothpaste and 1 part lotion and apply a thin layer to your bruise before bed. Wrap the bruise with a bandage overnight and rinse it clean in the morning.
• Speed up healing by icing the bruise right away, then using heat after 24 hours. Keep the bruise elevated and wear a compression bandage to fight swelling.

Steps

Section 1 of 3:

Is toothpaste effective for fading bruises?

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   Some say toothpaste stimulates circulation, but there’s no evidence. Proponents for toothpaste say that the cool, tingly sensation you get when you put it on your skin improves circulation to speed up the healing process (many people use peppermint oil on bruises for the same reason). Some also say that it can disperse blood clots that might form underneath a bruise, too.

   • Despite its popularity as a bruise remedy, there’s almost no research on the effectiveness of toothpaste and no evidence that it improves bruising.
   • Part of toothpaste’s success might be due to the placebo effect—the paste’s cool, soothing feeling might make people think it’s more effective than it really is.
   • Unless you have sensitive skin or a cut on your bruise, toothpaste is harmless as long as you use it once per day.
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   Using toothpaste might irritate or bleach your skin. Toothpaste is abrasive and drying when it’s left on the skin, and too much of that tingling sensation can irritate the skin over a bruise. It also contains ingredients and chemicals that are meant to fight tartar and whiten teeth. These can lead to redness and sensitivity, or you might accidentally whiten your skin wherever you apply it.

   • Test a small dab on toothpaste in a hidden spot, like the inside of your wrist, to see how it affects your skin before rubbing it all over a bruise.
   • Toothpaste is unhygienic after the cap is removed for the first time. It might increase your chance of infection if the skin’s broken over the bruise.
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Section 2 of 3:

How to Use Toothpaste to Get Rid of Bruises

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   Combine 2 parts toothpaste and 1 part skin lotion in a small bowl. Stir the ingredients until they’re evenly mixed. Use any kind of skin cream you’d normally use on yourself, like a moisturizing lotion or dry skin repair cream. Try a natural toothpaste with peppermint oil if you have it on hand—if not, any minty toothpaste will do.

   • Try adding a few drops of coconut oil to help keep the toothpaste from drying out your skin.
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   Cover the bruise in the toothpaste-lotion mixture before bedtime. Use your hands or a clean cloth to apply a thin layer of the toothpaste mixture over the entire bruise. Let the mixture sit on top of your skin instead of trying to rub it in like you would with plain lotion. You may start to feel a chilled, tingling sensation from the toothpaste.
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   Put a bandage over the toothpaste mixture to protect your sheets. Apply a bandage or gauze pads to cover small bruises, or cover larger bruises with an ACE bandage. If your bandage wraps around a limb, secure it with medium-light pressure so it doesn’t cut off your circulation while you sleep.

   • The bandage will keep the toothpaste-lotion mixture from getting on your sheets, bedding, or PJs during the night.
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   Keep the toothpaste on overnight and rinse it off in the morning. When you wake up, remove your bandage and rinse the toothpaste mixture away with water. Your skin might feel a little irritated or sensitive from the toothpaste. If it worked, your bruise will look lighter (or might be totally gone if it was small or light to begin with).
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   Repeat for 2-3 more nights or until the bruise disappears. If your bruise is still noticeable after one night of toothpaste, try the remedy again for the following 2 nights. Only use toothpaste on your skin once a day before bed—using it multiple times throughout the day can cause irritation, redness, or sensitivity.
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Section 3 of 3:

Best Ways to Heal a Bruise Quickly

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   Apply ice to the bruise or injury as soon as possible to prevent swelling. Use a cold compress like an ice pack, a cloth soaked in ice-cold water, or even a bag of frozen vegetables wrapped in a towel. Apply the compress to the bruise for about 10 minutes, then wait at least 20 minutes to reapply.

   • Treat the bruise with ice a handful of times during the first 24 hours after injury.
   • Never apply ice or a cold compact directly to your bare skin. Use a towel, cloth, or your clothes to cover your skin and protect it from cold damage.
   • When the blood vessels around a bruise are cooled, they constrict and keep more blood from leaking out into the surrounding tissue.
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   Rest the bruised area for a few hours. If possible, stop what you were doing when you got the bruise (exercising, walking, working on a home improvement project) and let that part of your body relax. Get off your feet if the bruise is on your lower body and get in a comfortable sitting or lying position.

   • Rest until the initial pain and swelling have started to subside.
   • When you’re less active, your blood flow slows down and will make your bruise look less prominent than if you continued working out or moving around.
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   Soothe the bruise with heat after the first 24 hours. Once the bruise has formed and the worst of the swelling has gone away, apply heat to clear up the blood trapped under your skin. Use a heating pad, hot water bottle, or a soak in a warm bath to boost your circulation and carry blood away from the bruise.

   • Use heat for up to 20 minutes at a time, several times throughout the day. Heat is most helpful during the first 2-3 days after the initial 24 hours of icing.
   • Heat will also loosen tight muscles and relieve pain associated with the bruise.
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   Keep the bruise elevated above your heart level. During the first 3 days of bruising, prop up the bruised area on a pillow or cushion whenever you ice or heat it or anytime you sit or lie down. Aim to keep the bruise above your heart when possible—this will reduce swelling by draining fluid away from the bruise.

   • Elevation also reduces pressure on the bruise, allowing inflammatory fluid to drain while increasing blood flow back to your heart.
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   Use compression in the first 24-48 hours to decrease swelling and pain. Firmly wrap the bruise in an elastic bandage to apply light pressure to the injury. Wrap it tightly, but not so tight that your circulation is cut off or the bandage feels uncomfortable or painful.

   • Keep the wrap on during waking hours for 1-2 days after injury.
   • Combine compression with elevation whenever possible for the fastest healing results.
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   Try using arnica gel or ointment to heal your bruise naturally. Rub arnica gel onto the bruise daily to soothe pain, treat swelling, and reduce the bruise’s visibility. Apply the gel up to 3 times a day until the bruise feels painless or has disappeared.

   • Check the instructions on your arnica gel before using it. Most recommend not applying it to broken skin or cuts and avoiding it if you’re allergic to arnica.
   • Do not take arnica by mouth without the supervision of a doctor since the herb can be dangerous when ingested.
   • Arnica is an herb with compounds that can help reduce swelling and inflammation.
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   Eat a diet rich in bruise-healing foods to prevent and heal bruising. Stock up on foods with high levels of bruise-curing vitamin K—try kale, spinach, broccoli, lettuce, soybeans, Brussel sprouts, blueberries, and strawberries. Make sure to get enough zinc to heal and strengthen your tissue, too. Good sources include crab, lobster, pumpkin seeds, legumes, and spinach.

   • Try eating pineapple. It contains bromelain which fights inflammation and can help the severity of bruises.
   • Eat produce with quercetin—apples, citrus, red onions, leafy greens, and dark-colored berries—to strengthen blood vessels and reduce inflammation.
   • Stick to lean protein that’s low in saturated fats and cholesterol to support your blood vessels, like fish, poultry, or tofu, or cottage cheese.
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   Use over-the-counter pain medicine to manage bruise pain. Try acetaminophen (Tylenol) to soothe minor aches and pains associated with your bruise. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like Aspirin or Ibuprofen, can also work—just check with your doctor before using NSAIDs for bruising.

   • Follow the instructions and dosage recommendations for any over-the-counter medicine you take to prevent negative side effects.
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   See a doctor if your bruise hasn’t improved in 2 weeks. Stubborn bruises can be a sign of a more serious underlying condition or the result of other factors like blood-thinning medication or aging, so it's always best to double-check with your doctor if you have a persistent bruise. Consult your healthcare provider if you experience any of the following symptoms, too:

   • You bruise often or get recurring bruises without a known cause
   • The pain and swelling of the bruise is increasing
   • You’re unable to move a joint because of a bruise
   • You suspect there’s a broken bone under the bruise
   • Your eye is injured or bruised
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Tips

• Avoid massaging the bruised area or putting more pressure on it. This can cause more blood vessels to break and make the bruise look worse.
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• There’s no need to bandage a bruise (besides using a compression bandage) unless the skin is broken.
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