“Doctor, how should I use lemon on my face? Is it beneficial or harmful? What are the potential side effects?”

These are common queries posed during my dermatological consultations concerning the application of lemon on the face. I have observed both positive outcomes and severe skin reactions resulting from the use of lemon.

As a dermatologist, I do not advocate directly rubbing lemon on your face or leaving it overnight. Instead, I recommend trying the home remedies outlined in this article to address issues like reducing pimples, lightening pigmented skin, and controlling oily skin.

Pro Tip: Struggling with acne, dull skin, pigmentation, or wrinkles? Try our Solution Finder Tool to get dermatologist-recommended regimes customized for your skin type and concerns—completely FREE!

To prevent any adverse effects of using lemon on the face, consider the following precautions:

1. Always conduct a patch test by applying lemon on a small area of facial skin.
2. Dilute lemon juice with plain or rose water if your skin is sensitive.
3. Avoid exposing the treated skin to bright sunlight after applying lemon.
4. Use fresh lemon juice as the concentration of vitamin C in lemon diminishes over time.

For further insights into the potential side effects of using lemon on the skin, you can watch this informative video:

How to use lemon for skin?

1. Lemon for pimples

Lemon juice effectively addresses acne issues by minimizing oil secretions and combating bacteria that cause pimples. For an acne spot treatment, consider blending the following ingredients:

• 1/2 spoon of multani mitti/fuller’s earth
• 1/4 spoon turmeric
• 1/2 spoon of honey
• A pinch of cinnamon (optional)
• A drop of lemon water to create a thick paste.

Apply this mixture on red or pus-filled pimples, cover with a band-aid, and leave it on overnight. This remedy is known to aid in clearing acne within 3-7 days. Or else you can try this Neem and tea tree oil home remedy that cures pimples overnight.

Related Article: Pimples: 3 months Challenge

2. Lemon for pigmentation

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Lemon, enriched with Vitamin C and citric acid, is effective in diminishing pigmentation such as dark patches, spots, tanning, or melasma. Create a skin-lightening face pack by incorporating lemon along with other powerful skin-whitening ingredients like papaya, aloe vera, cucumber, and licorice.

Related Article: Skincare Routine for Pigmentation: By Dermatologist

3. Lemon for oily skin

Lemon has a unique ability to remove excess oils from your skin. Make toner by mixing 1 ml of lemon juice with 50 ml of rose water. You can use this toner as a part of CTM routine. Store in the refrigerator and use it within a week.

Related article: Oily skin care-dermatologist guide

4. Lemon for dandruff

Are you fed up with changing anti-dandruff shampoos? Try these steps to get rid of your dandruff naturally:

• Put 5-10 drops of fresh lemon juice in 2 tablespoons of aloe vera gel in oily hair or coconut oil in dry hair.
• Massage it into your scalp.
• Leave it overnight and thoroughly wash your hair the following day to remove all the traces of oil.

Related article: Best anti-dandruff shampoo

5. Lemon for freckles

Lemon juice can fade freckles, the tiny dark spots commonly seen on the face of people with fair skin. The method is as follows:

• Put fresh lemon juice exactly on the freckle with the help of a toothpick at night.
• Watch how your skin reacts over the next 48 hours.
• Wash if you notice intolerable burning, redness, or rash, and do not repeat.
• If you tolerate it well, repeat the above procedure once or twice weekly.

6. Lemon for dark elbow and knees

Have you ever seen your grandma rubbing lemon on their hand and feet? Yes, contrary to the delicate skin of your face, you can directly rub the lemon on your elbows, knee, hands or feet. Rinse off after 5-10 minutes and pat dry. Repeat once or twice a week.

7. Lemon for ageing skin

The anti-ageing action of applying lemon juice to the skin is attributed to vitamin C’s antioxidant activity and citric acid’s exfoliating action. 

Lemon has L-ascorbic acid, the most potent vitamin C. However, if you are serious about delaying signs of skin ageing, consider using one of these Vitamin C serums daily on your face along with lemon once in a while. 

In addition, oral intake of lemon provides vitamin C that strengthens the walls of vessels and prevents senile purpura. It also reduces the risk of heart problems and degenerative bone diseases by providing flavonoids.

You can make a super anti-ageing drink by adding a few drops of lemon juice and a half teaspoon of honey to a cup of green tea. It will keep both your skin and heart young! How?

Related article: Anti-aging skincare Routine: by Dermatologist

Is rubbing lemon on the face good or bad?

Rubbing lemon on your face is not recommended if your skin is dry, sensitive, red, or irritated. I still remember a girl walking into my clinic with a fiery red face. She had rubbed lemon directly on her pimples last night. Do you know what went wrong in her case? Her skin was already dry and sensitive because of anti-acne medication.

She got redness or irritation after applying lemon, but did not wash her face, hoping her skin would be clear the following day. Unfortunately, she ended up with a severe irritant reaction needing steroids.

Therefore, always do a patch test by applying lemon on a small part of the facial skin. Rinse off immediately if burning, redness or rash. If everything is fine for 5 minutes, apply lemon juice to your face. Please do this patch test before every use because your skin might be more sensitive on certain days.

Can I apply lemon juice to my face overnight?

Well, I am not a big fan of leaving lemon overnight. However, if your skin is robust enough to tolerate it, you may try it.

What are the side effects of using lemon on the face?

1. Sensitivity reactions:

Lemon might irritate your skin because lemon (pH 2-3) is much more acidic than your skin (pH = 4.5). The acidic pH of lemon disturbs the normal flora of the skin. Therefore, always dilute lemon to match its pH to that of your skin, especially in rosacea-prone skin.

I could not believe that lemon had such an acidic pH. Therefore, I checked the pH of lemon, water (control), and apple cider vinegar (for comparison). Watch this video to see the results. Any guesses… what the pH paper showed?

2. Photo-toxic reaction:

Never expose the skin to the bright sun after applying lemon to it. You might end up burning your skin. The bergamot oil in lemon might react with the sun’s UVA rays, leading to a photo-toxic reaction.

This reaction can manifest as redness, burning or even blisters and might leave dark patches on subsiding.

3. Fragrance allergy:

Lemon has fragrance like citronellol, geraniol, eugenol, coumarin, limonene, citral, etc. They can cause skin, nasal or lung allergies. Avoid lemon if you are prone to fragrance allergies.

How to use lemon peel powder for the face?

While fresh lemon juice is best for the skin, lemon peel powder can be used for the following:

• skin whitening in pigmented or tanned skin
• cleansing and degreasing the oily skin.’
• reducing pimples in acne-prone skin.

The advantage of lemon peel powder is that you can make homemade products that can be stored for 1-3 months without refrigeration. Here are a few recipes that you should try:

• Skin lightening face pack that gives an instant fairness effect.
• Homemade face wash for oily skin helps remove excess oil and reduce acne.
• Homemade combination skin cleanser
• Neem and tea-tree oil home remedy that cures pimples overnight.

Lemon peel powder is available online at:

• INDIA: Amazon. in
• US: Amazon.com

*Above are affiliate links.