How To Naturally Lighten Dark Knees

Dark knees can limit your clothing options especially once summer comes around. Depending how dark your knees are, you might not feel very comfortable wearing knee length skirts (without nylons that is), and you certainly won't feel the most confident wearing shorts without feeling just a little bit self conscious. The good news is, you don't have to live with dark knees forever. You can actually fade and lighten dark knees as well as dark elbows by taking a few steps daily and paying special attention to these areas. Start now and by the time summer arrives, you'll be ready to wear any knee length skirt and shorts if you feel like it!

Its disheartening to have to skip over a dress because you're afraid of how your knees will look in it and you know its the perfect length but you just have to go with something that covers your legs more but is also less flattering. There are natural cures and treatments for dark spots and in order to get to the treatment, you first need to know what causes the darkening of the knees

The following are some possible causes of dark spots on knees:

Your Childhood

This particular skin condition is actually not that uncommon especially in young people of a darker complexion such as East Indians, African Americans, Filipinos, Middle Eastern and people with darker complexions. Most young people develop dark knees from early childhood and due to a variety of reasons. The knees and elbows are constantly bending, standing and coming across friction at all times and even more so in early age. Next time you're out and near small children watch how much time they spend contantly hitting the floor with their knees (try not to be creepy about it lol), this could bring an image of what you were probably like as a child. The constant friction on the knees is what results in the darkening of the skin around the knees which is also what most people struggle with later on in life after their childhood.

Genetics

 Another contributing factor to this skin condition is genetics, yep, good old mom and dad's and your ancestor's genes. If most people in your family also have darkened knees, then chances are very high that you will also develop the same skin condition.  

Skin Care Routine

Poor skin care is also to blame for any dark spots you have on your knees. Even though you might be on a strict beauty regimen, chances are you're not paying attention to your knees as you do with the rest of your face. Keep in mind the skin on your knees is of a different texture and thickness (just touch it and you'll know what I mean). Your  knees are more at risk for developing dry, flaky skin that is also more pigmented that the rest of your body.

Mr. Sun

The sun is the ultimate friend to my happiness. I love the sun and can't live anywhere where the sun doesn't shine! However if you have dark knees, the sun can actually worsen them. Without any sunscreen to protect your knees, they will turn darker and will definitely be that much more noticeable. So to keep your knees from further darkening, slather on some sunscreen whenever you're wearing shorts or an above knee skirt or dress in the summertime.

Disease and Hormones
Some medical conditions and diseases can actually result in excessive pigmentation on the face as well as other parts of the body such as the knees and elbows. Ovarian cysts, Addison's disease is one of those medical conditions that usually cause skin pigment change and the production of excess melanin in most women. Hormonal changes and imbalances may also lead to the darkening of the knees.

Medication
Medication can also cause your skin's melanocytes (the skin cells that produce melanin ) to become more active and as a result produce more melanin which results in darker knees. You will need to treat the darkened spots with the home remedies supplied here and if that fails to fade the dark spots, you may need to consult with a qualified estetician or a medical doctor such as a dermatologist.

How to Get Rid of These Dark Marks

Our knees and elbows are the areas in our body that are vulnerable the most to skin damage since they undergo regular friction on most days of the week. This kind of friction results in the collection of dead skin cells which can then become dry, flaky and dark in color. Let's take a look at how you can treat these areas using natural home remedies that work to lighten dark knees and elbows. 

The first golden rule to fading dark marks is to regularly moisturize and exfoliate your knees and elbows as well as to always apply sunscreen whenever you leave the house wearing shorts or an above the knee skirt/dress especially if you live in a sunny-all-year around area ( in that case, i'm extremely jealous) or whenever you're going out in the summer or while on vacation.

Now onto the first home made remedy to lighten those pesky dark knees...

Sugar Scrub: 

If you want to eventually get rid of your dark knees, the first step you need to take is to ensure that you properly exfoliate the skin on your elbows. Sugar works best. I personally prefer to use brown sugar but you can use either brown or white sugar depending on your preferences.

1. Take one full lemon and cut it in half, squeeze out the lemon juice from both lemon halves into the brown sugar using a lemon squeezer

2. Take a spoon and scoop out a bit of the mixture and gently scrub your knees with it, leave it on for 15-20 minutes

3. Shower off with lukewarm water

*Do this twice a week and follow up with a good moisturizer

If you have very dark skin discolorations. I would recommend that you try using a pumice stone to gently scrub and exfoliate your skin. Please do not apply an acid peel until 2 weeks after you have exfoliated your knees! You may end up hurting yourself and causing permanent scarring to your skin. 

 

You can find the brown sugar here 

If your knees are very dark, use a pumice stone. Find it here. 

 2. If your knees are  really Dark...(Most Effective Method)

If you suffer from really dark knees the chances are using just sugar to exfoliate will take slower to get you the results you want, in such cases its better to  be more aggressive with your treatment, you can use Professional Grade 50% Lactic Acid to chemically exfoliate the skin around your knees. Always follow the directions on the peel in order not to burn/damage your skin.

 

Professional Grade 50% Lactic Acid Peel 

1.Use a cotton to apply the lactic acid to your knee area, wait for 7-8 minutes
2. Neutralize the peel with 3 tablespoons of baking soda mixed with 2 cups of water and then rinse the area using cold water, pat dry

After you apply the lactic acid, follow up by applying Xtreme Brite Brightening Gel 1oz to both knees. Roll up your pants and allow the skin lightening gel to soak in and not be wiped away by your clothing. Do this for 3 months and you should start to see results as the Xtreme Brite Skin Lightening Gel is very effective in lightening dark marks on skin. 

Buy Xtreme Brite Gel at Amazon.com

After you have seen the results you desire in 3 months or so, you can maintain your results by doing the following:



Moisturizer

 Moisturizing is also just as important for your knees and should be done every single day. Your elbows and knees are the  the areas on your body that can get very dry very quick (hence why people call it 'ashy'). What do you do when you get ashy? You MOISTURIZE of course! The best moisturizer for your knees and elbows is really cocoa butter, you can use Palmer's Cocoa Butter, or make your own mixture with raw shea butter. Make sure that you moisturize your skin everyday and especially after you scrub.

Oil Massage: 

 Since the skin on your knees and elbows does not have any oil glands, you can massage in some oil every other day. Both olive oil, jojoba oil and coconut oil are excellent options. In order to create a lightening oil: 

 1. Mix some coconut oil with some lemon or lime juice and apply it to your knees and elbows

2. Leave it on for 25-30 minutes, then wipe it off with a towel. 

You don't want to rinse it off completely since it will not work as well, however you also don't want to make your bed sheets dirty with oils! 

*Coconut oil acts as an emollient and a moisturizer, lemon juice helps to lighten the dark knees and elbows 

Vitamin E Oil

Another natural home remedy for fading dark spots is vitamin E oil combined with equal amounts of lemon juice and vegetable glycerin:

1.Take one tablespoon of vitamin E oil and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice along with 1 tablespoon glycerin and mix them in a shallow bowl. 

2. Add 12 teaspoons of milk to this mixture and apply it slowly to your elbows

3. Rinse it all off after 20 minutes

*Milk is a natural skin lightener that's has been used in India for many years to lighten the skin. It contains Lactic acid, a highly effective skin lightening component.

Aloe Vera Gel
You can also use aloe vera gel in order to fade dark knees and elbows. If you don't have aloe vera juice, you can also use lemon juice and powdered milk. Just mix 1/2 cup of powdered milk with the juice of one whole lemon, warm the mixture very slightly and then apply it to both your elbows and your knees using a thin but soft cloth. Allow the mixture to stay on your skin for around 20 -15 minutes. Do this everyday because consistency is the key to remove these annoying marks.

In order to really see the results you want, you need to exfoliate as well as moisturize your skin every single day. Make sure that you use sunscreen on your knees and elbows whenever your knees and elbows are directly exposed to the sun. Drink tons of water each and everyday ( at least 5-8 glasses, I know you've heard it all before...). Avoid kneeling and leaning on your knees and elbows regularly because doing so will worsen your knees and elbows by darkening them.

 Don't be too rough when scrubbing your knees, be gentle and only exfoliate once every two or three days in order to avoid skin irritation. Following a regular skin care routine on your knees as well as your elbows is what will help you to lighten your dark knees. You need to be consistent and patient if you ever expect to see any results.

If you still don't see any results, you may need to try a more intensive skin peel such as the 50% Lactic acid peel in order to exfoliate the top layer of the skin and prepare it for treatment. You may also need to consult with a dermatologist or a qualified aestetician to find the best topical serum, cream or lotion for you.  If on the other hand you experience additional symptoms you need to get medical attention as soon as possible as it could be an indication of another problem.