Aspirin, easily one of the most popular over-the-counter medications you’ll ever come across, is a little bit of an overachiever.

Most people reach for an aspirin (or something similar) whenever they are dealing with aches and pains, headaches, and a whole host of other ailments – and for the most part it meets expectations.

At the same time, there are a couple of surprising uses for aspirin that you may not have been made aware of before. We are going to break down some of those uses right now!

Aspirin can actually clear up your complexion

One of the primary ingredients in the aspirin is salicylic acid, a common ingredient used in topical solutions designed to fight acne and reduce blemishes all over your skin.

If you’d like to take advantage of the salicylic acid dosage in aspirin you aren’t going to want to ingest the medicine, but are instead going to want to crush the pill up and stir it in a bit of warm water. You’re looking for a consistency that is very watery (and looks like milk), and then you want to apply it to your face just as you would a more traditional face wash.

Aspirin may be able to significantly cut down on risks of cancer

Research out of the University of Oxford shows that individuals taking a low daily dosage of aspirin (about 75 mg) were able to significantly reduce their risk of cancer by almost 20% – not exactly an insignificant factor.

This test was conducted over a five-year span of time, and the research also showed that these same individuals were 8% less likely to die of any cause over the same amount of time.

Aspirin can be used to soften up your calluses

If you are dealing with some rough patches on your hands and feet that you just can’t soften up all on your own it may be time to reach for a couple of aspirin and a little bit of lemon juice and water to create a paste that you can apply directly to the impacted area.

Leave the mixture on your calluses for about 24 hours or so and afterwards you should be able to pretty effortlessly break down the callous with a gentle nail file and remove them completely.

It’s pretty amazing that aspirin is as versatile a solution as it is, and hopefully you’ll be able to take advantage of the tips and tricks we’ve shared with you above!