Lemon juice is among the most popular at-home acne remedies currently utilized by teens and adults alike. There are a multitude of reasons why lemon juice has caught so rapidly. An obvious perk to the treatment is that it is 100% natural. You are not polluting your skin with harsh, irritating ingredients as you would otherwise with over-the-counter products. Another benefit that comes to mind is cost. Lemons are readily available and can be had for little investment. With OTC products, it’s an entirely different story. You could purchase over a dozen lemons without even approaching the cost of a store-bought product. To ascertain a complete understanding of what makes lemon juice an effective solution in the fight against acne, we need to examine its potent properties.
Anyone who has a basic knowledge of chemistry will tell you that lemons are slightly acidic. Their pH (or acidity) ranges from two to three. This acidic nature can be harnessed by acne sufferers to help their skin shed away dead skin cells. Lemon juice acts as an acidic peel, bringing new skin cells to the surface. This is highly beneficial in that it protects against one of the main causes of acne. Acne is formed when the skin pores become clogged with dead skin cells, allowing sebum to collect within the pore. This sebum acts as food to acne bacteria, which begin to multiply inside the pore and consequently give more severe types of acne an inflamed appearance. Since your skin can remain sensitive during this peeling cycle, some precautions need to be taken. For one, be sure to wear sunscreen if you intend to go outside. You can get a nasty sunburn if you leave your skin unprotected. It is recommended that you avoid significant sunlight exposure until your skin has finished peeling and you are no longer applying lemon juice on your face.
Anyone who has completed some form of acne treatment knows that the battle is far from over when the pimples have cleared. Darkened areas on the skin are often present once acne has vanished. Fortunately, these can be somewhat treated with lemon juice. Lemon juice acts as a natural skin lightener, helping detract attention away form such unsightly areas. Some even see improvement in the appearance of their acne scars. Lemon juice is said to tighten the skin, leaving smaller scars less noticeable. Please take note that you will have to be patient and consistent in your treatment to see results.
An avoidable, negative effect often reported by those who’ve used lemon juice in the past is tight, dry skin. This is to be expected when applying an astringent such as lemon juice to the skin. Fortunately, problems associated with dry skin can be mitigated by applying a non-comedogenic moisturizer. Some are even available with an SPF for additional protection. Those of you with oily skin will also need to wear moisturizer. If not, you may experience increased amounts of oil on your skin, likely trying to compensate for the dryness.
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