Keep onion handy for skin benefits

Do you also cringe with the mention of onions? Well, it is much more than a kitchen staple as it offers health benefits, says an expert. Anup Dhir, Senior Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgeon at A+ Medi Art, lists some of the benefits of onion.

• Onions are a great source of flavonoids as well as antioxidant vitamins, such as vitamins A, C and E. All these help in protecting our skin cells from the damaging effects of ultraviolet (UV) rays. Onions are a rich source of quercetin that helps in combating free radical damages, thereby averting the signs of untimely aging.
• If you have acne then the benefits of eating raw onions is great for your skin because onions contain anti-inflammatory properties which fight acne causing bacteria so that your skin stays clearer longer.
• Onions are natural cleansers. To remove impurities from our skin we tend to use cleansers, toners, exfoliate and masks. One of the benefits of eating onions however is that the antioxidants work beautifully to clean out the skin's impurities so that your skin looks and feels better.
• Onion has skin lightening properties too! It stimulates skin, bleaches it naturally and removes the dead skin layer. But don't apply raw onion juice to your skin as it might be harsh on your delicate skin. Add a teaspoon of fresh onion juice to one teaspoon of gram flour and 1/2 teaspoon of milk cream. Combine this mixture and use it as your skin lightening face pack every day for four weeks.
• For that beautiful pout: Mix vitamin E oil with onion juice and apply over your dark lips before going to bed at night. Doing it for a month continuously will remove the dark layer on your lips and make them pink again.