How to lighten skin?

[The Nekomimi]

I have these pretty bad tan lines from over the summer and I want to get rid of them. I want my skin to revert back to its natural color, maybe lighter. Anyone know how I can do that? And don't say lemon juice, please. I tried it and all it did was irritate my skin badly (I got a rash), even if I did dilute it with water.

[Jagger-Wolf]

Lemon juice is BAD for your skin, anyway. It's very acidic and will irritate your skin at the very least. It also makes you more sensitive to the sun so you're more likely to sunburn on the areas you use it, or develop sun-freckles or other damage, so it completely defeats it's supposed purpose.

The best way to get pale/lighter and stay that way is to avoid the sun. Number one rule. Don't want something to happen, don't do the thing that causes it. At all. Stay out of the sun, especially during the hours of about 10am to 2pm, when the sun is usually at it's harshest and brightest. If you're going to be exposed to it for more than 30 minutes at a time, either keep your skin covered, shaded, or wear sunblock with at least SPF 30-45 and reapply as the bottle instructs.

As for your current needs, exfoliate the areas you want to lighten. This will help you scrub off the burn and damaged skin layers faster and allow the undamaged and lighter ones to come up faster. This can be anything from commercially available products to just gently scrubbing with a soft wash cloth and body wash.

[tokkis]

please don't try to go lighter than you're skin can naturally go.

like jagger said, the best way is prevention. i obsessively avoid the sun and i'm pretty sure i would disappear if i got any paler. sometimes i wish i wasn't this pasty but you know, what can you do. but yeah just slather on sunscreen whenever you go out, and cover up like crazy if it's cool enough so that you don't get worse tan lines.

exfoliating will make tan lines fade a bit quicker but nothing crazy. but theres no 'quick fix' for getting rid of tan lines, unfortunately.

[I Like Cakez]

I get bad tan lines from driving lol. XD It sucks because only on arm is affected. Darn you, farmer's tan!

When helps me to lighten it up is to exfoliate and also use Likas papaya soap. It's a whitening soap. Make sure you scrub your skin with it and after you get out of the tub, moisturize your skin very well. This soap can be sometimes drying to the skin. Also, I don't suggest using it for the face. Only the body.
In a month's time, you should see some fading. It's not a magical one-time soap. It takes time.