Lemon Juice, Toothpaste and One Very Bad Cream: The Skin Mistakes I Wish I'd Skipped

A quick note before you start: Meher is a composite character. Her story is pieced together from the most common skin worries and mistakes, not from one real client. The skin advice in it is real.

I'm Meher. I'm 28, I live in East Delhi, and I work in Gurugram, which means close to two hours a day in a cab, usually by the window. I'm telling you that now because it turned out to matter for my skin far more than any serum I ever bought.

For most of my twenties, my skincare routine was whatever my mother, my hostel roommates or a reel at midnight told me to do. Some of it worked. A lot of it made things worse. This is the list of mistakes I made, and what I learned once I finally sat in front of a dermatologist and asked all my embarrassing questions in one go.

The pimple that paid rent

For almost a year I had a pimple that lived on the left side of my chin. It would heal, and ten days later it was back. Same spot, like it had signed a lease.

My fix, straight from hostel days, was a dab of toothpaste at night. It did dry the pimple out a bit. It also left a brown mark every single time, because toothpaste irritates the skin around the spot. And I squeezed it. Every time. I was very confident about that part.

The answer was embarrassingly boring. I sleep on my left side, my pillowcase got changed once a week if I remembered, and my phone spent most of the day pressed to the left side of my face. Once I started changing pillowcases twice a week, wiping my phone daily and using a gentle salicylic acid face wash once a day, the chin pimple calmed down over a couple of months. Not overnight. But it stopped coming back.

The doctor also told me that pimples along the jaw and chin often follow hormones, which is why so many of us get them in the week before our period. And that if they're deep and painful, or every single one leaves a mark, that's a reason to see someone rather than keep experimenting.

Marks, scars and the finger test

All that squeezing left me with what I called "scars". The dermatologist ran a finger over my cheek and taught me the difference in about ten seconds.

If the skin is flat and only the colour is different, it's a mark. Marks fade. It takes a few months, sometimes longer on skin like ours, and it goes faster if you wear sunscreen every day, because the sun keeps darkening them. If you can feel a dip or a little pit, that's a scar, and creams alone rarely do much for it. Scars get better with resurfacing treatments over a few sessions.

Most of mine were marks, and they've faded. Two on my right cheek are proper scars. They're softer than they were, not gone, and I've made my peace with that. Anyone who promises you completely scar-free skin is selling something.

My cousin's wedding and the lemon disaster

Three days of outdoor functions in April. I came home two shades darker than my neck, and my mother had the answer ready: besan and nimbu.

The besan was fine. The lemon was not. I put it on, went out to the balcony to dry my hair, and within the hour my cheeks were stinging and red. A week later those red patches were darker than the tan had ever been.

Lemon juice is strongly acidic, and skin with lemon on it can burn and darken when it hits sunlight. Baking soda, the other thing people swear by, is alkaline and strips the skin's natural protective layer. If something from the kitchen stings or burns, your skin is telling you to wash it off. Plain aloe vera gel and a bit of honey are the only kitchen things I still use.

As for the tan itself, the doctor said something that changed how I think about it. A tan is your skin protecting itself, and most of it fades on its own once you stop adding to it. My problem was that I was adding to it every single day, through a cab window.

The sunscreen I thought I was wearing

I would have told you I wore sunscreen daily. I did, sort of. A pea-sized dot, spread thin over my whole face and neck.

The dermatologist squeezed a line of sunscreen along the length of my index and middle fingers and said that's roughly what the face and neck need. I'd been using about a quarter of it. She told me to pick SPF 30 or higher, and PA+++ or more if the label shows a PA rating.

Then came the part about the cab. UVA rays pass through glass, so sitting by a window for two hours a day counts as sun exposure. Now I put sunscreen on before I leave, and I keep a sunscreen stick in my bag to go over makeup if I'm out for long. Outdoors, the rule is to reapply every two to three hours. On days I'm in an inner meeting room all day, the morning layer is enough.

Oily, but not the way I thought

In monsoon I used to wash my face four times a day and skip moisturiser, because why would you put cream on oily skin? My face felt tight by 10 am and was shiny again by lunch, every single day.

A light gel moisturiser fixed more of that than I expected. The labels to look for are "oil-free" or "non-comedogenic". On humid days, I carry blotting paper instead of washing my face again.

I also spent an embarrassing amount of money on products that promised to "close" my pores. Pores don't close. They look bigger when they're clogged and when the skin around them loses firmness, so the aim is to keep them clean: gentle exfoliation (salicylic acid again), a niacinamide serum, sunscreen, and never sleeping in makeup. Mine look smaller now. They are exactly the same size.

Dark circles I didn't earn

I sleep eight hours. I still have dark circles. So does my mother, and so does my nani.

It turns out sleep is just one cause, and often not the main one. Dark circles can run in families. They can be pigment, which is really common in Indian skin. They can be thin skin showing the blood vessels underneath, or a hollow under the eye that casts a shadow. Rubbing your eyes, or allergies that make you rub them, makes all of it worse.

Mine are the pigment kind, so sunscreen and gentle brightening care have helped a little. My best friend's are hollows, and nothing in a tube has ever done anything for her. Which, honestly, is also an answer.

Delhi winters and the hottest shower possible

Every December my shins itched like crazy. I blamed the weather. I should have blamed my showers: long, and as hot as the geyser could manage.

Hot water strips away the oils that keep moisture in. Hard water, which a lot of Delhi NCR homes have, can make it worse for some people. What helped:

• Short, lukewarm showers.
• Patting dry and putting moisturiser on within a few minutes, while my skin is still a bit damp.
• A thicker cream for winter. Ceramides, glycerin and shea butter are the ingredients I look for.
• Remembering heels, knuckles and lips, which crack first.

The doctor added one warning. If dryness comes with intense itching, thick scaly patches or cracks that bleed, it might be eczema, and that needs proper treatment rather than more lotion.

Underarms, a razor, and a question I didn't expect

Years of shaving had left my underarms darker than the rest of my skin. Friction, tight clothes, sweat and some deodorants all add to it, and it's very common.

What surprised me was that my dermatologist asked whether the skin on my neck or underarms felt thick or velvety. Darkening like that can be linked to insulin resistance, which is worth a simple test. Mine wasn't that kind, but I'm glad she asked, and I'm passing the question on to you.

For ordinary darkening, moving from shaving to laser hair reduction helps over time, because it ends the daily razor friction and the stubble shadow.

The skin tag and the sewing thread

A small, soft skin tag appeared on my neck. A relative told me to tie it off with thread, and I'm sorry to say I tried. It bled far more than I expected, and I gave up halfway.

Skin tags are harmless and get more common as we get older and during pregnancy. You only need to remove them if they bother you or keep catching on chains and collars, and that should be done cleanly by a professional, not with thread or nail scissors. One more thing I learned: if a "tag" changes colour, grows quickly or bleeds on its own, a doctor should look at it first. Not every growth is a skin tag.

The cream that worked too well

This is the one I most want you to read.

A couple of years ago, a chemist near my office suggested a cream for the pigmentation on my cheeks. It worked like magic. In three weeks my skin looked clearer and lighter than it had in years, so I kept using it.

Then the redness started, then tiny bumps, then skin that felt thin and burned when I washed it. When I stopped the cream, everything flared and got darker than before I started. So I went back to it, and the cycle repeated.

The cream contained a steroid. A number of creams sold over the counter for pigmentation and quick fairness do. They give fast results, and then cause thinning, redness, breakouts and rebound darkening that's harder to fix than the original problem. My dermatologist moved me off it carefully, and it took months for my skin to settle.

If a cream works too fast, or your skin flares the moment you stop it, take the tube to a doctor. Please.

What I'd tell my 22-year-old self

• Leave pimples alone. Squeezing turns a three-day spot into a three-month mark.
• Sunscreen means two finger-lengths, every morning, even in the cab.
• Nothing from the kitchen that stings.
• Moisturise, even if your skin is oily.
• Lukewarm showers in winter. Moisturiser on damp skin.
• Don't thread, snip or squeeze anything off your body.
• See a dermatologist when a mole changes, acne is painful or scarring, a rash spreads or blisters, or you're using a cream you can't seem to stop.

And go sooner than you think you need to. I wasted three years and a lot of money being too shy to ask.

A note from the Glossary team

If parts of Meher's story sound familiar, you're far from alone. These are the treatments that match the problems above, all done at home, anywhere in Delhi NCR:

• Active breakouts: Acne Arrest Facial, and body acne treatment for the back and chest
• Acne scars and texture: Acne Scar Treatment
• Tan: Detan Facial
• Open pores: Pore Tightening Mesotherapy
• Pigment-type dark circles: Under Eye Brightening
• Dark underarms: Under Arm Brightening
• Skin tags: Skin Tag Removal
• Pigmentation and dark patches: our guide to treating pigmentation at home, and when to see a dermatologist

For anything on Meher's "see a dermatologist" list, please see one first. You can also browse all our treatments.

This article is general information, not medical advice. Every skin is different, so for anything persistent or worrying, please see a qualified dermatologist.

Frequently asked questions

Do acne marks go away on their own?

Flat dark marks usually fade over a few months, and faster with daily sunscreen. Pitted or raised scars change the texture of the skin and generally need resurfacing treatments to improve.

Is it safe to put lemon juice on your face?

It isn't a good idea. Lemon juice is strongly acidic, and skin with lemon on it can burn and darken when it's exposed to sunlight.

Do I need sunscreen in a car or indoors?

If you sit near a window or travel by car, yes, because UVA rays pass through glass. In an inner room all day, the morning application is usually enough.

Why does my skin get worse when I stop a pigmentation cream?

Some over-the-counter pigmentation and fairness creams contain steroids, which can cause redness, thinning and rebound darkening when stopped. Show the cream to a dermatologist, who can take you off it safely.

When should I see a dermatologist for a skin problem?

When a mole changes, acne is painful or scarring, a rash spreads or blisters, or you're using a cream you can't seem to stop.