photo credit: Dyanna

Many people want to use skin whitening creams for various reasons, whether it be to repair discoloration from the sun or fade out spots due to age. However, you need to be very careful when choosing a product to lighten your skin with, even if it is prescribed by your doctor. This is because of the presence of a chemical called hydroquinone in many creams. Hydroquinone has been declared a dangerous carcinogen in the United Kingdom and is tightly regulated in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration, but it is still present in the most commonly doctor prescribed whitening creams. Before you start a whitening routine, make sure you read the available literature on hydroquinone and see if having whiter skin is worth the risks. If you aren’t comfortable putting this substance on your skin, there are several other natural solutions available.

An effective way to purify your blood and create advantageous conditions for healthy skin is to use dandelion roots herbal tea. As such, it acts as a preventive home remedy for acne. The liver is responsible for cleansing the blood of its impurities and it is this organ which will benefit the most from the dandelion roots mixture. To prepare the tea, boil the roots for approximately seven minutes – this is necessary to properly extract the nutrients from the roots. This potion can be used three times everyday for a few weeks. Don’t let the bitter taste get the better of you – it is a worthy remedy that will make a difference over the long run – not just for acne but for a number of health issues.

We are all aware that having a healthy balanced diet is good for our bodies, but did you know that vitamins can have an extremely positive affect on the health and appearance of our skin, improving the texture and elasticity as well as helping to protect our skin from oxidants like pollution, UV light, toxins and smoke?

Vitamins A,C and E all contain antioxidants which help protect our skin from these free radicals and vitamin E can act as a mild sunscreen, helping to proctect of skin from sun damage.  Vitamin B3 helps to improve the texture of our skin and increases how firm our skin feels resulting in less sagging and helping to combat premature wrinkles.  Vitamin K is also known to help reduce swelling and bruising of the skin as well as speeding up the healing process.

With a healthy diet and/or vitamin suppliments  you can easily meet the RDA (recommended daily allowance) which is why a healthy diet is always the first recommendation for a good skin care treatment routine.