Here's Why It Works. Lemons contain antibacterial properties (which is why the juice is a great cleanser), helping fight the bacteria agents causing your breakouts. It also acts as a natural exfoliator — removing dead skin cells that can clog your pores — as well as a great oil-eliminator.
Lemon juice is very effective in treating the problem of open skin pores. The citric acid content in it exfoliates your skin, breaks the impurities or dirt's chemical bond, and helps to unclog the open pores.
Lemon juice + Cinnamon Powder
Apply it onto blackhead-prone areas and let it dry before washing out. As you apply this twice or thrice a week consistently, you'll notice a gradual reduction in blackheads, plus brighter skin (as lemon juice is a natural bleaching agent).
Skin irritation.
This is the most common side effect of using lemon on your face. Because it's highly acidic, lemon may cause dryness, flakiness, redness, and peeling. These side effects can be more severe if you have sensitive skin.
For mild blackheads, try a salicylic acid scrub
"This beta hydroxy acid helps remove excess oil and exfoliate the cells from the surface of the skin."
Clogged pores can be the result of your glands producing too much oil. More oil on your skin increases the risk of clogged pores. But lots of other things can lead to enlarged pores, including age, skin products, hair follicles and sun damage.
Pores are tiny holes in the skin that allow oil to reach the skin's surface. Sometimes, pores become clogged with oil and dead cells that the skin sheds every day. Through proper skin care and skin treatments, a person can manage or clear clogged pores.
While “vitamin C is a potent antioxidant and can help lighten pigmentation, it is also an acid that can burn the skin,” she warns. She doesn't recommend using straight lemon juice on your skin.
To prevent acne
Mix 2 parts lemon juice with 3 parts water, and with the help of a cotton dab, apply it as a cleanser on the face and neck. Leave it on for 10 minutes and wash it off with cold water.
Your pores can become clogged for a number of reasons – excess oil resulting from hormonal changes, dry skin, a buildup of dead skin cells, or dirt and oil becoming stuck beneath the surface.
The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) advises against touching, picking, or popping any type of clogged pore or acne.
So how do these pores become clogged? There are three main culprits: excess oil (sebum production from sebaceous glands), dead skin cells, and over-cleansing. Over time, excess oil and dead skin will begin to accumulate on the skin's surface.
Don't: Treat with Hydrogen Peroxide
Regardless of whether you have sensitive skin or not, it's a safe bet to treat blackheads with gentle products that are free of fragrances and irritants. Hydrogen peroxide is a commonly misused solution and is neither a gentle nor a valid long-term treatment.
Via Refinery29, Elizabeth Tanzi, M.D., agrees that after the clay mask brings all the junk to the surface, physical massage can "indeed dislodge clogged pores and whatever's inside them."
Yes, lemon for acne works. Facial blemishes and acne marks can be extremely stubborn. The good news is that the citric acid in lemon can fade blemishes and even out your skin tone. It is also an effective way of reducing excess oil and sebum which in turn prevents acne.
Pores can become clogged with excess oil, dead skin, or dirt, or they can appear more prominent as a result of too much sun exposure. Other factors that can influence pores becoming clogged include genetics and hormones.
A sebum plug can look like a tiny bump under the surface of the skin or it may stick out through the skin like a grain of sand. When a sebum plug forms, bacteria that normally lives harmlessly on the surface of your skin can start to grow within the follicle. Inflammation follows, causing a breakout.