I damaged the skin on my lower back, through the over zealous use of a wheat bag(the sort you heat in the microwave)  I thought that by zapping the bag for an extra minute or two, I would get extra benefit!!!!!!!  WRONG.  When I removed the bag my back drew gasps of......... OH MY GOD WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?  I assumed the awful discoloration would lessen over the next couple of days, I was wrong there too, five months later, I decided I had better visit my G.P, his reaction was pretty extreme too, he thought I had scalded myself the same day, and was for sending me to the burns unit. 

When I explained what it was, and how I had done it, he could offer no remedy at all, other than to say it MAY fade, this wasn't much help, as I love to wear little tops in the Summer, and there was no way I could with this mess on my back, I decided to start and try and find a remedy myself.

This proved to be really tricky, I tried lots of the usual things like Bio Oil, Dark Marks Away creams, and even toothpaste!!  Nothing worked. 

Then I remembered something about lemon juice being a natural bleaching agent, so I did a bit of research and found this remedy.

Moisten a pad of some description, I used an old flannel, I saturated it in lemon juice, and applied it to my back, using an old bandage to tie it on with, the next morning I could see a definite lightening.  Three days on, the marks have diminished drastically, at this rate I'm hoping that by the end of 3 weeks, it should be completely gone.

I would advise caution if using this method on your face, as lemon juice is an acid, and can cause blistering, so I wouldn't recommend using a compress overnight as I did with my back, perhaps sit with it on for half an hour or so.  I have bought some Shea butter (£3.95 ) to use on it during the day.  This is a natural healing cream, and will keep the skin soft and pliant and thereby counteracting the drying effects of the lemon juice.

All I can say is, give it a try, all you have to loose is the cost of a bottle of lemon juice, the majority of "remedies" I looked at were £40 and up.... and NOTHING I tried worked at all, yet the lemon juice............... has worked as if by  magic, it look like my holiday wont be ruined after all.

UPDATE............................... ONE WEEK ON, AND THE DARK UNSIGHTLY MESS I HAD, HAS VIRTUALLY VANISHED, you DO have to be careful that you don't overdo the time you leave the compress on for, as I stated before, you MAY blister your skin if you leave it on too long, but I am so relieved at the results I have achieved, that I just HAD to share it with you.

If you have found this guide useful, PLEASE rate it for me.  Thank you