Facial Skin Lightening Treatment at Home

Are you tired of having an uneven skin tone? Do you wish that you could get rid of dark spots and have more even skin? If so, it’s time to consider skin lightening treatments that you can do at home. Whether you purchase skin lightening products or you choose homemade remedies, you can lighten your dark skin, whiten it and make it brighter.

How Can I Lighten My Face?

There are many different facial skin products to choose from. The products are designed to lighten the skin’s tone and can be called ‘skin lighteners’ or ‘skin bleachers’. The products work by reducing the amount of melanin found in the skin. Usually, these skincare products are used to treat specific skin problems, including acne scars, age spots and discoloration. However, those with darker skin can use skin bleach to naturally whiten it.

Which Face Cream Is Best for Skin Whitening?

Many people dislike the DIY approach because it takes longer. It’s much easier to buy something, put it on, and let it work. Generally, when looking for a face cream for facial skin lightening, you want to make sure it protects your skin from the sun’s UVB and UVA rays. It should also brighten the skin, reduce the appearance of age spots, and slow down aging.

Look for a cream that uses natural ingredients. It should also be hypoallergenic. This means that you’re less likely to be allergic to it. Just to make sure, you should perform a skin test. Of course, you also want something non-comedogenic, which means it isn’t going to block the pores. Clogged pores lead to acne, and you don’t want your skin lightening products to cause unwanted skin conditions.

How Can I Lighten My Face Overnight

When it comes to skin bleaching, you can find a variety of products to use. However, you can also make your own. One recipe is to mix honey and lemon juice and apply it to your face. Then, mash up a ripe tomato (peel on) and add more juice to it. Apply the concoction over the honey mixture and survey the skin lightening action.  It’s going to work pretty quickly. Once you have the skin fairness you prefer, wipe it off with a damp cloth.

A Quick Warning

Whitening the skin on the whole body can be dangerous. Many skin lighteners on the market contain mercury, which is toxic. It can be used in small amounts, but in large quantities can lead to mercury poisoning. The poisoning can cause neurological, psychiatric, and kidney issues. If you’re pregnant while using a skin lightening product containing mercury, it can pass onto your unborn baby. Please note that skin whitening products with mercury are banned in the U.S. but you can still buy them outside the U.S.  If you decide to do so, pay careful attention to the ingredients.

DIY Approach

You can make your own skin lightening creams, which are considered healthier and safer for the skin. Often, you already have the necessary ingredients in your home, which makes it easy to start the facial skin lightening process. Here are some of the most common ingredients used.

Lemon

When it comes to bleaching the skin, lemons are your best friend. They’re highly effective and can reduce the look of darker spots and blemishes. Just cut a lemon in half and rub one half onto the skin. Leave the juice on your face for about 10 minutes and then wash it off with cool water. Make sure you don’t go out into the sun right after putting lemon on your skin.

Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera can also be used to bleach skin. It has a cooling effect and is often used to treat minor sunburns. That’s because of its anti-inflammatory effects. When you apply it to the skin, it promotes repair of any damaged tissue and new cell division. If you have hyperpigmentation, this is an excellent choice. Melanin aggregation is essential for skin lightening and the Aloin chemical compound within the plant that promotes this process. Just apply the gel onto the face and leave it on for about 20 minutes. Then, rinse it off with slightly warm water.

Papaya

Papaya has many health properties and is therefore used in many skin care products. Papaya can give the skin a healthy glow and a brighter complexion. Plus, it’s a natural skin lightening agent. To use it effectively, mash it together with a banana. Add honey to the concoction and mix well. It will have a pasty texture. Put it on the skin with your fingers or a makeup brush. Leave the mixture on the face for about 20 minutes and then rinse it off with some warm water. Make sure that you only pat the skin dry.

Is Skin Lightening Permanent?

No, there is no skin lightening treatment out there that is permanent. You may talk to your doctor about a prescription that can provide long-lasting results. However, you must use it every day.

The same applies to OTC creams and homemade remedies.  They do not include potent ingredients. Instead, they use an extract and other ingredients that enhance the beauty of the skin and make it healthier.  

You also need to do your part. Make sure to wear sunscreen when you go out into the sun. It’s best to avoid damage from sun exposure so that you don’t have to use brightening agents on the skin.

Conclusion

Skin lightening may be something to consider if you have age spots and other pigmentation issues. However, you shouldn’t treat your entire body. When using creams, make sure they are reviewed and safe. You may also want to read the risks involved with all of the ingredients on the product. These items can be the best solution if you want minor change and don’t want to undergo an aggressive cosmetic procedure such as laser treatments.

Sagging Facial Skin After Weight Loss: What to Do

Losing weight is an excellent thing because it can help you feel better and lower your risk of disease. However, the issue is that sometimes, the exercises you do just ensure that you keep the weight off. You’ve still got the same amount of skin, and it begins to sag because it has less elasticity. Learning how to treat sagging skin and ensuring that your body focuses on collagen production can help your skin tighten back up.

Does the Face Tighten after Weight Loss?

Your face can tighten back up after you’ve lost weight, but it depends on how quickly you lost the weight. For example, if you have bariatric surgery, it is likely that you will experience sagging facial skin. Though these medical procedures can be helpful, they often result in wrinkles and looser and droopy skin.

Loss of Elastin

Even though you can lose elastin anywhere on the body, most people worry the most about their facial skin. Droopy eyelids, chin, jowls, and lax throat skin can all make you look older. Usually, more exercise isn’t going to help. Instead, you might want to consider cosmetic creams as a daily treatment. They can help to tighten the muscles and improve the skin’s appearance.  

How Can I Tighten Loose Skin on My Face?

You can seek out many products on the market that can get your skin back to its regular texture. Of course, these are cosmetic in nature and have nothing to do with your overall health. Still, firming creams can improve the appearance of your sagging skin, especially if more moisture is needed.

Supplements might also be helpful, as they can boost the body’s collagen production and rejuvenate the skin. Just make sure that the products contain protein, gelatin, and Vitamin C. They might also have collagen hydrolysate, which helps with sagging skin.

Cosmetic Procedures Are Popular

Many women don’t like to think about cosmetic procedures, but they can work wonders. Remember, the skin is sagging because there is less fat in the area. Cosmetic procedures may ensure that you don’t have to deal with the problem anymore. Chemical peels are the most popular, and they may get you back to the health and glow you desire from your skin. A facial might also work to help the skin look its best.

Does Loose Skin after Weight Loss Go Away?

Usually it doesn’t. The body may not be able to produce enough collagen on its own to boost elasticity. Elasticity is what makes the skin ‘pop’ into its original form. When you press on the skin, it shouldn’t stay depressed for long. Often, that doesn’t happen if you don’t use the right products.

In some cases where the skin gets loose just a little, you may find that the body retracts to its original positions. However, this isn’t always going to be the situation. You may want to wait for a few weeks or one month to see if the face is going to lift itself. Otherwise, you may want to consider home treatments. You’ve done your best to lose the pounds, and now you want to prevent your skin from sagging and aging prematurely.  

What Causes Saggy Facial Skin?

There are many reasons for sagging skin. Weight loss is a very common one, but pregnancy, illness, and the aging process can all play a part. Your skin has some elasticity to it, which means it stretches to meet your daily needs and goes back to its original shape when it’s done. However, with age, the skin becomes less elastic. This process is known as elastosis and as a result, the skin can appear more lax and leathery.

Collagen is a protein found in the skin and it is produced by the fibroblasts in the body. When your skin is firm and tight, that’s what you should be thanking. The tightly-constructed collagen fibers allow the skin to maintain its structure and its firmness with time. Unfortunately, collagen deteriorates as you become older by pollutants in the air, UV exposure, and other lifestyle factors.

A Few Options

Many women find that having a facial done periodically is a great way to prevent sagging of the skin. However, it can be problematic for those who don’t like chemicals on the face or don’t want to pay to have such a procedure done. You can find products that can benefit your body, as well.

Conclusion

Exercising is an excellent way to stay fit and feel good about yourself. If you have a lot of pounds to lose, though, the weight loss can cause the facial skin to sag. There are things you can do now to prevent this from happening, such as specialty products and facials.

Eco-Status to Eco-Shame: The Case for the Shift

A New Era for Environmentalism

The modern environmental movement began as a result of a series of events throughout the 1960s and 1970s that placed the horrors of pollution front and center on the world stage. These events, such as the publication of pesticide toxicity in Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring,” made consumers aware of the grave dangers of rampant consumerism.

Companies across consumer sectors reacted to the advent of the environmental era by developing environmentally-friendly products. Such goods were made of natural ingredients and materials as opposed to synthetic ones. Many in the consumables industry sought to move away from wasteful single-use products to sustainable ones that people were able to reuse. One prime example was the reusable grocery tote bag trend. Unlike plastic bags, which are made of nonrenewable petroleum and are difficult to recycle, these totes were made to last year after year following their production.

However, the problem with this initial wave of eco-conscious goods is that they often came at a high cost that was inaccessible to people with average means. As a result, the use of these trend-led green products became ascribed with higher societal status – or eco-status.

A Paradigm Shift

Fast-forward to present times, justice for the environment is beyond a trend. Eco-status seems to be fading, and eco-shaming is quickly taking its place. The prestige synonymous with living green has shifted from a marker of wealth to one of moral responsibility. Making an active effort to care for the environment is now seen as an expected societal standard. On the other hand, a lack of regard for the environment is characterized as irresponsible.

There are some key factors in modern times that have been instrumental in this trend in attitude from eco-status to eco-shame.

Trend One: More Ways Than Ever to Be Environmentally-Friendly

Consumers today do not need to search far to find green alternatives to standard consumer goods. From packaging solutions to personal hygiene products, they span a wide variety of products across all sectors. Unlike in the past, where they were viewed as a luxury of the wealthy, environmentally-conscious goods are now competitively-priced relative to their conventional counterparts. This is a result of economies of scale – as product manufacturing is scaled to meet a rapidly-growing demand, the cost to produce them becomes increasingly cheaper. Even more, consumers are becoming aware of the intrinsic benefits, like money saved over time, of making sustainable purchases.

Thanks to a number of innovative companies in the green sector, the ability to make environmentally-friendly decisions extends beyond consumables. The trend of rideshare services provides commuters a mode of transportation that decreases their carbon footprint. There are even consulting services that work with companies large and small in order to help them implement green systems within their organizations.

Trend Two: Increasingly Interconnected World

The ubiquitous nature of social media makes it the perfect vessel for engaging in environmental activism, even in parts of the world where such freedom of expression is not the norm. The barriers to entry are low and accommodate all levels of activists, especially new ones who want to spread awareness about an issue in their immediate communities. All an activist needs to utilize one of the primary networks is an email address for account registration. From there, he or she now has a globally-reaching way to advocate change for that issue.

The key to successful activism is relentless exposure. Once activists plant the seed of change that exposes their cause, many people find it difficult, if not impossible, to follow updates. They may also be inclined to search for more information on that issue and related issues. As this buzz is created, the issue transforms into a trend. Successful activists are known to use a variety of media, such as pictures, status updates, blog posts, and videos, to gain a following. This method of eco-shaming has been successful not only sparking debate about crises in the environment but also in influencing new policy needed to get governments on board with environmentally-motivated causes.

Trend Three: Normalization of Environmental Stewardship

People do not need to search far to see how embedded environmentalism is in our current society. Waste management systems in most municipalities provide residents with trash receptacles for both trash and recyclable materials. Recycling programs in many communities even incentivize people on a per-unit basis when they recycle scrap metal items like aluminum cans.

As regulation related to the environment becomes the standard, people trend toward seeing themselves as stewards of the earth. Consumers today are ever-aware of their consumption patterns, and the vast number of ways they can participate only increases with each passing year. Whether engaging in environmentalism means choosing between walking, using a ride share service, or buying a hybrid vehicle, there are avenues for consumers of all socioeconomic statuses to engage.

Concluding Thoughts

Environmentalism is no longer a trend associated with social class, but rather a social contract between people and the world they inhabit. Virtually no part of the globe is untouched by pollution, and activists play an indispensable role in shedding light on new issues year after year, as well as reviving discussion about ones that still persist. The destruction of the environment has an exceptionally disparate effect on communities that are already impoverished. The normalization of social media as a platform for all voices is thus a trend with positive implications for activism. It has empowered such marginalized peoples to make their concerns known, even when their countries do not traditionally permit such freedoms of speech.

Many countries have responded positively by outlawing the exploitation of specific resources and the hunting of endangered animal species. Violation of these laws comes with hefty penalties, not to mention the eco-shaming that comes with breaking a widely-accepted social contract.

However, there are still gaps in educating people in effective stewardship of the environment. Although many search for this knowledge on their own, the trend aspect of environmentalism means that a great number still follow and support it without fully understanding its inner workings. There is a stark difference, after all, between engaging in environmentalism to promote a positive outward self-image and engaging in order to impact real, authentic change to the system.

Anti-Aging Skin Tightening Foods for the Face

There is truth to the adage that “you are what you eat,” and skin health is no exception. Although we often forget, our skin is the most visible body organ. Over time, the skin’s delicate tissues become damaged by environmental factors, such as stress, pollution and sun damage, and signs of aging become visible. Fortunately, the fountain of youth is not out of reach. Here is a rundown of the foods you should be eating to maintain your skin’s healthy and youthful appearance.

Leafy Green Vegetables

Leafy green vegetables, such as spinach, kale, and collard greens, are rich in vitamin K and lutein. Vitamin K is a known anti-inflammatory nutrient that helps with blood clotting and reduces the presence of dark circles. Vitamin K also promotes the healthy healing of the skin, especially after cosmetic procedures. Lutein, on the other hand, is an antioxidant that keeps your skin hydrated and elastic by shielding it from wrinkle and cancer-causing UV rays. Choosing leafy greens that are crisp in texture and vibrant in color ensures that your vegetables contain the highest possible amounts of these skin-loving nutrients.

Orange and Red Fruits and Vegetables

Bell peppers, apricots, and carrots are more than just visually appealing. Orange and red-hued fruits and vegetables naturally contain high levels of beta carotene – after all, the term gets its name from the Latin word for “carrot.” When consumed, the body converts beta carotene into vitamin A. While excess consumption of vitamin A is toxic to the human body and can even cause skin discoloration, proper levels of this essential vitamin help improve the skin’s complexion and control oil production in skin cells. Vitamin A also stimulates healthy collagen growth, which diminishes signs of aging like wrinkles and fine lines. Additionally, the antioxidant properties of beta carotene improve the body’s immune response by protecting it from free radicals.

Green Tea

Your daily nightcap just gained some more muscle. The numerous antioxidants found in green tea ward off free radicals and protect skin from sun damage. One particular antioxidant, EGCG, has anti-inflammatory properties that protect and repair skin cells and restore skin’s youthful glow and texture. Finally, vitamin E found in green tea keeps the skin properly hydrated. Green tea is becoming an increasingly popular ingredient in skincare and beauty products, so finding a way to incorporate it into your daily regimen has become even easier.

Avocado

Luscious, creamy avocados are not only delicious to eat and naturally hydrate the skin, they are also rich in vitamin C, vitamin E, and magnesium. The antioxidant qualities in vitamin C stimulate collagen and elastin production, which help keep your skin texture firm, evenly-toned, and radiant. Vitamin E protects delicate skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays, and as a result slows down the aging of the skin and reduces the appearance of wrinkles.  Magnesium is a popular anti-stress nutrient that improves the quality of sleep and in turn yields well-rested and healthy-looking skin. Finally, the omega 3 fatty acids found in avocados have been shown to promote skin-loving gut bacteria, help fight pimples associated with acne, and add another layer of sun protection for the skin.

Fatty Fish

Fatty fish contains two different omega 3 fatty acids – docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) – that prevent skin damage from UV rays, calm signs of aging and inflammation and regulate the skin’s oil production abilities. Studies have even shown that fish oil may help with weight loss and reduce the risk of cancers unrelated to melanoma. Fish oil supplements are an easy yet powerful way to include this nutrient outside of a person’s diet. Those who cannot consume fish due to health or dietary reasons can find these healthy fats in other foods, such as flax seeds, almonds, and walnuts.

Citrus Fruits

Fruits belonging to the citrus family have long been known for their high concentrations of vitamin C. This essential vitamin promotes collagen production, which increases skin elasticity, improves skin texture, and reduces the appearance of wrinkles. Vitamin C is so crucial to skin health that a deficiency of the vitamin causes the skin to appear thin and weak. It is no wonder why so many skin treatments today include vitamin C.

Berries

Berries are a great source of antioxidants called polyphenols, which tighten, brighten, and smooth out wrinkles. The three main types of polyphenols found in berries are flavonoids, lignans, and phenolic acids. These special antioxidant compounds, which naturally help protect the fruits against environmental stressors, do the same for the skin by protecting it from pollutants. From conventional berries like strawberries and blueberries to more exotic berries such as acai and goji berries, there is enough diversity in the berry world to keep the palate happy. Although the tart sweetness of berries makes them tasty enough to consume, many skincare lines have also begun to include different berries in their product offerings.

Beets

Beets are a popular root vegetable recognized for their distinct reddish-purple color. This colorful vegetable is packed with skin-friendly carotenoids, folate, and vitamin C, and other nutrients. This symbiosis of nutrients has been shown to soften the skin, increase collagen production, and reduce pigmentation issues or in other words slow down the signs of aging. Recent studies have even shown beets to be an effective treatment for acne. While beets are typically cooked before they are eaten or incorporated raw into salads, experts claim that juicing is the best way to ensure that their nutrients remain as intact as possible. Those who are not fond of the natural flavor of beets can easily mix them alongside other healthy foods to help make the vegetable more palatable.

Concluding Thoughts

Healthy skin begins from within. While there are many supplements and topical solutions on the market that contain the essential vitamins and nutrients for skin health, getting these nutrients through a diet filled with healthy foods still remains the preferred method of intake to keep your skin in its best shape. All of these superfoods work in the body over time to promote overall health, and their benefits are most visible when combined with a healthy lifestyle.