Dark Underarms
The Dark Side
Brown is beautiful, but when your underarms are browner than the rest of your skin, then you may have a problem… There are many reasons why your underarms get dark, but for every reason, there is a solution! So don’t go giving away all your cute sleeveless tops yet…Here are five of the top reasons (and solutions) for dark underarms:
1. Hair growth
The simplest reason for any darkening of your underarms is natural hair growth. You may have thicker and more hair follicles than a normal person, so unless you shave your underarms twice a day, you may have some darkening by the end of the day.
What to do? Consider waxing your underarms, so even the roots of your underarm hairs are pulled out. This will also spare you from chicken skin (raised bumps), ingrown hairs (due to improper shaving) and having to bring a razor with you everywhere you go!
Can’t give up shaving? Then learn how to do it properly. Allow two minutes in the shower to soften your skin and hair. Use real shaving cream or gel, not soap since this will clog the razor. And because underarm hair grows in multiple directions, remember to shave upwards, downwards and sideways, rinsing off your razor between strokes of your multiple-blade razor.
2. Residue
It is also possible that all you really need is a good scrubbing! Sweat, impurities and leftover deodorant can accumulate if you don’t exfoliate your underarms regularly. In fact, if you are using a very effective anti-perspirant, then you’ll have to work extra hard to remove this product from your skin.
Exfoliate every other day when you bathe. Wet your skin and use a loofah to gently but persistently rub away all the impurities. Try a pumice stone for heavy-duty occasions. It also helps whiten your underarms by removing dead cells.
3. Hyper pigmentation
For many reasons, sometimes just simple genetics, you have dark underarms.
Begin with whitening creams and products. If that doesn’t work, consider bleaching or peeling, although there is a high-risk of discomfort like redness and itchiness. Sometimes a hydrocortisone cream helps, but try to do a parch test before you use the product on the entire affected area.
Injections are probably the last resort, in which whitening agents are injected directly under your skin and lighten the upper layer of your underarm skin from inside out. This procedure should only be done by a licensed dermatologist or plastic surgeon because it involves introducing chemicals into your body.