Afternoon beauty fix: Everything you ever wanted to know about the skin in your armpits
It might not seem like an obvious issue, but I’ve got dark skin in the creases of my underarms. Is there anything I can do to lighten it? Underarm pigmentation is an infrequently discussed beauty woe, probably because of its inherent embarrassment factor (even though we all suffered through sweaty and possibly smelly teenage years). If you’ve got dark skin beneath your arms, it’s simply a result of shaving your ‘pits—no shame there!
Regular shaving irritates the skin, and when it’s skin that’s also at the mercy of tight shirts, friction, and bacteria (a.k.a. “chaffing”), it can lead to discolouration. I searched out an at-home remedy for you that will gently exfoliate away the darkened skin and encourage development of new cells. Blend a small amount of cucumber juice, lime juice, and a teaspoon of turmeric powder together in a bowl, and then apply the mixture beneath your arms before showering. That, combined with the use of a super-hydrating antiperspirant like Dove Clear-Tone ($4, at drugstores) should help reduce darkness by making sure the area is satiated and as irritation-free as possible.
In need of an afternoon beauty pick-me-up? Email us at beautyfix@fashionmagazine.com.