Can lemon juice remove acne scars?
A straight forward answer would be, no. According to Livestrong.com there is no remedy to remove scars. So why the heck all the blogs over the web recommend home remedies for acne scars? Though you can’t completely remove a scar, you can fade them using lemon juice. However, you can go through surgery if you’re impatient, very few people opt for a cost effective surgery unless they have an annoying scar.
Lemon juice is an excellent depository of various remedies for skin. Like other citrus fruits lemon contains alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) and according to Wikipedia AHAs works in the formation of new stratum corneum (outermost later of epidermis). In simple words it promotes healing of your skin.
According to WebMD, topical application of AHAs in the form of cream or lotion can treat dry skin, acne and acne scars.
How Does Lemon Juice Work for Acne Scars?
When you squeeze fresh sliced lemon juice on to acne scars, AHAs present in lemon juice works to remove dead cells accumulated over skin and stimulates growth of deeper layers of the skin. (Source: WebMD)
In skin biopsies it’s shown that topical application of glycolic acid, lactic acid and citric acid increased the formation of collagen and thickness of skin, without any inflammation.
Vitamin C in lemon juice also known as ascorbic acid plays vital role in formation of collagen which promotes the growth of cells and blood vessels. According to Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, vitamin C helps in scar tissue repair.
Other uses of lemon juice
Other than fading acne scars, lemon juice can be used to reduce wrinkles and aging signs. Though we lack evidence to prove lemon juice as a remedy, many cosmetic industries exaggerate AHAs performance.
Also read: Natural face packs for wrinkles
How to Apply Lemon Juice to Acne Scars?
Apart from serving you with delicious lemonade, lemon can soothe your skin from various skin diseases. Livestrong.com states that applying lemon juice on red bulged pimple will reduce its redness, and it also states that either consuming lemon juice or its topical application can treat acne scars.
Enough bragged; now it’s time to act.
Step – 1
To remove the dirt gathered over acne scar, wash it with water.
Step – 2
Slice the fresh lemon and squeeze to take juice in a bowl. Using cotton ball apply lemon juice over acne scars. Leave it for about 15-20 minutes, so that vitamin C and AHAs gets absorbed by skin.
Step – 3
Now rinse it off with water and apply sunscreen cream, as lemon makes your skin photosensitive.
You can also try adding raw honey with lemon juice to remove acne scars.
