Will lemon juice lighten freckles?

Many people, in fact most of them, have freckles to some extent. Some have them on and around the nose and cheekbones, and some are covered with them from head to toe.

Freckles are basically small areas of concentrated melanin. They are often associated with fair complexion and red hair. Freckles can be a genetic trait and they become more pronounced and appear in larger quantity after exposure to sunlight. Some people get a few freckles on their nose and shoulders during the summer, and they seem to fade away in the winter. The so-called liver spots are another type of freckles that does not fade in the winter.

When a child has freckles, it is usually considered adorable. However, many adults get tired of them and wish they would go away.

Many people believe that lemon juice is an effective remedy against freckles. This is only true to some extent, and here is why.

Lemon juice for freckles

Lemon juice is by far the most popular remedy for getting rid of freckles. In fact, it has been proven that applying small amounts of lemon juice to freckles and dark spots on the skin can lighten the area and reduce freckles. There is no need to rub a slice of lemon against the skin, it is enough to apply the juice with fingers as if it were a lotion.

This will definitely have positive results, but the problem however is that the results are very short-term and the freckles will eventually return, sometimes even the next day. Since lemon juice is acidic, it is not recommended to apply it frequently on the skin, because it may irritate and damage it.

So the answer would be both yes and no. lemon juice can indeed fade the freckles, but only for a short while, and then they will come back again.

Other ways to remove freckles

There are other methods for getting rid of freckles, some of them include natural, at-home remedies, and some involve cosmetic procedures done by a professional.

Milk has a similar effect on freckles as lemon juice, because it contains lactic acid, which has a gentle peeling effect. An infusion pf parsley, red currant, orange and lemon juice can be applied as well. Some claim that fresh fruit and vegetable masks, like apricot, cucumber and strawberry work great too.

As for the cosmetic procedures, there are bleaches, prescription-strength retinoids, chemical peels, dermabrasion or forceful ablative laser treatments. Most of them cost quite a bit, and still none of them will prevent freckles from coming back.

The only way to reduce the appearance of freckles and to prevent them from coming back after removal procedures is to stay away from the sun as much as possible and to always wear a high-quality sunblock or sunscreen.