When you are exposed to the sun’s UV rays that can cause skin cancer, your body springs into action — it produces dark-colored pigments called melanin to protect you. However, sometimes those pigments concentrate on certain areas on your face, producing a brown, black or gray patch which is called solar lentigo.
Despite of looking hideous, solar lentigo is nothing serious. According to skin specialists, it’s non-cancerous in nature, which means that it won’t kill you — but it can definitely make you feel very self-conscious!
By the way, it’s not just on your face that solar lentigo can appear, but also on other areas of your body that are not usually covered by clothes and thus they get plenty of sun exposure. You can easily develop solar lentigo on your hands, arms, upper back, upper chest, shoulders and the top of the feet.
You can always get your hands on commercially-available products that are formulated to deal with solar lentigo. Or you can simply count on some cheap and effective home remedies for it. Some of the best ones are:
Lemon Juice With Yogurt
Citric acid is what makes lemon juice an effective skin lightener, and lactic acid is the one that makes yogurt effective for it as well. That’s why a special paste out of equal amounts of lemon juice and yogurt is highly capable of zapping solar lentigo. Apply the paste on problem areas, leave it there for 15 to 20 minutes and rinse off with water. Repeat this home remedy on a daily basis to make solar lentigo go away quickly.
Buttermilk
Another excellent all-natural solution for solar lentigo that is probably in your kitchen right now is buttermilk. Just like yogurt, buttermilk contains lactic acid — plus a bunch of other skin-beneficial nutrients. Once a day, simply get a cotton pad that is large enough to accommodate your solar lentigo. Dip it in buttermilk and place on the trouble spot. Leave it in place for several minutes, remove and then wash the area with water.
Aloe Vera Gel
Everyone is aware that aloe vera gel is an effective fighter of various skin problems. It’s for this reason exactly why there are hundreds of beauty products that contain it. Did you know that it’s also something that is very good at eliminating solar lentigo? All you have to do is massage aloe vera gel on that dark-colored patch on your skin for a few minutes and then rinse it off with water after about half an hour. Twice a day aloe vera gel application can impress.
Baking Soda Paste
Many women who have solar lentigo swear by the effectiveness of baking soda paste in making their beauty problem go away naturally. Baking soda is capable of breaking down melanin, thus lightening dark spots caused by the said skin pigment. All you have to do is add a few drops of water to a teaspoon of baking soda, and then mix very well. Apply and leave on your solar lentigo the resulting paste, and then rinse off after 15 to 20 minutes.
Chickpea Paste
Another homemade paste that is said to be superb at removing solar lentigo is one out of ground chickpeas, which is actually used for so many years now in dealing with all sorts of pigment-related problems of the skin. To come up with a solar lentigo-busting paste, add a few drops of water to a teaspoon of ground chickpeas. Massage on problem areas and then wash off after a few minutes. Do this daily for best results.
These are some of the tried-and-tested superb remedies for solar lentigo that are cheap and effective. If you have other home remedies for solar lentigo that is equally incredible, feel free to share some of them below!