Papaya: What are its top 7 skin benefits and best ways to use it

Did you know that using papaya, in both its ripe and unripe forms, is good for your skin? Papaya (also called papaw or pawpaw) provides internal nourishment, boosts immunity, and helps to combat a wide array of health issues. When it comes to skincare, papaya is indeed a miracle product that can do wonders for your skin.

It is a soft tropical fruit of the Carica papaya plant with a yellowish-orange colour. Round and plump, this fruit belongs to the Caricaceae family. Infused with the goodness of nature, the refreshing and sweet flavour of this delicious fruit is hard to resist. Keep all your skin concerns at bay with this rejuvenating fruit.

The whopping amounts of vitamin C, vitamin A and the antioxidant lycopene found in papaya give your skin a youthful and radiant appearance. For healthy and luminous skin, include papaya in your daily meals.

Let us explore what papaya, a versatile fruit, can do for your skin and how you should use it.

Papaya Benefits For Skin

The superfood papaya is not just a flavorful treat for your taste buds. In addition to being a delicious pulpy fruit, it is a rich source of nutrients with astonishing health benefits. Papaya is rich in phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals, proteins, enzymes, and flavonoids. If you are seeking to add variety to your diet, here’s why you should consume more papaya.

1. Controls Acne

The juice of raw papaya may aid to prevent breakouts and blemishes on the skin. Papaya contains proteolytic enzymes such as chymopapain and papain that can decrease inflammation. Additionally, it shows mild exfoliating effects that clear away dead skin cells that could clog pores if left on the skin. Loaded with flavonoids, papaya can keep acne-stimulating bacteria at bay.

Papain is also good for removing impaired keratin that builds up on the skin. A 2017 study indicated that papain is effective in treating scarring. Since papaya contains plenty of retinol (topical form of vitamin A), it is beneficial to alleviate inflammatory acne lesions. So, if you are battling acne, the benefits of papaya facials will come to your rescue.

2. Defends Against Visible Signs of Aging

Antioxidants like lycopene, which are incredibly abundant in papaya, safeguard your skin from free radicals responsible for premature aging. Papaya nutrients improve your skin's elasticity and suppleness. Being an excellent combination of lycopene, antioxidants, and vitamin C, papaya shows impressive results in minimizing the visibility of facial wrinkles and fine lines.

To know the difference between fine lines and wrinkles, read more!

3. Moisturizes And Deeply Cleanses Skin

Papaya is a wonderful skin moisturiser. The richness of antioxidants and enzymes present in it helps to battle flaky, dry skin and replenish the skin's natural hydration. Papaya pulp, when applied regularly, can soften your skin and assist to restore its natural radiance.

Enzymes and plant-based myriad antioxidants are abundant in papaya. These elements have the ability to clean the skin's surface of contaminants like debris, dead and damaged cells, and tissues. Additionally, papaya aids in pore cleaning and makes your skin clear and luminous. It also contributes to a fairer complexion by deeply cleaning debris and excess oil discharges from the skin's deeper layers.

4. Reduces Uneven Skin Pigmentation And Dark Spots

Papaya is a miracle ingredient with natural skin-lightening properties. Phytochemicals, enzymes, beta-carotene, vitamins, and other nutrients found in papaya can help you clear away uneven skin pigmentation, blemishes, and ugly scars. This amazing fruit can also help to eliminate tan and lighten dark spots.

Papain enzyme in papaya acts as a strong skin exfoliator. It can break down inactive proteins, remove dead cells, and lighten dark spots. This enzyme is a good cure for darker skin regions, such as dark elbows and knees or acne scars. You can also use papaya as a home cure for melasma. Your skin will get the natural boost it needs if you eat papaya coupled with using it topically on a regular basis.

5. Helps To Get Rid of Facial Hair

If you fret every time you notice ugly facial hair, then you should begin using raw papaya face packs. It is a natural alternative to the inconveniences of routine waxing or threading. Papaya consists of enzymes that can weaken facial hair follicles as well as bleach your facial hair. Additionally, regular using a papaya pack may prevent hair re-growth.

6. Improves Skin Tone

Loaded with papain, vitamin A, vitamin C, papaya is indeed a boon to improve your skin tone. Common skin issues like dark spots and blemishes can be combated by using the goodness of papaya.

7. May Aid To Treat Skin Diseases

You can use papaya as a natural cure for burns, scars, and other skin issues. Enzymes present in it exfoliate impurities and dead skin cells. By directly applying papaya pulp to the skin's affected area, you can use it to treat conditions like psoriasis and eczema. Additionally, it might help to lessen irritation and redness.

The healing enzymes present in papaya make it a stunning fruit to soothe irritated skin. It also yields relief from sunburn. On sunburned or irritated skin, simply rubbing the interior of a papaya peel might provide prompt relief.

How To Use Papaya For Skin?

Fruits are great for your skin. Benefits of eating papaya fruit are numerous. This nutritive and wholesome fruit exhibits a wide array of health benefits whether it is consumed raw, ripe, or cooked. Not just the fruit, but the other parts of papaya are great as well! Eating papaya is one way of grabbing the exotic skincare benefits. You can eat papaya leaves or apply them topically to promote soft, clean, and youthful-looking skin.

Besides papaya fruit and leaves, several other parts of the papaya plant are valuable for the skin. You can reap papaya’s goodness in distinct forms such as powder, juice, soap etc. Using cotton pads, apply the juice from the blended raw papaya to the affected region. After ten minutes, rinse with lukewarm water. Instantly experience cleaner, more radiant skin. Papaya juice, whether it is made at home or purchased pre-packaged, is rich in vitamin A and can give you an instant glow.

The juice's potassium content helps to hydrate skin and take away dullness. Papaya powder can be utilized in diverse forms like toner, face packs, scrubs etc. Organic papaya soap enriched with fruit extract, vitamin C, vitamin E, and antioxidants may boost formation of collagen and minimize uneven pigmentation. Daily applying cold-pressed oil from papaya seeds on your face may aid to lighten those awful dark spots.

Apart from consuming papaya, you can also use mashed papaya pulp topically as a face pack. Papaya facials yield ample skin benefits So, rejuvenate your skin with the below homemade papaya face pack:

• If you have dry skin, mix milk, honey, and half a cup of mashed papaya pulp together to make a smooth paste. Then, apply it to your face and neck. After 15 minutes, wash it off with water. Repeat once or twice per week for optimum results. Papaya and milk are excellent natural skin moisturisers and exfoliators. The addition of honey to papaya improves hydration and keeps your skin radiant.
• Vitamin C is present in both papaya and orange. So, a mixture of papaya and orange juices can be a good natural astringent to reduce the production of sebum for those having oily skin. Prepare a smooth blend of chopped papaya and orange pulp. Following application of the pack to the face and neck, wait for 15 minutes. Then use cold water to rinse.
• Papaya pulp, cucumber, and banana can be mixed into a face mask. It is a great face pack for those having irritated skin. Papaya's anti-inflammatory and anti-acne qualities can calm your skin, lessen itching, and minimize redness. After 15 minutes, wash the papaya face mask off.
• Enzymes found in papaya aid in skin cleaning and pore unclogging. Combined with lemon juice and honey, it can also eliminate bacteria that cause acne. Make a smooth paste by combining powdered sandalwood, honey, lemon juice, and mashed papaya. Use it on your face. After 15 minutes, wash this off with water. It can do wonders for those having acne-prone skin.
• A face pack containing lemon juice and mashed papaya can brighten up the skin with its astringent, skin-lightening, and bleaching effects.

Take Away

Papaya is immensely healthy not just for your body, but also for your skin. Its nutritional profile is impressive and thus you should make the most out of it. Using papaya can benefit your skin in several ways. It has rejuvenating enzymes that exfoliate, cleanse, and makes your skin glow.

Papaya may be taken raw or in the form of papaya juice twice a day. Its leaves and seeds are also good for your skin, in addition to the fruit. Besides using papaya fruit directly, you can also get the goodness of papaya from its packs, gel, powder, soap, leaf, seed oil etc. So, add papaya to your beauty regimen and start nourishing your skin with its goodness!

FAQs

Q. Can we eat papaya during periods?

Ans. Yes, consuming papaya during periods is perfectly safe. Carotene present in papaya stimulates flow. You may also use papaya as a natural remedy to curb menstrual cramps and irregular periods. For best results, consume 1 bowl of fresh ripe papaya or 1 cup of papaya juice in the middle of the cycle.

Q. Is papaya good for weight loss?

Ans. Just eating papaya is not a weight loss solution. But, papaya may support healthy weight loss and help you shed unwanted pounds because it is rich in fiber, water content, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients and low in calories. For optimum results, you should include papaya as part of a well-balanced diet and do regular exercise to control weight.