Is Aspirin Good for Your Skin? – (Guest Post Part 1 of 4)

Facial Spa at Ballantyne Hotel and Lodge Charlotte North Carolina, a photo by travelnc on Flickr.

About the Author:

This is the first of a four-part series about the efficacy and safety of skin care remedies commonly used at home, written by the very talented Monica Huynh.  Born and raised in California, Monica Huynh received her bachelor degree at University of California, Berkeley and is currently a medical student at Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. Aside from skin and beauty products, Monica loves to travel to new places, scope out delicious restaurants, and experiment with fashion. 

As much as I love to splurge on quality products, I love a bargain even more. If you’re a student or anything like me, cutting costs is a great way to save some money and being practical with skincare purchases only helps. Therefore, homemade skincare products have grown increasingly more popular and for good reason – products are customizable and big money is saved. However, times have changed. What used to be innocent facial masks made from avocadoes have changed to dissolved aspirin tablets for a quick fix. Though I love a good deal, how effective and – more importantly – safe are these homemade skincare products? 

Aspirin Mask

Claim:   Salicylic acid is a tried-and-true dermatologic drug that is commonly used to treat acne. As a beta-hydroxy acid, it is widely used to exfoliate the skin as well as priming the skin for enhanced penetration of other topical treatments. As a member of the salicylates, the common household drug aspirin has been a long-time quick fix for pain, fevers, and inflammation. In recent years, aspirin has added another use to its list. Aspirin supposedly delivers a concentrated dose of salicylic acid to the skin and allegedly brightens (or exfoliate) dull skin in need of a cheap pick-me-up. Depending on the source, 4-6 uncoated aspirin tablets are dissolved in water and applied over the face for 10-15 minutes. A bottle of aspirin costs a few dollars at most so it’s easy to see why it’s such a popular skincare home remedy.

Truth:  Salicylic acid is a known keratolytic agent and, in theory, topical application of aspirin should have a similar effect to the skin. However, the active ingredient in aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid, which is only broken down by the body to the active form salicylic acid after consumption. Though very similar to salicylic acid, it is still different chemical. Both medications may have similar effects when used topically. However, since aspirin has not been broken down to its active form, it may not be delivering an effective dose of acid to the skin. Still, many people have reported desirable results to the facial mask. Acetylsalicylic acid has also been shown to be an effective topical agent for relieving itchy skin so its clear that topical use may provide some benefits.(Yosipovich G & Hundley JL. Practical guidelines for relief of itch. Dermatology Nursing,  2004 Aug;16(4):325-8; quiz 329.) Both Drs. Oz and Orrange have also given the clear and support the dermatologic claims to aspirin use.

In my early years of college, this home remedy was certainly appealing and had resulted in what appeared to be brighter skin. Right before my then boyfriend was visiting, I happily applied a few dissolved aspirin tablets to my skin. To my dismay, the dose was way too strong for my skin and ended up burning a huge patch of skin around my nose. Needless to say, I grew increasingly aware of the potency of topical acetylsalicylic acid and have yet to give it another try. There is also debate about the cutaneous absorption of acetylsalicylic acid and effective rise in acetylsalicylic acid plasma levels. Therefore, I warn all curious readers to be cautious in trying this mask. Though glowing reviews fill up the Internet, this is still a very strong chemical and self-regulated doses should be made with much caution and care as possible. There are also plenty of products with salicylic acid at an affordable price, such as Olay Professional ProX ClearAcne Protocol or my cleanser of the moment Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash Facial Cleanser in Pink Grapefruit. If in doubt, always refer to a physician to see if this at-home experiment is safe for you to try.

Like this post?  Come back tomorrow to find out if Elmer’s Glue (yes, you read that right) will help your skin…