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Natural Remedies to Remove Suntan

Kindly let me know how to remove suntan from my daughter's face and make her look fair? She is 9 years old.
(30 Nov 2008)

Tanning of the skin occurs when a person’s skin is exposed to the sun for an extended period of time. There are some people, who tan their skin willingly, through natural or artificial sunbathing. In some countries, especially the western ones, darker skin is admired and much sought after.


However, there are several people who look for different methods to remove sun tan. Removing sun tan is possible with the help of bleaches, as well as skin lightening creams or lotions. However, most commercial products contain harsh chemicals that may not be appropriate for children. Therefore, it is best to remove sun tan naturally, using home remedies.
How to remove sun tan?

Most people want to get rid of their tans but are unaware of how to remove a suntan naturally. One could remove suntans naturally, without the use of expensive treatments or products with harsh chemicals. Chemicals could cause irreversible damage to the skin. Moreover, children usually have skin that is more sensitive and could easily break out into a rash. This is probably why most dermatologists are often asked questions on how to remove sun tans using natural and safe products. There are several products that you can use at home, that are believed to be relatively safer and milder. Make equal parts of tomato juice and cucumber juice and apply the liquid on the affected skin. Leave it on for about 15 minutes or so, before rinsing it off. Alternately, allow your daughter to take a bath with black tea and rinse her skin with gram flour in between. This can be very effective in removing suntan as it allows the skin to return to its normal color, at a faster rate.

Given below are some of the most common and effective home remedies that would help you to remove your daughter’s sun tan naturally:

  • Butter milk
  • A mixture of oil and corn meal
  • Plain yogurt, mixed with water
  • Olive oil and sugar 
  • Lime juice mixed with cream and saffron
  • Aloe Vera gel


Preventing a sun tan is children, is much more effective than removing sun tan. Once you manage to get rid of your daughter’s tan, it is best to keep her away from the harsh rays of the sun. In case she needs to go out in the sun, make sure that she wears a good suntan lotion. It is also best to wear clothes that cover the skin from the sun. Use a wide brimmed hat or a cap to keep the rays of sun away from her face.

answered by M W on 25 Aug 2010, 6:54:41

 

First of all, it is important that you do not make your child self conscious about the tan that she has developed. Your daughter is only 9 years old, and it is not advisable that she should trouble herself with such things. Besides, children are sometimes easily embarrassed about the way they look, particularly as they reach adolescence. Your daughter is rather close to the age at which a child's self image and self esteem start to become rather fragile, and she is bound to have enough to worry about without wondering whether she is fair enough. You yourself should put this worry out of your head, and instead focus on encouraging your daughter and reinforcing her self esteem. In any case, beauty has nothing to do with fairness - many people consider darker to be more beautiful, while others find fair skin beautiful. Many people in the world spend a lot of time and money actually trying to develop a sun tan because they feel their complexion is too light. Others spend thousands and risk their health on products that promise fairness but are mostly useless.

Whatever your outlook on beauty, a sun tan is only a temporary and entirely natural darkening of the skin. Even if you do not see a sun tan as a good thing, there is no need to worry; you may find some relief in knowing that the tan will disappear on its own. You should however understand that this is a slow process - developing a tan takes only a day, or even a couple of hours for some people, but it can take several months for the tan to go away. When our skin is exposed to sunlight, it creates more melanin, the pigment that gives our skin its color. More melanin of course means that the skin becomes darker. However, if exposure to sunlight is not continued, the excess of melanin that has been produced will slowly disappear, and the skin will not produce more melanin to take its place. As a result, the skin will gradually return to its natural color.

Of course, it's impossible and certainly inadvisable to completely avoid exposure to sunlight. You should not stop your daughter from going out, especially if she is fond of outdoor activities. A slightly tanned face is hardly a large price to pay for your daughter to be active, fulfilled, and healthy. It is probably a good idea however to ensure that she uses sunscreen - this is more to prevent sun damage, but it will also reduce tanning to some extent.

answered by G R on 30 Nov 2008, 2:15:27

 

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