How to remove dark spots on face

The most common cause for dark spots on the skin in the Indian population has been recognised as sun exposure. As a protective measure, sunscreen and hats are advised for these individuals, and they are also recommended to wear thicker garments. Sunscreen with an SPF value of 15 or 30 is usually recommended by dermatologists for an adequate level of photoprotection. Additionally, there are a number of kitchen ingredients and natural herbs, which you can use to remove excessive pigmentation from the skin. These ingredients can be used in the form of a face mask or blended to form a scrub to be rubbed into the skin. Each of these remedies has unique ingredients and scientific evidence for its use.

Turmeric is the most widely used kitchen ingredient and a herbal remedy for the management of a number of skin conditions. The antioxidant and antibacterial properties of turmeric make it excellent for your skin. Researchers have found that topical application of turmeric helps to reduce hyperpigmentation of the skin due to any causes. Further, it helps to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, which makes it one of the best home remedies for dark spots due to ageing. Due to these properties, turmeric is often used in creams and formulations used for the management of skin pigmentation. These skin-lightening properties have been attributed to the presence of curcumin in turmeric, which is an active antioxidant compound. Here is how you can use turmeric for this purpose:

Ingredients:

• A bowl of milk
• One-fourth of a teaspoon of turmeric

Procedure:

• Take some milk in a bowl and add a fourth of a teaspoon of turmeric to this
• Mix them up and gently apply on the washed face in the form of a thin layer
• Let it stay for 5 to 10 minutes or until the mixture dries
• Now, gently rinse with warm water and pat dry

Tips:

You can use this remedy twice a week until desirable results are seen.

In addition to removing excessive pigmentation from your skin, turmeric pack also prevents skin infections and allergies, which could be caused due to excessive sun exposure.

Green tea makes for a healthy beverage but what’s more is that it is also excellent for your skin due to its rich antioxidant content. Green tea has been extensively researched and favourable evidence for the clinical treatment of melasma has been found. The active compounds in green tea function by inhibiting DNA and skin damage upon exposure to the sun. So, green tea extracts are commonly used as a part of various topical creams and lotions employed for the management of this condition. Other than being used for melasma, the use of green tea can also help relieve erythema, inflammation and skin changes caused due to sun exposure by reducing the number of sunburn cells. But, how exactly do you use green tea for your face? Here is how:

Remedy 1

Ingredients:

• Green tea leaves
• A cup of water 

Procedure:

• Take a boiling cup of water and add some green tea leaves to it
• Strain the tea and use it as a wash for your face after the tea cools down.

Tips:

You can use this remedy once every day by simply washing your face with green tea mixture.

Remedy 2

Ingredients:

• Green tea leaves
• A glass of water

Procedure:

• Take a few green tea leaves and crush and grind them
• Add to them some water to achieve a thick consistency
• Use this as a mask and scrub it into your face on the areas with pigmentation

Tips:

This remedy can be used once a week as an exfoliating scrub.

Lemon and citrus fruits are known for their antioxidant actions and benefits on the skin due to the presence of vitamin C. Concerning its effects on hyperpigmentation of the skin, researchers have found that lemons, along with other citrusy fruits can be helpful since it contains ascorbic acid. When compared with placebo or distilled water, the use of vitamin C or ascorbic acid packs was found to have better effects with respect to skin lightening due to its anti-melanogenic properties. Here is how you can use lemon for reducing dark spots on your face:

Ingredients:

• One large lemon
• Some water
• A clean cotton roll

Procedure:

• Take a large lemon and squeeze its juice
• Carefully remove the seeds and add some water to form a paste
• Take some clean cotton and use it to apply this mixture to your face
• Leave on for 10 minutes and rinse off with lukewarm water

Tips:

• Be careful to not use a soap afterwards and remember to use a mild moisturiser
• You can make the use of this remedy twice or thrice a week for best results.

A word of caution:

• The use of lemon will also help in preventing other skin problems and conditions. However, if your skin is too dry and sensitive, it is not recommended to apply lemon to your skin directly.

Due to the similar rationale and mechanism of action as discussed above, the use of orange peels can be effective in the management of skin pigmentation owing to the presence of ascorbic acid. Ascorbic acid has been regarded as the best skin lightening agent by several studies. The other ingredient, multani mitti, has a number of benefits for your skin including skin lightening. It helps to reduce fine lines and is even good for the management of acne and oily skin, which makes it ideal to be used for the reduction of dark spots due to acne. The use of orange peels and multani mitti for the face can be made in the following manner:

Ingredients:

• Dried orange peels
• A tablespoon of multani mitti
• A teaspoon of rose water

Procedure:

• Take dried orange peels and blend it to form orange peel powder
• Now take a spoon of mutani mitti and add it to this powder
• Next, add rose water to form a paste of desirable, thick consistency
• Apply it to your face and let it dry
• Rinse off with some cold water

Tips:

This pack can be used once a week.

Other than removing skin pigmentation, the use of this mixture will help to reduce skin tanning preventing the appearance of skin pigmentation. This is due to the presence of rose water in the mixture.

Milk is one of the most common remedies employed to improve skin colouration due to its lightening properties. The use of milk for reducing pigmentation of the skin dates back to historic times when it was used by Cleopatra for immersing in a bath. Today, milk is one of the most common ingredients of cosmetic products used for skin lightening. You can make use of milk as a part of your daily skincare routine for removing discolouration by the following method:

Ingredients:

• Two tablespoons of milk
• Cotton roll

Procedure:

• Take some boiled and cooled down milk in a bowl
• Take a sterile cotton ball and use it to apply milk to your face
• Scrub in gently and leave for 5 minutes before rinsing off

Tips:

You can safely make the use of this remedy every day to notice an improvement in the appearance of dark spots on the face.

While milk is commonly employed for skin lightening, the use of soy milk is quite limited. Here is why you must consider using soy milk for your face. While studying soybeans for skin lightening and reduction of hyperpigmentation, convincing results were obtained due to its hypopigmenting effects. When soybean extracts were compared with other topical agents used for the lightening of the skin, the former was proven more efficient. So, it is commonly used as an ingredient in topical creams for the management of melasma. The specific indication of soy has been indicated for liver spots as it is also effective in the treatment of fine lines, age spots, dullness and an uneven skin tone, which are a consequence of ageing. You can use soy milk with the help of the following instructions:

Ingredients:

• Two tablespoons of soy milk
• Clean cotton gauze

Procedure:

• Take some store-bough soy milk in a bowl
• Take a cotton gauze and use it to apply it to your face leaving the milk for 10 minutes
• Wash off with water and avoid using soap following the treatment

Tips:

You can make the use of this remedy on alternate days.

The advantage of using soy milk is that it also protects you from the risk of cancer and tumour, which could result as a cause of DNA damage.

All the above treatments involve kitchen ingredients but there are some herbs that are more effective in the management of pigmented skin. Liquorice, is one such herb, which has been recognised for these benefits. Studies have found that liquorice, due to the presence of potent antioxidant compounds, has a significant lightening action on the skin. This effect has been found to be 16 times better than hydroquinone, which is conventionally used in the management of hyperpigmentation disorders. So, by reducing the amount of melanin in localised areas, it works by depigmentation. Enough reason to use this herb? Well, there is more. Due to antioxidant properties, this herb scavenges free radicals from your skin giving you a more youthful glow while at the same time reducing inflammation. You can easily find liquorice at your nearest herbal store and use it in the following manner:

Ingredients:

• Liquorice root
• Half a teaspoon of turmeric powder
• Two tablespoons of multani mitti

Procedure:

• Take a liquorice root and boil it in water to prepare liquorice water
• Now add half a teaspoon of turmeric powder and two tablespoons of multani mitti to this and stir
• Apply it to your face and let it rest for 5 minutes
• Wash off and dry with the help of a fresh towel

Tips:

Use this remedy once a week to reduce pigmentation and get clearer skin.

A word of caution:

Before using liquorice on facial skin, it is recommended to check this herb on a small portion of the skin to rule out any allergic reactions.

Other than the above, a variety of ingredients can be combined together to form easy face packs to be applied on the face for dark spot removal. These remedies include: