Dark elbows look extremely ugly, especially if the rest of the arms are not very dark. They can make the person look dirty and un-kept despite an otherwise immaculate appearance. While the color of the skin on other parts of the body is largely dictated by heredity and influenced by other factors such as exposure to harmful effects of the sun's ultraviolet rays, wind and pollution, consumption of certain medications and certain medical conditions, dark elbows are mainly due to neglect of the skin on the elbows and dryness. Dark elbows are generally caused by friction. In order to lighten the color of the skin of your elbows, you should first and foremost prevent the root cause. Therefore you must limit friction by avoiding rubbing them unnecessarily on any surface or sitting with your face propped on your hands with your elbows bent. The elbows are often ignored in the beauty regime since they are not easily visible, but it is important to take good care of them. It is thus important to keep the elbows clean by washing them and scrubbing them regularly to get rid of the dead skin accumulated there. You can use a paste of coarsely ground almonds or walnuts and milk to scrub the elbows. This will get rid of the dead skin and leave the skin on your elbows looking soft and smooth. You should also use a loofah to regularly scrub the skin on your elbows while having a bath.
In addition to this, you can use some simple home remedies that can help to gradually lighten the skin on your elbows. You mentioned that you did not find lemon juice to be helpful, this is probably because you did not protect your elbows from friction. The most recommended method to lighten skin on any part of the body is rubbing a slice of lemon on the affected area since lemon acts as natural bleach. You can also mix the juice of a lemon with some fresh cream, coconut oil or vinegar to increase the benefits. This should be applied to the elbows and allowed to dry, before you wash it off with warm water, wiping clean with a soft towel. Alternately you can mix some lemon juice, cucumber juice and turmeric and apply it on the elbows, washing it off after 15 to 20 minutes. This is beneficial for improving the skin tone and texture. A mixture of gram flour, turmeric and milk can also be applied to the elbows and scrubbed off after half an hour or once it is dry to get rid of the dead skin and lighten the skin of the elbows. A mixture of yoghurt and vinegar applied to the elbows and washed off after 20 to 30 minutes is also good for moisturizing and lightening the skin of the elbows. It is of course important to keep your elbows moisturized properly by using a good cream, especially at night when the cream gets ample time to soak into the skin and work its magic. However, it is more important to moisturize your body naturally by drinking plenty of water and fresh fruit juices so that your skin is soft and supple.
answered by G M