Armpit Lightening Tips – Banish Those Dark Areas
Dark armpits are a problem if you consider them to be a problem. Some people don’t see what the fuss is about, but then they probably don’t have very dark skin in their armpits!
Having dark underarms is embarassing to many women (and some men too), so you are certainly not alone if this bothers you. We want to be able to wear nice things in the Summer – singlets, strappy tops and bikinis, right? We don’t want to be worrying about avoiding raising our arms. It can be embarrasing, and it can lead to low self esteem if it is something that affects you and you worry about it.
What Causes Dark Armpits?
Darker skin areas of all kinds tend to be ‘more visible’ on fair skinned people, but dark underarms can affect everyone no matter what their skin color.
The cause isn’t really clear – it just seems to be one of those genetic things, you either have them or you don’t. There are things that make them worse however that you can avoid doing. Plus some things you can try that will help a lot.
So What Can You Do About It?
Firstly, yes there are some great armpit lightening products out there (and some not so great ones) that will greatly help lighten your armpit area. These are basically skin lightening creams that are formulated to be gentle enough to be used for your armpits. Remember, the underarm area is quite delicate so you need to be kind to it! You can also try these other things too though before you buy an armpit lightener:-
Poor hygiene will not help. So whilst you don’t need to be scrubbing away like a mad thing, if you only wash weekly it would be a good idea to increase that a bit (most of us wash too often to be fair – daily showers where we soap from head to toe just aren’t necessary!).
If you wear tight clothing a lot, try switching to looser tops. It can also help to wear less man-made fibres as they don’t let your skin breath so well.
Being overweight is also considered a contributory factor – which also tends to relate to a less than healthy diet. Being stick thin is over-rated though and even totally unnatural for some ethnicities and body types. Being a healthy weight for who you are is important, which will benefit you in many areas anyway.
Some people react badly to certain chemicals or ingredients in cosmetic products. That includes deoderants! So try changing your deoderant. It should NOT make you itch or cause redness in your armpits. There are ‘more natural’ products but they tend to be a lot less effective in my experience. Test out using no deoderant at all though, just wash with a mild soap. Some people are lucky enough that this can be enough – we’re just so trained to be rolling and spraying that we don’t even realise.
Shaving can also cause irritation and skin damage, which can lead to thicker darker skin. So take your time, and be very gentle when you shave your underarms. Also use a good shaving gel or foam.
Finally, try exfoliating. I know that sounds kind of silly, but dead skin cells can build up in our armpits just like our face. This will cause a duller, darker look to your skin. We’re used to exfoliating our faces but nobody does their underarms. Give it a shot – be gentle, start with just once a week and see what happens.
These videos might help more too:-