When the skin in your armpits takes on a dark complexion, the condition is described as dark underarms or armpits. Since dark armpit skin stands out against the fair complexion of your arms and body, it can cause you embarrassment every time you raise your arms. However, this problem can be remedied by natural and medical means.
Causes of Dark Armpits
There are several reasons developing dark underarm skin, such as:
- Tight clothing that causes friction with your skin
- Diabetes that leads to pigmentation, resulting in dark armpits
- The chemical compounds in deodorants, if used excessively, cause pigmentation leading to dark armpits
- Excessive sweating
- Accretion of deceased cells in the underarms
- Shaving habitually causes a stubble giving the impression of dark armpit skin
Underarm Lightening Methods
To know how to remove dark skin in armpit, try any of these methods:
- Obesity or endocrine disorder: Perhaps you suffer from a skin disorder known as Acanthosis nigricans, which gives soft markings ranging from light brown to black. This could be either due to obesity or an endocrinal disorder.
- Get on to a diabetes-friendly diet: If you suffer from diabetes, change your diet to eat less starch and sugar.
- Get off the pill: Stop taking oral contraceptives and opt for a different kind of birth control measure.
- Use trusted skin lighteners: If you buy an over the counter skin lightening product, ensure that it contains not more than 2% hydroquinone.
- Stop electrolysis in the armpits: Dark-complexioned women are at high risk for skin darkening or hyper pigmentation when they electrolyze their underarms. If you too do this, stop it immediately to avoid any further skin discoloration.
However, you can lighten your skin by using any good commercially available underarm lightening cream or skin bleaching cream whose components are any one of these: Hydroquinone, Kojic Acid, Azelaic Acid, Beta Arbutin (Uva Ursi), Aleosin, Paper Mulberry or Alpha Arbutin, among others. Today, the best skin lighteners are Meladerm and Revitol.
In case you prefer home remedies to lighten skin, you can try some of these effective ways to lighten skin:
Home remedies for Dark Armpits
Here are some very effective skin lightening remedies. Once you use them, you will never wonder how to lighten dark underarms:
- Waxing as an exfoliator: When you shave or use a hair removal cream, you unknowingly allow your underarm skin to darken. Instead, wax this region, though it may be very painful. Not only will the wax remove hair from the roots but will also leave the skin looking lighter, since wax is also an exfoliator.
- Rub a potato on the area: Being a natural bleaching agent, rubbing a slice of potato in your armpit can lighten the area. Besides, just like cucumbers and lemons, potatoes too are anti-bacterial, antiseptic and acidic in nature, so they have the properties to lighten skin.
- Use cucumber slices: Use cucumber slices as you would with potato slices. Add a few drops of lemon juice and turmeric to make a paste. Apply it on the area, wait for 30 minutes before you wash it off Lemon acts as a natural bleach while turmeric is a natural antiseptic.
- Make a paste with lemon juice: Make a paste of lemon juice, honey, yogurt and turmeric and apply it to your armpits. Leave it on for 10 minutes and rinse to see the difference.
With so much help at hand, you need never wonder how to whiten armpits or be foxed about which whitening cream for armpit is best for you.
