Reducing the Appearance of Freckles

Growing up, my family never worried about sunblock. Sunblock only became popular as doctors learned how much the sun affects the skin, in relation to aging, discoloration, and most importantly, skin cancer. By the time I was 10 or so, much of the damage from the sun I have today, was already present. Prevention is key to not having freckles, but that doesn't fully help get rid of present ones. Due to my fair complexion, I am very prone to freckling. There are many ways to reduce the appearance of freckles, below are ways that I have tried or considered.

Home remedies are usually the cheapest way to address a beauty problem. The catch is, of course, that no laboratory has evaluated the results and no guarantee. The idea behind de-freckling is the subtly bleach the skin. Many grocery items can bleach the skin, among those are lime or lemon juice, lemon essential oil, organic caster oil, aloe vera gel, buttermilk, radish, vinegar, horseradish, rum, borax powder, sour cream, plain yogurt, and cucumber. At the end of the page I put some recipes.

Over the counter lotions, creams, and pills will help you slightly reduce freckles are abundant. Alpha-hydroxy lotions and products containing retinol even skin tone and lighten freckles. Most anti-aging moisturizers will do, but in particular, try Clarins Bright Plus serum and/or moisturizer and Olay Regenerist Tone Enhancer, specifically made to reduce age spots, but works with freckles too. Antioxidants help reduce freckles, especially Vitamin C, so it is wise to also work from the inside out.

Your last, and most expensive option is to see your dermatologist and ask what procedures to reduce freckling would be best for you. They can tell you all about photo-facials, chemical peels, and laser treatments. The reason these procedures are so expensive is because they are dramatic and almost instant (after healing time). If you have a specific reason to get rid of your freckles or sun damage in a hurry (wedding, reunion, etc.), I would opt for a dermatological treatment, if you have the dough.

For Dry Skin:

This is an all-over treatment to help even skin tone and reduce freckles. The results will not be instantly dramatic, but this is a good, subtle way to reduce your freckles in a non-harsh way.

Ingredients:

1 tbs. organic castor oil
1 tbs. plain yogurt
1 cucumber

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Apply mixture, leave on for 10 minutes and rinse with warm water. Do this in the morning and at night. Afterwards apply at least 30SPF sunscreen. For any burning or irritation use Aloe Vera gel.


For Combination or Normal Skin:

This is an another all-over treatment to help even skin tone and reduce freckles. You will start to see results over time, but this is a good way to reduce your freckles in a mild way.

Ingredients:

1 tbs. lemon essential oil
1 tbs. buttermilk
1 radish

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Apply mixture, leave on for 10 minutes and rinse with warm water. Do this in the morning and at night. Afterwards apply at least 30SPF sunscreen. For any burning or irritation use Aloe Vera gel.


For Oily Skin:

This is an another all-over treatment to help even skin tone and reduce freckles. You will start to see results soon, but this is a good way to reduce your freckles quickly.

Ingredients:

1 tbs. lime or lemon juice
1 tbs. vinegar
1 tbs. pureed horseradish
1 tbs. sour cream

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Apply mixture, leave on for 10 minutes and rinse with warm water. Do this in the morning and at night. Afterwards apply at least 30SPF sunscreen. For any burning or irritation use Aloe Vera gel.