Do dermatologists recommend hydroquinone?

“Hydroquinone is considered the topical gold standard in dermatology for reducing hyperpigmentation.” Dermatologists often use hydroquinone to treat melasma, a skin condition where dark patches appear on the forehead, cheeks and upper lip.

Do Dermatologists prescribe hydroquinone?

It is available over the counter in a 2% cream and can be prescribed by your dermatologist in higher concentrations. Mechanism: Hydroquinone produces reversible lightening of the skin by interfering with melanin production by the melanocytes.

Why you should not use hydroquinone?

FDA has received reports of serious side effects including skin rashes, facial swelling, and ochronosis (discoloration of skin) from the use of skin lightening products containing hydroquinone.

What do dermatologists prescribe for skin lightening?

Hydroquinone is an effective lightening agent used by dermatologists and aestheticians. A hydroquinone cream is sometimes referred to as a “bleaching cream” because of its ability to lighten skin tone but there is no bleach in any of these products.

What are the disadvantages of hydroquinone?

Many people using this medication do not have serious side effects. Stop using hydroquinone and tell your doctor right away if you have any serious side effects, including: blistering, skin cracking, blue-black darkening of the skin. A very serious allergic reaction to this drug is rare.

Is hydroquinone safe? Q

Why did the FDA ban hydroquinone?

With continued use, hydroquinone and mercury can build up in your body, which may cause harm. The FDA has received reports of serious side effects from the use of hydroquinone, including rashes, facial swelling, and permanent skin discoloration (ochronosis).

How long can you safely use hydroquinone?

Hydroquinone, a tyrosinase inhibitor, in a 4% cream can be used safely twice daily for up to 6 months to treat post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

What is better than hydroquinone?

Arbutin. According to Dr. Green, “Arbutin is a natural form of hydroquinone derived from the bearberry plant. It is a safer and effective alternative to hydroquinone and is less cytotoxic to the melanocytes.” Use it gradually during the first few weeks to make sure your skin doesn't react.

Does hydroquinone permanently lighten skin?

Does hydroquinone lighten skin permanently? No, the results of any skin lightening that hydroquinone brings about are not permanent. The effects can be seen within a couple of months or a few years at the maximum.

What do dermatologists recommend for hyperpigmentation?

Does pigmentation come back after stopping hydroquinone?

Hydroquinone-induced inflammation can cause rebound hyperpigmentation and reduced tolerance to hydroquinone itself. Pulsing hydroquinone use can prevent this, but quitting 'cold turkey' can trigger rebound pigmentation as well.

Does hydroquinone make skin worse?

Hydroquinone may cause local skin irritation, however, and thereby leading to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, making the skin pigmentation worse.

What happens if you use hydroquinone long term?

Long-term effects are a possibility; cancer being the most likely. Renal adenomas and leukaemia occurred in animal experiments indicating the nephrotoxicity and carcinogenic properties of the substance. It is now known how hydroquinone and its metabolites can cause damage to DNA and inhibit apoptosis of mutated cells.

Is hydroquinone better than tretinoin?

Conclusions: Hydroquinone is superior to tretinoin as a priming agent in maintaining the results achieved with peels and in decreasing the incidence of postpeel reactive hyperpigmentation.

Why is my skin darker after using hydroquinone?

In fact, the darkening of the skin from using Hydroquinone can occur because this compound can't really get rid of it, it only inhibits the production of melanin pigment in the skin. When melanocytes die, their accumulation on the skin is inevitable (like any other dead skin cells).

Does hydroquinone make you look younger?

Fade Age Spots With Hydroquinone

It interferes with the skin's production of melanin, the pigment that gives age spots their color. Hydroquinone is available over the counter or in stronger concentrations by prescription.

What is a natural substitute for hydroquinone?

Why is hydroquinone prescription only?

But as a result of the 2020 CARES Act, it's only available by prescription from your provider. Because the FDA had some concerns about the safety of this product and there wasn't enough research provided in a timely manner, this medication was removed from the OTC market. How long can I use hydroquinone topical?

Why do you have to stop hydroquinone after 3 months?

Stop application after five months.

Wait two or three months to use it in the same areas. Prolonged regular use of hydroquinone may lead to exogenous ochronosis, which can cause blue-black pigmentation and papules, red bumps on the skin.

Can you put hydroquinone all over your face?

The authors instruct patients to apply a 4% hydroquinone topical cream to the entire face twice daily. Patients are cautioned against “spot treatment” to avoid developing a blotchy complexion.

How do you maintain skin tone after using hydroquinone?

Dermatologists also say that you need to use sunscreen with SPF 30 whenever you use any skin lightening cream. “I even recommend using your hydroquinone at night, to avoid any sun sensitivity,” says Dr. Patel.

Is hydroquinone cancerous?

FRIDAY, May 27, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Hydroquinone use increases the risk for both melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancers by more than threefold, according to a study presented at the Society for Investigative Dermatology Annual Meeting, held May 18 to 21 in Portland, Oregon.

Does hydroquinone get into bloodstream?

In humans, HQ is carried throughout the body in the blood stream and transported to the bone marrow where it is converted to benzoquinone in the bone marrow. The conversion of hydroquinone to benzoquione is integral in the development of acute myelogenous leukemia (“AML”).

Why does hydroquinone work so well?

When incorporated into your complexion regimen properly, hydroquinone decreases the production of melanin by inhibiting tyrosinase, an enzyme needed for melanin production, to decrease the appearance of hyperpigmentation. Because of this, many people consider it to be a skin-bleaching ingredient.