Health and Exercise

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.

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.

One negative effect often associated with treating acne with lemon juice is dry skin. Dry skin can translate to acne-prone skin. If your skin feels “tight” after applying lemon juice, be sure to apply some moisturizer as soon as possible. Be sure to verify that you are using a non-comodogenic moisturizer. You may even elect to purchase a moisturizer that has some SPF for added protection. If you have oily skin, moisturizer is still a must. Oily skin is nothing but severely dehydrated skin. Such skin lacks moisture and as a result overproduces sebum to seal in the moisture that it does have. Lend a helping hand and put some moisturizer on oily skin!