Choose your toothpaste carefully if you have vitiligo

Last Updated on 18th September 2023 by Caroline Haye

Or you may not have anything to smile about

One of the first areas of my face to lose its pigment when I was a child was the corners of my mouth – a common site for vitiligo lesions. Once I started to spend my time looking ito possible causes, I assumed that this was because there is something in the saliva of vitiligo sufferers that triggers pigment loss in the same way as there seems to be something in tears that cause vitiligo to develop around the eyes… And in perspiration on those areas of the body that sweat the most. This may well be the case but there is also another factor that most likely contributes to white patches around the mouth. And it’s one that most people probably never even think about. Our choice of toothpaste. I now know that it is important to choose your toothpaste carefully if you have vitiligo, and here’s why…

If it whitens teeth, it will whiten skin too

Many brands of toothpaste (and mouthwash) contain whitening agents, including hydrogen peroxide, which of course is a powerful bleach. Not only is is a bad idea to expose vitiligo-prone skin to bleaching agents, but research shows that vitiligo sufferers already have higher levels of hydrogen peroxide in their skin than the rest of the population. So it definitely does not make sense for anyone with vitiligo to use a product containing this substance on a regular basis. (Especially when you consider that many of us brush our teeth two or three times a day and that it is almost impossible to use toothpaste without the foam coming ito contact with the skin around our mouth and lips.)

Once I realised that toothpast – and other dental hygiene products – posed an additional vitiligo risk, I switched my popular high street brand for health-food shop alternatives which contain only natural ingredients. And it seems to me that my teeth look just as white as they ever did. Plus – my recovery means that I now have more to smile about!