Get rid of dark knees and albows!
Elbows and knees often look dark because of dead skin. Leaning on knees and resting on elbows further aggravates this through continuous pressure and friction. The skin folds on these joints makes treatment difficult due to lower exfoliation and penetration potential. Sun damage also adds to the darkness which makes sunscreen application mandatory.
Exfoliate:
In order for any further treatment to be most effective, exfoliation and consequent removal of dead skin is necessary. Loofah or pumice stone helps a lot. Excellent penetrating ability combined with anti melanin action of alpha hydroxyl acid (12%) creams can help get rid of dead skin. Additional benefits include skin softening and lightening.
Moisturize:
Moisturizers are a must after exfoliation. They help in softening the skin as well as in combatting darkness. Use moisturizing creams used in treatment of cracked heels.
Fight darkness:
Darkness is caused by reduced moisture, increased melanin production and irritation. Apart from using kojic acid, hydroquinone, vitamin C and licorice extract creams; excellent results can be obtained through simple home remedies.
Apply one of these masks once in a week to get desirable result.
Lemon mask made by mixing a pinch of baking soda or honey or milk powder in two tablespoons fresh lemon juice should be applied on affected areas. Scrub it off with a loofah after 20 minutes.
Olive oil mask made by mixing two tablespoons each of sugar and olive oil, should be rubbed on affected areas for 20 minutes. Wash it off with soap and water. While sugar is an excellent exfoliator, olive oil has natural bleaching properties and is a very potent moisturizer.
Aloevera gel mask made through simple extract of the aloevera leaf should be applied for half an hour for soft and glowing skin. It has excellent healing and moisturizing properties.
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