Clear Acne with Lemons

Lemon juice is a natural, at-home acne treatment that has seen immense surges in popularity. There are a number of factors that have catapulted lemon juice to being one of the most widely used home-based treatments around. One advantageous trait associated with the treatment is that it is absolutely natural. You are not applying chemically-formulated fragrances and other harsh ingredients to your face, as people often do with store-purchased cleansers and acne kits. Also, lemons are inexpensive and widely available. You can easily purchase a dozen lemons without even spending half of the amount of money you would on an inexpensive and largely ineffective over-the-counter treatment. To fully understand what makes lemon juice such a miracle acne product, we will need to explore some of its unique and highly beneficial properties.

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.

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!