Fighting Zits with Lemon Juice
Lemon juice is a home-based acne treatment that has soared in popularity in recent times. There are several factors that have allowed lemon juice to become such a widely used treatment in the fight against acne. For one, it is a completely natural remedy. You know from the minute you apply it to your skin that there will be no adverse effects from harsh and foreign chemicals often found in other treatment kits. Further, lemons are cheaply available. You can buy ten or more lemons without even coming close to the astronomical costs of modern day acne kits. In order to understand why lemon juices makes the perfect acne treatment, we will have to explore the properties of lemon and how each respective property helps stop acne in its tracks.
A basic understanding of chemistry tells us that lemon juice is a weak acid. It falls in the 2+ range on the pH scale. This scale is used in chemistry to measure acidity. One can harness this weak acid to help their skin shed dead skin cells. As you may already know, dead skin is often blamed for clogging pores and consequently causing acne. Lemon juice is a naturally-occurring acidic peel that will help bring replenished skin cells to the surface. In helping dispose of dead skin, lemon juice helps protect against a primary cause of acne. For a general overview, acne occurs when our pores become congested with dead skin cells and subsequently clog. The sebum that our skin excretes beings to accumulate within the clogged pore, and provides acne bacteria the needed food to start multiplying. Ultimately, these bacteria help create the inflamed lesions which we often associate with acne. It is important to take precautions before harnessing the potent peeling effect of lemon juice. For starters, sunscreen is a must. It will help shield your peeling and sensitive skin against sunlight, which can exacerbate the problem. A sunburn can be especially damaging when your skin has been left temporarily vulnerable by lemon juice, so be careful! If you can, try to minimize or outright eliminate sun exposure until the peeling effect has faded. At this point, if you see improvement, you should stop using lemon juice on your skin.
Curing acne lesions is only part of the battle. Acne can leave discolored areas on the skin, which can be just as irritating to deal with as acne itself. These can be fortunately treated with lemon juice. Lemon juice has been used by skin care professionals for decades to create a lightening effect on the skin. This lightening effect can help diminish the appearance of the hyperpigmentation which acne leaves behind. Some even report improvement in the severity of their acne scars. The exfoliating effect which lemon juice provides, as well as its skin tightening properties, helps make acne scars less noticeable. To see any sort of measurable results, you will need to give the lemon juice time to work its magic. Be patient!
The primary con often attributed to treating acne with lemon juice is dry skin. Lemon juice is an astringent and will strip you face of moisture. If you face feels tight and uncomfortable following the treatment, you should use a moisturizer. A non-comedogenic moisturizer (with SPF protection if necessary) is most suitable. Even those of you with oily skin should wear moisturizer. Failure to do so may result in greater oil production. Dry skin is often a precursor to oily skin, as the body tries to lock in the limited moisture it does have by producing more sebum. So, moisturizer is a must even for those with an oily complexion!