Can applying pearl powder, lemon, cucumber, etc. on the face whiten your skin? Beware of "bad face"! The correct whitening method is...

Author: Meng Yao, Ph.D., Doctor of Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University

Reviewer: Li Feng, deputy chief physician, Department of Dermatology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital

Nowadays, there are many "whitening secrets" circulating on the Internet, such as: "whitening by washing your face with white vinegar/rice water", "whitening by applying pearl powder/lemon/cucumber to your face", "whitening by washing your face with milk/milk bath". Are these whitening recipes really effective? Will long-term use have an impact on the skin? Let's find out today.

Copyrighted stock images, no reproduction is authorized

01

Rumor: Washing your face with white vinegar can make it whiter

Conclusion: No. There is no medical evidence that washing your face with white vinegar has a whitening effect.

Basis: The main component of vinegar is acetic acid. Applying it directly to the skin will damage its barrier function and cause problems such as dryness, sensitivity, redness, itching, and burning. In addition, vinegar may contain impurities or additives that may also cause damage to the skin.

Some people think that washing your face with vinegar can whiten and lighten spots, or even remove acne, because acetic acid can soften the stratum corneum, play a certain role in exfoliation, and make the skin look smoother. However, this effect is not long-lasting, and excessive exfoliation will make the skin weaker and more sensitive, and more susceptible to external irritation and infection.

Moreover, vinegar cannot change the pigmentation or inflammation of the skin, so it has no effect on spots and acne. Therefore, washing your face with vinegar cannot whiten your skin, but may harm your skin.

02

Rumor: Washing your face with rice water can whiten your skin

Conclusion: There is no scientific basis. Not only can it not whiten your skin, it may also cause damage to your skin.

Rationale: The main component of rice water is starch, which can form a light white film on the skin surface, creating the illusion of whitening the skin. However, after washing, the original color will be revealed and it cannot really change the skin color.

In addition to starch, rice water also contains a small amount of vitamin B and protein. Although they have certain moisturizing and anti-aging effects on the skin, the content is very low and difficult to be absorbed, so they have no practical effect.

On the contrary, washing your face with rice water may cause damage to your skin, because the water may contain harmful substances such as dust, bacteria, pesticides remaining on the rice, or cause allergies, infection, irritation and other problems.

Copyrighted stock images, no reproduction is authorized

03

Rumor: Pearl powder can whiten your skin by applying it on your face

Conclusion: It is useless. The whitening effect is poor.

Basis: More than 90% of pearl powder is calcium carbonate. Applying it on the face is equivalent to applying a layer of white powder on the face, making the skin look whiter and brighter. After washing it off, the skin will return to its original color.

In addition to calcium carbonate, pearl powder contains 2% to 8% of hard keratin and very few trace elements.

However, hard keratin is a large molecule protein and is difficult to be absorbed; even if it is broken down into small molecule amino acids or peptides, there is no scientific evidence that it can whiten the skin. Although trace elements may have certain antioxidant and melanin-inhibiting effects on the skin, the content is very low and not easily absorbed.

Therefore, the whitening effect of pearl powder on the face can be said to be a drop in the bucket.

Copyrighted stock images, no reproduction is authorized

04

Rumor: Lemon is rich in vitamin C and can whiten your skin by applying it on your face

Conclusion: No. Citric acid is very strong and corrosive to the skin, so it is not recommended to use it as a facial mask.

Basis: Vitamin C is an antioxidant that can promote the reduction reaction of melanin in the body, reducing it from black to colorless. It has been proven to inhibit the activity of tyrosinase (a key enzyme in melanin synthesis), and has a certain effect in brightening the skin tone and fading spots.

However, the idea of ​​applying lemon on your face is not advisable.

First of all, the vitamin C content in lemons is not high, far below the effective concentration, and cannot be absorbed and utilized by the skin;

Secondly, lemon contains photosensitive substances such as furanocoumarins. Applying it on the face and then irradiating it with strong light will promote the production of melanin.

Finally, lemons also contain citric acid, which is very irritating. If you apply lemons on your skin, it can easily cause skin sensitivity or even burns.

05

Rumor: Applying cucumber can whiten your skin

Conclusion: No. Applying cucumber can only moisturize and soothe your skin to a certain extent, but it cannot make you whiter.

Basis: Cucumber contains a lot of water and some minerals, which can indeed play a certain role in hydrating and soothing the skin, but it does not contain any ingredients that can inhibit melanin production or promote melanin metabolism.

In addition, although cucumbers contain some vitamin C and vitamin E, their content is very low, far below the effective concentration and is not easily absorbed by the skin.

Therefore, applying cucumber cannot provide enough whitening ingredients to the skin.

Copyrighted stock images, no reproduction is authorized

06

Rumor: Drinking milk can whiten your skin

Conclusion: False! There is no whitening substance in milk.

Rationale: Milk is white because the casein particles in it scatter light. When casein enters the human body, it is digested into amino acids by digestive enzymes and then resynthesized into the proteins needed by the human body. Even if casein is synthesized, it will not directly show the color of casein on human skin.

The principle of whitening is to inhibit the production of melanin or promote the metabolism of melanin, but there is no ingredient in milk that can inhibit tyrosinase.

In addition, taking a milk bath is even more useless. The protein macromolecules in milk cannot penetrate the stratum corneum above the epidermis to play a role, and it may also contain some bacteria. If it is not cleaned in time, it will cause skin infection.

07

Rumor: Exfoliate every day to get fair and tender skin

Conclusion: Don’t do that! Excessive exfoliation not only fails to whiten your skin, but also seriously damages the skin barrier and even makes your skin darker!

Basis: **The stratum corneum is the outermost layer of the skin, composed of dead keratinocytes. Its function is to protect the skin from external stimuli, prevent water evaporation, and maintain the health and balance of the skin.

Under normal circumstances, the stratum corneum will be updated and shed in an orderly manner according to its own rhythm (usually about 28 days). Sometimes the accumulation of old stratum corneum causes problems such as rough skin, dull skin, and clogged pores. Therefore, the skin looks smoother and more translucent after exfoliation because the rough and dull old stratum corneum on the skin surface is removed.

But this effect is temporary. Moreover, excessive exfoliation will destroy healthy keratin cells, affect the skin's moisture retention and defense, make it more susceptible to external stimuli and ultraviolet damage, and may cause spots and red blood vessels, and even cause the skin to become darker.

Correct whitening posture

"Being white as a ray of light" is a "protracted battle". If you want to have healthy and fair skin, fairies can pay attention to the following points in their daily lives:

1. Do a good job of daily sun protection, including a hat, sun protection clothing, and sunglasses. Also choose appropriate sunscreen products and use them correctly.

2. Choose a whitening product that suits your skin type and needs, and use it consistently.

3. Maintain good living habits, drink more water, eat more fruits and vegetables, eat less greasy and spicy food, drink less alcohol and smoke less, go to bed early and get up early, etc.

4. Maintain a happy mood and avoid stress and emotions that affect skin condition.

Copyrighted stock images, no reproduction is authorized

in conclusion

Everyone loves beauty, but whitening remedies such as “washing face with white vinegar”, “washing face with rice water”, “applying pearl powder on face” and “applying cucumber on face” are not reliable. These remedies seem simple and easy, with low cost, but in fact they have very limited whitening effects on the skin and may even cause skin damage and allergies.

If you want to have fair and tender skin, you still need to develop good living habits, eat regularly and healthily, do a good job of sun protection, and choose skin care products that suit you.

The article is produced by "Science Refutes Facts" (ID: Science_Facts). Please indicate the source when reprinting.

The cover image and images within this article are from the copyright gallery. Reprinting and quoting them may lead to copyright disputes.