Lighter Underarms In Less Than 3 Weeks by Rubina Guleria, Cosmetology Expert
Summer is the time for slinky tops, iced drinks and dark underarms on full display. The underarm area gets dark because of a number of reasons. The most predominant of these are:
Harsh chemicals: Chemicals present in our deodorant act by blocking the sweat glands. Some of these can be harsh to the skin and while these won’t cause any upfront irritation or reaction, they can cause darkening. Epilatory creams are notorious for causing darkening of the underarm area. It’s worth noting that in some cases, the chemical might not cause direct darkening but in fact might just be causing skin irritation. The skin’s hyper response to counter the irritation can cause darkening over a period of time. Since there isn’t one single chemical that is notorious for causing darkening, it’s a good practice to observe if a new product is causing any irritation or burning. Waxing is a better choice for keeping the area clean and it also helps in removing dead skin build-up. Shaving is convenient and perhaps our first choice on occasions (the dirty secret is out!), limiting it to the last resort might help too. For a few skin types, the friction of metal against the skin can cause darkening.
Hormones: A woman’s hormones are in a state of constant ebb and flow. While that proffers the perfect explanation for going from meek to monstrous in a matter of hours if not minutes, it’s also what plays havoc with our bodies. Unhealthy shift in hormones is known to aggravate acne, hair fall, weight gain, appetite… and if that weren’t enough it also aggravates pigmentation. This is most apparent in the facial region, armpits and in some cases around the nape. What helps is getting a GP/gynaecologist's opinion on the state of your hormones and thyroid. With correct medication, pigmentation can be reversed.
Heredity: If your mommy had it, her mommy had it, mommy’s mommy had it, then hey sister, you just shored up enough arsenal to fight with the unfair universe. But you are a woman of today, smart and oh so things-gotta-change-around-here boss. And they should. Get on your investigative hat, notepad (no drop the smoke pipe, only Sherlock could carry it well) and get going.
Here's help for lightening dark underarms:
Packs: As ridiculous as this treatment is going to be, what with you standing with your arms up in the air, these ingredients go deep and help a ton. Our top two picks are:
Lemon, besan and milk. Lemon bleaches naturally, milk has lactic compounds that help lighten skin and besan helps in softening with a gentle scrub. (1:2:1- L/B/M)
Potato parking. Parking a thin slice of juicy potato for about 5-10 minutes on your underarms helps lighten the area dramatically. Wondering why parking? Do the thing of going backwards, forwards, sideways and around with the potato slice covering the entire area and rest it dead centre on the most pigmented area. Wash off with lukewarm water.
Scrubs: Scrubs help by removing dead skin build up and encouraging the skin to regenerate faster. Resultantly, you get smoother, softer skin. Our top two picks are:
Lemon, sugar and jojoba oil. Lemon bleaches naturally, sugar is a humectant and deeply moisturising, jojoba oil is the closest in pH to natural body oils which prevents the skin from going into hyper mode (which results in hyper-pigmentation!). Use very fine grain sugar with enough juice of lemon and jojoba oil to make wet sand consistency. Gently scrub the area for 5 minutes in a circular motion and wash off with warm water. Deodorant use post a scrub might sting a little as the dead skin build-up has been removed and fresh new cells are up on the surface. Sometimes, however, the deo can cause a lot of irritation post a scrub. You might want to wait a few hours before using it. (Using the scrub before bed is smarter!)
Drinks: Hydrating your body is key to keeping skin supple and healthy. Drinking lemon juice helps keep inflammation in the body down by maintaining a healthy pH balance within. This prevents the skin from going into hyper mode all through the day. Go slow on the alcohol, sweet drinks and energy boosters. Swapping these for lemon juice spiked water, or nimbu paani is an indulgence worth giving to ourselves.
Now to say bye bye, lift those arms high, upright.
Download the Grow Fit app on Google Play or App Store today for a consultation with a cosmetology expert.
Harsh chemicals: Chemicals present in our deodorant act by blocking the sweat glands. Some of these can be harsh to the skin and while these won’t cause any upfront irritation or reaction, they can cause darkening. Epilatory creams are notorious for causing darkening of the underarm area. It’s worth noting that in some cases, the chemical might not cause direct darkening but in fact might just be causing skin irritation. The skin’s hyper response to counter the irritation can cause darkening over a period of time. Since there isn’t one single chemical that is notorious for causing darkening, it’s a good practice to observe if a new product is causing any irritation or burning. Waxing is a better choice for keeping the area clean and it also helps in removing dead skin build-up. Shaving is convenient and perhaps our first choice on occasions (the dirty secret is out!), limiting it to the last resort might help too. For a few skin types, the friction of metal against the skin can cause darkening.
Hormones: A woman’s hormones are in a state of constant ebb and flow. While that proffers the perfect explanation for going from meek to monstrous in a matter of hours if not minutes, it’s also what plays havoc with our bodies. Unhealthy shift in hormones is known to aggravate acne, hair fall, weight gain, appetite… and if that weren’t enough it also aggravates pigmentation. This is most apparent in the facial region, armpits and in some cases around the nape. What helps is getting a GP/gynaecologist's opinion on the state of your hormones and thyroid. With correct medication, pigmentation can be reversed.
Heredity: If your mommy had it, her mommy had it, mommy’s mommy had it, then hey sister, you just shored up enough arsenal to fight with the unfair universe. But you are a woman of today, smart and oh so things-gotta-change-around-here boss. And they should. Get on your investigative hat, notepad (no drop the smoke pipe, only Sherlock could carry it well) and get going.
Here's help for lightening dark underarms:
Packs: As ridiculous as this treatment is going to be, what with you standing with your arms up in the air, these ingredients go deep and help a ton. Our top two picks are:
Lemon, besan and milk. Lemon bleaches naturally, milk has lactic compounds that help lighten skin and besan helps in softening with a gentle scrub. (1:2:1- L/B/M)
Potato parking. Parking a thin slice of juicy potato for about 5-10 minutes on your underarms helps lighten the area dramatically. Wondering why parking? Do the thing of going backwards, forwards, sideways and around with the potato slice covering the entire area and rest it dead centre on the most pigmented area. Wash off with lukewarm water.
Scrubs: Scrubs help by removing dead skin build up and encouraging the skin to regenerate faster. Resultantly, you get smoother, softer skin. Our top two picks are:
Lemon, sugar and jojoba oil. Lemon bleaches naturally, sugar is a humectant and deeply moisturising, jojoba oil is the closest in pH to natural body oils which prevents the skin from going into hyper mode (which results in hyper-pigmentation!). Use very fine grain sugar with enough juice of lemon and jojoba oil to make wet sand consistency. Gently scrub the area for 5 minutes in a circular motion and wash off with warm water. Deodorant use post a scrub might sting a little as the dead skin build-up has been removed and fresh new cells are up on the surface. Sometimes, however, the deo can cause a lot of irritation post a scrub. You might want to wait a few hours before using it. (Using the scrub before bed is smarter!)
Drinks: Hydrating your body is key to keeping skin supple and healthy. Drinking lemon juice helps keep inflammation in the body down by maintaining a healthy pH balance within. This prevents the skin from going into hyper mode all through the day. Go slow on the alcohol, sweet drinks and energy boosters. Swapping these for lemon juice spiked water, or nimbu paani is an indulgence worth giving to ourselves.
Now to say bye bye, lift those arms high, upright.
Download the Grow Fit app on Google Play or App Store today for a consultation with a cosmetology expert.
- 3
I've started getting healthy meals from Grow at 7 p.m. everyday, along with nuts and smoothies that I'm very happy with. Now I feel better about my options for dinner thanks to Grow's Stay Fit Programme!
Comments 0