How do you use lemon juice to lighten skin?

Mixing together 1 tablespoon each of lemon juice, tomato juice, cucumber juice and sandal wood paste makes a skin lightening mask, according to NaturalHealthyConcepts.com. The mixture should be applied to the face two or three days a week for 15 minutes each day, then washed off.

Lemon juice is an effective skin treatment because it contains high levels of Vitamin C and naturally occurring antioxidants, states NaturalHealthyLiving.com. The website additionally states that antioxidants have been proven to reduce the amount of melanin in the skin when applied regularly. Lemon juice therefore works effectively as a treatment for sun overexposure and blemishes.