I've been meaning to post this for the longest, but as usual, life and school kinda gets in the way of blogging sometimes. Anyway, I've read numerous times online that lemon juice does wonders for improving skintone and reducing hyperpigmentation. Plus all that Vitamin C doesn't hurt either!
The Theory:
Because of its acidic properties, lemon juice is supposedly very good for reducing things like acne scars, sunspots, and used regularly, may lighten skintone. Others have also said they noticed a reduction in acne and blackheads, and pore size. The abundance of Vitamin C in lemon juice has also been scientifically proven to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.
My Skin Facts:
I have been fortunate that I only experience an occasional pimple every now and then, but my biggest skin concern is the abundance of sunspots on my cheeks. Even though I have religiously applied sunscreen every day of the year (even in winter!) for the past 4 years, I still manage to get more and more each summer. An initial count of my sunspots at the beginning of this experiment revealed that I had approximately 70+ (!!!) sprinkled across both cheeks! T_T
The Process:
For 2 weeks, I squeezed a bit of lemon juice onto a cotton pad and applied topically to my face, concentrating on the cheek area. (If you want an exfoliating effect, you can also sprinkle some fine, granulated sugar onto the cotton pad and apply in circular motions.)
Sometimes I wasn't consistent, but for the most part, I tried to do this every 2-3 days. After application, I would leave the lemon juice on for about 5-10 minutes, then rinse off and apply a moisturizing face cream. (If your skin is not as sensitive, you may leave it on longer. I have read that some people even leave it on overnight.)
IMPORTANT: I would recommend doing this at NIGHT or before bed! Vitamin C, when exposed to sunlight can react negatively and may cause your skin to actually darken. Just to err on the side of safety, I would also recommend applying sunscreen before going outside (you should be wearing sunscreen everyday anyways!) :P
Side Effects:
I haven't used lemon juice long enough to say whether there are any negative side affects, but as of yet I have not experienced any major side affects or allergic reactions. However, I did experience a slight tingly, burning sensation due to the acidity (which is why I rinse it off so soon). The lemon juice also leaves my cheek area a little red, but it goes away soon afterwards. After rinsing off, my skin feels tight and dry, but this is easily solved by applying a good moisturizer.
The Results:
While I was conducting this little experiment, I didn't think the lemon juice was actually doing anything. But when I compared the pictures from my first and last day, I was surprised to see that there was actually a bit of improvement in the health of my skin. Nothing dramatic, but something is better than nothing at all!
I tried very hard to take these pics in similar lighting situations and from the same distance so the pictures are comparable. Sorry if some of them are not as clear as others!
Beware: Unedited pics of my horrendous sunspots below! Not for the faint of heart >.<
And some side-by-side comparisons so you can see the changes more easily. Note the areas indicated by the red arrows.
I didn't individually count the number of sunspots on my last day, but as you can see from the pictures, there has been a slight reduction in the number, as well as the darkness, of existing spots. My skin also looked a lot more radiant and my skintone was more even. I don't have any wrinkles yet (thank goodness!), but I did have this one "smile" line near my mouth area (I guess that must mean I am a very happy person haha). Since then, the line has almost disappeared, and is barely discernible now.
Final Thoughts:
I stopped doing this regimen after the 2 weeks (mostly because I ran out of lemons lol), but after seeing the difference in the photos, I am going to start up again right away.
Of course, I urge those of you who are thinking of trying this, to be careful and most importantly, cautious! I cannot guarantee that you will achieve the same results, since everyone's skin is different.
So on a final note, proceed at your own risk as I cannot be held responsible for any (possibly) disfiguring side effects you may experience! >.<
Good luck to those of you who decide to give this a try; I hope you will be as happy with the results as I am! Please feel free to share your results :)
I have sunspots on my face as well! :/ Eek! Wow, the reduction is massive!! I can see that it lightened up significantly! :p I wonder if I can buy pure lemon juice?! What do you think? :p
ReplyDeletethanks for the info :)
ReplyDeletewow! interesting.. and it smells good too!
ReplyDeleteI've tried natural lemon juice to reduce the oilyness of my hair and that works, but I'm afraid to use it on my face because it might get too dry but I guess spot treatment should be ok..
ReplyDeleteThis is great. I love to find natural "at home" remedies for my skin. Thanks for posting it. xx
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post. I also read that applying anything acidic to the face can result in premature aging faster. I hope you might look further into this.
ReplyDeleteYay I love your posts, Rinny! I want to try this now! Thank you for the tip!
ReplyDeleteHeys,
ReplyDeleteYou are so brave to show your bare face to everyone on blogger, not that you have anything to hide since you are so pretty lol. But Im amazed thatyo8ur sunspots have gotten so much lighter. Keep at it and good luck =).
I have tried this regimen as well. but with Honey and green tea. It helped my acne and acne scars a lot.
ooh wow they have noticeably become lighter. i'm going to have to try this one of these days! i hate my sunspots :(
ReplyDeleteps. i'm so jealous of your clear skin ><
i love love love my sun spots!! hihihi!! but that is very impressive. if i ever want to get rid of them, at least i know how!!
ReplyDeleteallisterbee.blogspot.com
come enter my giveaway!
Ha! i have the same problem and i heard about lemon juice before. I decided ill try it as a last solution..doesn work ill go on more serious treatments, even laser maybe. Cool results you,ve got, ill definitely try it!
ReplyDeleteHugs
Oh geez! I have sunspots too and they are like so hard to remove. This is an interesting read coz I never knew about lemons reducing sunspots. I might try it when I get hold of lemons. Hehe! Thanks:-) hugs
ReplyDeleteHi my dear!
ReplyDeleteNew follower here!
I love this kind of posts about skincare tips. I have not used lemos juice on my skin but I think I might give it a go for my spot scars.
XOXO*
Catanya
Thank you everyone for the comments! For those of you who are going to give this a try, I wish you the best of luck, and don't overdo it just in case - moderation is always best :)
ReplyDelete@Rainy Days and Lattes: Haha I just squeeze all the juice from a fresh lemon and store it in the fridge. I don't trust the pre-bottled lemon juices because I'm afraid they add chemicals or preservatives in it ><
@Annie: Thanks for the tip, I've never thought to use it on hair too! Yeah as long as you don't leave it on too long and wash off thoroughly and apply a good moisturizer, the dry feeling goes away.
@Sydney: Thanks for the heads up! Do you remember where you read this? I tried googling side effects, but for the most part I couldn't really find anything on premature aging. But I do agree, applying anything acidic will unbalance pH of skin.
@A2NLOV4U: lol thanks! Idk, after wearing makeup daily you always start to feel like you look hideous without any on haha. Honey and green tea have a lot of health benefits too, maybe I'll combine lemon juice with them so it's not as acidic :)
@emi: I hope this works for you when you try it! lol your skin looks really good though in your pics! It doesn't look like you have acne or blemishes or anything :O
@Paislea: Haha I'll definitely check out your giveaway! I have to agree with you though, I think sunspots and freckles are adorable on red headed girls! I can do without them though haha
@Mornablue: Hope it works for you then! One of my mom's coworkers had the laser procedure done for sunspots, and she said it wasn't able to completely erase them; but most of her spots were from 30+ years of sun damage ><
@Catanya: Thanks for following! I'm glad you enjoyed the post; hopefully you'll have a good experience with it too :)
visited your blog
ReplyDeletehope u do the same and
enjoy reading my blog too
thanks
regds
Maubreye(veejay)
I was so intrigued by the intro of this post that I immediately clicked to read more. I've heard of the natural benefits of lemon but haven't tried it myself. Your results show signficant lightening. It's really amazing!
ReplyDeleteDo you squeeze a little and keep the whole lemon in the fridge after that? Or squeeze all the juice out into a bottle to use later?
~TIA
@Jo (Tia):
ReplyDeleteThank you for the comment! I actually prefer to squeeze all the juice into a little container or an airtight ziplock bag. I noticed that sometimes when I leave cut fruits in the fridge too long, they tend to dry up a little. It's really a matter of personal preference :)
Very interesting! Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteCLOTHED MUCH, a modest fashion blog
I've sunspots on my back... that really annoys me. I'm gonna try and see if it helps ;)
ReplyDelete@Elaine: Glad you enjoyed the post! :)
ReplyDelete@MissA*: Thanks for visiting! I hope it works for your sunspots too ^^
Thank u for your reply babe. I shall go buy some lemons soon! =D
ReplyDeleteOh... "TIA" is "thanx in advance" forum acronym. Hee!
omg i've never heard of this before! hahaha, seems like it worked for you thoughh.
ReplyDeletei've heard that if you squeeze lemon juice on hair and go in the sunlight it'd turn lighterrr
@Jo: Lol oops my mistake! I don't use that acronym too often haha
ReplyDelete@Amanda: yeah I remember reading that somewhere too - it's a much cheaper alternative to getting a professional dye job :P
wow! this post caught my attention.. mother earth would be very happy :)
ReplyDelete@Vir Anthony: Haha thanks! Thanks for stopping by; glad you enjoyed the post :)
ReplyDeleteGrowing up I was very insecure about my freckles since they covered my whole face, but over time they did fade. I always made an effort to coarsely shave my cheeks in an attempt to not only fade my freckles but to encourage stubble growth. Now as a man the freckles on my cheeks are pretty much unnoticeable & I can grow a full beard, so I'm always ex foliating that area but I still have many on my forehead along with other skin imperfections. So I will endeavor to use your advice. Thanks for your diligence. From looking at your pics, you have fair complexion and don't have many sun spots (freckles), and I honestly believe your sun spots would look cute on you. I applaud your effort on wearing sunblock everyday, personally I can't stand the stuff, feels like I'm wearing face paint and a nightmare to wash off. That said I only wear SPF 30+ (also should put it on 15 mins prior to sun exposure), I believe you can still get sunspots with 15+. In Australia it's almost impossible to avoid sun exposure, even in winter we can have hot, strong UV days. So understandably it is difficult for us guys. People often comment that I look younger than I am, because I take good care of my skin. All the guys that tan will have more and more wrinkles as they grow older.
ReplyDeleteStay cute, don't be so obsessed with your complexion, you're beautiful. Why would you want to hide a smile line !
Thanks again,
David.
@David: Thank you so much for your sweet comment David! That's really good that you take such good care of your skin - I wish all men would do the same haha. I used to have a lot more sunspots when I was in high school, but after I started taking better care of my skin, they have greatly reduced in number and size. I didn't start religiously wearing sunscreen until a few years ago, and really regret because I probably could have prevented a lot of the sunspots. I think you should look into a better sunblock maybe? I personally use Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection for face (they have one for body too) - it's SPF 55 and very lightweight. Good luck with the lemon juice if you do try it out - just remember to layer on that sunblock if you go out! :)
ReplyDeleteHi! I was looking for a page that showed results of lemon treatment. Thank you so much for sharing photos :D
ReplyDeleteI have naturally extremely pale skin, combined with the fact that I'm on a birth control that causes sun sensitivity, this is like a ticking timebomb for scarring and sunspots. While most of my skin is very even, my arms have got freckles on them, and they look funny.
I'm glad that you shared your photos, it gives me hope I can have better looking arms ><;
@Genet: Aw thanks so much for commenting! I'm glad to hear that my post is of help to you! Just make sure you load up on sunscreen before you go out if you do try the lemon juice, because it'll make your skin even more sensitive to sunlight :)
ReplyDelete@Rinny
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, and thanks for your comments. I'll look into similar sunblock.
I recently put on SPF 30+ to go to the beach on the weekend and stayed
there for a few hours, I still think it made my freckles darker, with a few new
ones. I still think I look like frosty the snowman wearing the stuff :-D.
It's hard to compromise between looking after your skin and still enjoying
important stuff like the beach. I think some sun is good for the skin and the body.
Just relaxing on that beach while listening to the water does a world of good for
the mind too. Also I love kicking the soccer ball around every other day, so it's difficult.
Few more points on the subject;
* I've read that freshly cut eggplant is good to fade them, just rubbed on.
Not sure about washing it off though.
* The lemon juice is acidic in nature and needs to be washed off thoroughly with cold water, after I believe 15-20 minutes. If you have very dark skin, the change in appearance can be somewhat undesirable, i.e. complexion change.
* Some people can have a reaction to citrus so it's advisable to use on some hidden skin and then incrementally do the treatment. That said, I'm not the expert here ;-)
I'm going to try the treatment now, I'll be trying it on my shoulders, every night for a few weeks. I'm going to take photos of both shoulders before and after. Trying Lemon juice on one shoulder and eggplant on the other, to see which is more effective. Since it's my shoulders I won't be washing it off until the morning.
Thanx again,
David.
Haha that's true - I love summer and spending time out in the sun, but
ReplyDeleteconversely it does so much damage to my skin. And thanks for sharing! I never
heard about using eggplants before - it sounds like it would a better
alternative to lemon since it is not acidic. I'll have to look into it more :)
Good luck with your little experiment - I'm really curious to see what your
results look like! Hopefully you stick to it long enough to see results - I've
actually stopped using the lemon juice a few weeks after this post because I got
lazy. I might start it up again though since the weather is warming up and I'll
be outside more :P
________________________________
welll ok i wont 2 try this sooo bad i have many freckles and i dont really like them at the same time wont 2 have just a little! anyway i was wondering i really wont 2 start now but i only have consintrated lemon juice....can i use tht?
ReplyDeleteHi Hannah! Thanks for the comment :) I haven't tried lemon juice concentrate, but if you are comfortable using it I guess the results should be pretty similar. The only reason I used fresh lemons vs concentrate is that bottled lemon juices sometimes have preservatives or other ingredients added into it to keep it fresh. I don't exactly want that stuff on my face, so that is why I didn't use bottled. But it's really a matter of personal preference. Bottled lemon juice is also diluted, so it may be a better choice if you have more sensitive skin. Hope this helps! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is pretty useful information as I've had acne scars for quite sometime now and have been wondering how to get rid of them. So far this is my first day of treatment and I haven't reacted to it, so hopefully it will work. I used a facial cleanser first, dabbed my face dry and then applied lemon juice to the 'affected' areas with a cotton pad :)
ReplyDeletewww.a-boutagirl.blogspot.com
Thanks for reading Chika! I hope it works out for you and your acne scars fade a
ReplyDeletebit. Just make sure you don't leave the lemon juice on your skin too long - I
would recommend being careful and rinsing it off after awhile so the acid in the
juice doesn't harm your skin :)
________________________________
The "after" picture looks like you just put a soft edit on it. The first one looks sharp and the last one looks softened and blurred. Maybe that's just me. -_-
ReplyDeleteHi Metcatie! Both pictures are actually unedited. The "soft edit" you see in the
ReplyDelete2nd picture is actually caused by the blurriness from the camera because the
lens didn't focus when I tried to take a self portrait photo. I do apologize
that I wasn't able to get a clearer after shot of the results ><
________________________________
You inspired me I'm going to try it.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with it! I hope you'll be as happy with the results as I was :D
ReplyDeletegr8 thankx i will also try
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome! I hope you have great results!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading! I hope it'll work out for you :)
ReplyDeleteBeen doing this since I told my mom I hated freckles (yes, it works with freckles too!) and I had my face full of them, after 4 months I ended up with a face very similar to your "before" pictures and it is a huge difference since I had all my face covered in freckles, I am happy now and just wanted to let you know that this also works for freckles.
ReplyDeleteAlso a tip: For more sensitive skins, dilute each 1 portion of lemon with 1/2 water, this will not only avoid irritations in sensitive skins but will also allow the person to leave it on until it dries out (it returns better results if you leave it until it evaporates totally).
The sunscreen is a must while doing this treatment, the skin becomes vunerable as it is being forced to regenerate itself, being exposed to sun during that time will cause dark zones (unbalanced tan) and will create more sun spots easily (this happened to my girlfriend in the beggining, she loves beach but hates sunscreens).
Loved your post Rinny!
Thank you so much for your comment! I'm really glad to hear you experienced great results with this too! I don't have a problem with freckles, but this is a great thing for my readers to know, so I'm glad that you informed me. I'll have to try the diluted lemon juice tip - I definitely agree with you that it may be more beneficial if the juice is fully absorbed into the skin and has time to sit.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, sunscreen is a definite must! I don't really like the feeling of heavy sunscreens and additional products, but luckily all my makeup items for the face have some sort of spf in it already :)
I've been searching all over for some before and after photos of doing lemon bleaching. This was really wonderful to stumble upon! I used to "bleach" my skin when I was in middle and high school because I really hated my freckles. But all I had was the lemon juice in the yellow bottles, so I didn't think it would work. Fortunately the freckles on my face faded (probably from age) but I still have them all over my shoulders and arms, so I'm picking up the lemon bleach again, this time with actual lemons, yay! So this blog really gives me hope!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your comment Othique! When I initially thought of trying this, there weren't many before or after pictures online at the time either, so that's why I decided to document my results on my blog. I've stopped using the lemon juice because I got lazy, but I'm planning on picking it up again so I can get some better before/after pictures this time :) I hope you get great results as well! The lemon really helped with my sunspots, so I'm sure it will work just as well for your freckles.
ReplyDeleteThis is really interesting!! And yea you def had some noticeable differences! Glad it worked for you!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for reading! I've actually stopped using the lemon juice for months now, but I'm planning on starting it up again because the summer sun has worsened my sunspots. I'm hoping I'll see the same great results again :D
ReplyDeletethis is amazing.
ReplyDeletei´m going to try this tonight. ^^
I hope you have great results from using it Dede!
ReplyDeleteyou have that pretty skin Rinny, and thanks for sharing these tips..
ReplyDeleteAww thank you so much Gracie! And I'm glad to hear that you found the post helpful :)
ReplyDeletei have dark sunspots on my upper n sides of lips is it ok to apply lemon over there??
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous! Yes it is safe to apply around the lip area, but be cautious and make sure you wear plenty of sunscreen during the day. I'd say the only area you should avoid is the area close to the eye, since the lemon juice is acidic and could sting your eyes if it gets inside.
DeleteLovely post,I have to try it,actually I am using clinique even better.
ReplyDeleteI am your new follower,if you like my blog feel free to follow me as well.
http://glossylala.blogspot.co.uk/
Hi! Thanks so much for visiting and following! I'll definitely check out your blog as well :)
DeleteHow is the Clinique Even Better working out for you? I saw some of their ads and was always curious to see whether the products really worked to correct dark spots.
Thank you for visiting my blog.I started the treatment with clinique 4 weeks ago,I can` t see yet dramatical improvements,but I have to finish the treatment in order to have a clear conclusion.
Deletehttp://glossylala.blogspot.co.uk/
lovely post :)
ReplyDeletehttp://beautydrugs.blogspot.com/
chill out it's...lemon juice means chemical free, nothing bad will happen to you
ReplyDeleteNo offense, but the second picture (the one which shows the results) seems blur compared to the sharp first image and hence the difference.. Cheers
ReplyDeleteWow very interesting. :) Thanks for the info!
ReplyDeleteHi Rinny! I recently found your blog and I'm soooo glad I did because you have some really good info here!
ReplyDeleteJust a few questions: Did you apply the lemon or wet or dry skin? Did you clean the area with soap or anything first? How about after, when you rinse it off? And, can you do on any dark skin marks on your body (e.g. arms, legs, back, etc)?
Hi there! Thanks so much for reading and commenting :)
DeleteWhen I did this I first washed my face with face wash, dried my face off, then applied the lemon juice onto the area. I usually left it on for about 5-10 minutes, then rinsed off with water. Afterwards I would apply all my serums and moisturizers.
I haven't tried it on the body, but I would assume it would be okay since the skin on your body is not as delicate as your face. I would still recommend rinsing it off after about 10 minutes though and make sure you wear sunscreen on the areas you applied the juice to.