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Discover the Benefits of Dragon Fruit for Skin That Looks Radiant
Let us unravel the various benefits of dragon fruit for skin – get healthy, glowing, and youthful-looking skin when you add this fruit to your skincare routine.
Dragon fruit or pitaya is an exotic fruit that is high in fiber, low in carbohydrates, and rich in nutrients such as magnesium, phosphorus, essential vitamins, iron, omega fatty acids, and antioxidants (1). This is why you can get several benefits of dragon fruit for the skin if it is consistently eaten and used topically. Dragon fruit is a good source of vitamins C and E, it helps fight oxidative stress, treat sunburns, prevent inflammation, strengthen the skin barrier, and keep the skin moisturized (2), (3). Apart from that, the consumption of dragon fruit also offers certain health benefits. It may reduce cholesterol levels, blood glucose levels, and high blood pressure levels. Though not proven, it also has the potential to prevent the risk of heart disease while boosting your immune health, eye health, and more. Let us know more about this humble fruit and its benefits for the skin.
What Is Dragon Fruit?
Dragon Fruit Nutritional Value
Dragon fruit is a nutrient-dense fruit, packed with several vitamins that help improve overall health. Here’s the nutritional value that 100 grams of dragon fruit offers:
- Calories: 60
- Protein: 1.2 grams
- Fat: 0 grams
- Vitamin C: 3% of the RDI
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Magnesium: 10% of the RDI
- Iron: 4% of the RDI
Top 6 Amazing Benefits of Dragon Fruit for the Skin
Dragon fruit is also called a “superfood” as it has a nutrient-rich profile that contains a dynamic variety of macro-nutrients like proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and dietary fiber as well as micronutrients such as vitamins, minerals, trace elements, etc. Here, we have carefully prepared a list of the extensive benefits of dragon fruit for the skin, which are as follows:
1. Moisturizes the Skin:
Dragon fruit is proven to contain extremely high amounts of water which is around 80% of its total volume (4). It also contains niacinamide or vitamin B3 which is a famous skincare ingredient known to lock in moisture and prevent water loss (5). Plus, the hydrating properties of dragon fruit help replenish dry skin and keep it soft and supple. Thus, this tropical fruit may benefit the skin by adding moisture to it and making it soft, supple, and healthy.
2. Evens out the skin tone:
The vitamin C content of dragon fruit boosts skin health by reducing melanin synthesis and increasing cell turnover, especially collagen and white blood cell production (6). This leads to the rapid reduction of redness and scarring on the skin, leaving you with a bright and even skin tone.
3. Fights acne:
The niacinamide content of dragon fruit may be effective in reducing moderate acne on topical application (7). Additionally, research done on different nutrients of dragon fruit has shown that magnesium along with vitamin C have anti-inflammatory and zinc has antimicrobial properties that help in regulating acne (8), (9). Therefore, dragon fruit may be beneficial for acne-prone skin.
4. Provides anti-aging properties:
Both the flesh and peel of dragon fruit contain a number of anti-oxidants namely vitamin C, beta-carotene, lycopene, and betalain. Anti-oxidants are responsible for fighting free radicals and delaying oxidative damage to skin cells (10). Thus, it helps delay the signs of premature aging like wrinkles, fine lines, dull skin, etc. Overall, there are various anti-aging benefits of dragon fruit peel for the skin, which is why you should add it to your skincare routine.
5. Provides soothing effects:
The vitamins in dragon fruit, especially vitamin B3 and vitamin C have potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that add a soothing effect on the skin (6), (11). Therefore, applying dragon fruit on sunburnt skin may reduce redness and burning sensations.
6. Provides protection against sun damage:
Antioxidant activity of betacyanins, vitamin C, and beta-carotene in dragon fruit actively fight daily free radical damage caused to your skin by the oxidative stress caused by harmful UV rays of the sun. This prevents damage to the DNA, lipid membrane of cells, collagen structures, and photoaging (12). These, therefore, ensure that your skin is healthy and plump for many years to come.
How To Use Dragon Fruit On the Skin:
To enjoy the most out of dragon fruit’s skin benefits, you can either eat it regularly or topically apply it on your face to get faster results. You can make different face packs targeting different skin concerns using dragon fruits in the following manner:
1. For acne:
To gain the benefits of vitamin C, zinc, and niacinamide from dragon fruit, you can use it directly on your skin. For this:
- Take a few pieces of dragon fruit and turn them into a smooth paste.
- Then take a small cotton ball or use your fingers to rub it on your acne spots or active acne as a spot treatment.
- Leave it for an hour and wash it off.
- If your skin reacts well, you may also leave it overnight.
However, you may not see instant results after applying this treatment. So, if you have serious skin concerns, it is advisable to use it as a supplementary treatment option along with your prescription medications.
2. For radiant skin:
The number of powerful antioxidants and minerals present in dragon fruits can provide radiance to dull and tired skin and also soothe sunburns. To make this fruit face mask:
- Take 1/4th cup of cut dragon fruit and turn it into a pulp.
- Then take a vitamin E and/or some aloe vera gel and combine them.
- Apply this all over your face and leave it on for 15 minutes.
- Wash your face thoroughly with cold water to rinse it off.
3. For Natural Hydration:
As we have already discussed, dragon fruit contains almost 80% water. You can use it to quench dehydrated skin and make your skin appear healthier. For this:
- Take 1/2 tablespoon of dragon fruit juice.
- Mix it well with 1 tablespoon of yogurt.
- Apply it to your face and let it sit for 15 minutes.
- Wash it off with lukewarm water and enjoy the hydrating benefits of dragon fruit.
How to Eat Dragon Fruit?
Dragon fruit is one of the healthiest fruits and one can eat it fresh to reap all its benefits. To satisfy your taste buds, you can also take it in juice form. Dragon fruit juice benefits are plenty — it boosts cardiovascular health, aids in digestion, and prevents cell damage, thereby keeping the body fit and healthy. It can also be used as a flavoring agent to make jams, smoothies, and salads more delicious. In fact, you can also consume dragon fruit peel — make sure to wash it thoroughly before consuming. Many people also use dragon fruit powder and add it to beverages and desserts to make the food tastier.
Side Effects of Dragon Fruit:
Dragon fruit is usually a very gentle and safe fruit to include in your diet. However, there have been a few rare instances of people developing allergic reactions after consuming this fruit. Therefore, you must conduct a patch test before the topical application of dragon fruit on your skin and undergo allergy tests before consuming it if in doubt. There is insufficient scientific data about the side effects caused by consuming or applying dragon fruit. However, one may take certain precautions to be on the safer side. Some of which are:
1. It may not be suitable to take it in conjunction with other medications because there is not much reliable data on the reaction they may cause.
2. Since pregnancies lead to a lot of physical and hormonal changes, dragon fruit may induce allergies, so it is better to limit intake.
3. Consuming dragon fruit has been proven to control blood sugar levels by reducing sugar spikes in prediabetic and diabetic patients (13). Therefore, if you have diabetes, it is advisable to check your glucose levels after consuming a high amount of dragon fruit.
4. One may also avoid consuming fruits that can potentially alter sugar levels and may cause reactions before undergoing surgery.
Conclusion:
Dragon fruit, scientifically known as Hylocereus costaricensis is a tasty and nutritious fruit that provides a considerable amount of vitamins and minerals to your body. Therefore you can achieve many benefits from dragon fruits for skin – from skin soothing and nourishing effects to anti-aging and anti-acne effects. You can enhance its properties by combining it with other skin-beneficial ingredients to apply to your skin. Also, it is very important to understand that dragon fruit does provide a number of skin benefits, but the results achieved may vary from person to person depending on a lot of other factors. Moreover, it is a natural product, so the results may take some time for which you need to be a little patient.
