Thanks. I was really worried about the liver/kidney damage but I have never been worried about or even believed that HQ can cause cancer. this article cleared away my last worries.

 

Please read thwe following article in full. It is from, arguably, the most reliable source for info re HQ. Eastman is the primary supplier of raw HQ (& a host of other chemicals) in Europe & in North America. I know some of you do not like reading long articles but if you are using HQ or especially if you are compounding with the raw powder, this info is vital. Here's the link:

http://www.eastman.com/Literature_Center/D/D171.pdf

 

So someone that has a vested interest in making millions of dollars a year from selling hydroquinone is a reliable source on the safety of hydroquinone? I had you for more cynical than this ondine, you are disappointing me.

I'm not arguing on the safety of hydroquinone. that's a whole different subject. I'm just arguing about the reliability of your source.

 

You are most welcome, Yellowleave. Reliable info exists re HQ but digging though all the myths, legends, adverizing copy & flat out lies is a challenge. Using the research skills I honed at University, I hope to share as much as I can find with everyone here so we can all gain maximum benefits whilst avoiding adverse consequences (& spare ourselves needless anxiety)

 

Plastic Surgery: Hydroquinone Safety Just to quell any lingering concerns...

 

I decided to bump this one as a new member here has expressed concerns re HQ & cancer. There are several informative & reliable sources here on this issue. Keeping it bumped will give us all a break from typing out rebuttals.

 

Thanks for bumping. This is VERY informative. Many countries have banned HQ because they are afraid of cancer and you obviously hear it a lot, so I just assumed that there must be some truth in it. But all great results seem to be from people who use HQ or mono. I think my great grandfather had hepatic adenomas and they turned into cancer and eventually killed him. But he did not use any skin lighteners.

 

^^^ who has had great results with mono? If I could find one legitimate person who has used it and had good results, I'd use it but nope, no one, not one. The only people who say they have good results are people who work for the scammy companies that sell " mono".

 

Finding such people are indeed hard. This is partly due to research lags testing mono on anyone other than vitiligo patients. Mono use is much more popular in Asian countries like China, Korea & India but even there, if scientific studies are what you're looking for (like I am), you won't find them. 'Evidence' is all anecdotal.

 

hi everybody! i'm new in the forum thanks for creating it! my mother used Hydroquinone back in Africa 20 years ago, it messed up her skin bad. she had to stop bc her skin started becoming green using it! today she is very dark with big spots around her eyes! she was not so dark before she use it.
so personally i'm scared of hydroquine more than 2%.

 

she obviously used HQ with mercury and steroids in it because turning green and big spots and going dark are all symptoms of mercury/steroids abuse. Im sorry to hear that.

 

blackgirl111. I am sorry to hear that this happened to your mother. What a shame! The vendors & mfgr's who sell & make these products need to go to jail. Many of the creams available in Africa (& the Caribbean) are adulterated with strong poisonous chemicals. These are the agents that caused the disfigurement; not the HQ. What is being done to help her skin? Are there specific treatments she is benefitting from?

 

LightenNLift & Ondine thanks for your replies! i've been reading your posts for the past 3 days you are a wealth of knowledge thanks!!

Well I guess it's everything you said!! my skin complexion is light-brown I got that from my mother but today her skin is like wesley snipes! she always warned me about HQ saying how dangerous it is. I tell her what she used probably had poisonous stuff in it. We are from Congo, her stuff came from Nigeria. What the hell they put in these stuff to make people skin turn green???!!! And in Afrika, women don't protect themselves from the hardcore sun over there. My mom knew jack about Sunscreen,so of course she used no protection too and no moisturizer.. anyways, today we live in the US and she follow a Vitamin C regimen with AMBI, the Target Minimizer by AMBI for the big and very dark spots around her eyes. It's working but slowly...she also started taking Glutathione pills encouraged by me. I hope it will work 'cos I heard negative reviews about Glutathione pills.

Me I had very bad acne on my face last year 'cos I was eating so bad and didn't drink enough water. Today I'm being more careful with my diet and I stopped having pimples. I use AMBI Fade Cream with 2% HQ it's working very good for me. My mother keep telling me how AWFUL HQ, but I've read 2% is mild and safe and AMBI is a reliable brandname. How a Johnson&Johnson product can be bad I tell my mom... I wish she could have the same complexion as before, she literally burned to become so dark! NOt that being dark is bad, but when you were light-brown you end up being almost blue black, it's like you burned. She is frightened to touch anything with HQ on it and refuse to believe me about AMBI Fade Crea.

My face has become spotless and light. I'm lying to her, I tell her I use AMBI Target Minimizer too or she will literally FREAK OUT if she knows I use what I use.

 

Any bleaching creams that come from Africa, you can bet it contains traces of heavy metals, mecury and steroids. I say this because there is a long history of it on the news. Anyways, Blackskin, your mom would greatly undo the damage with Retin-A 0.1%, SUNBLOCK, and a vitamin C + E serum, used daily and exfoliation with a microfiber cloth, found at ncnproskincare.com. Then after 6 to 8 months of using the RA, C serum, sunblock, etc. she should take a week break from the RA and get some TCA 18% peel done at the dermatologist office - they know how to administer peels and I got a feeling she wont be much of a home girl about putting peels on her face. Think About it, do some research on what I suggested if you want more reassurance. I really do think she'll go back to her original complexion with those.

 

LightenNLift thank you very much! I will look into that and tell her..

By the way RETIN-A is for acne treatment no? So why use it to lighten the skin? And the peeling effect with irritation, etc.. is scaring to me.

 

Retin-A has 30 different medical uses to date, it works for acne the same way it works to get rid of discolorations/wrinkles/uneven skin tone, it restructures your skin back to really healthy baby skin. The irritation takes some getting used to and after a while its gone b/c its a potent product that makes ur skin flawless from the deepest levels but it takes time and patience generally 6 months to a year. Let your mother know about it and let her bring it up in an appointment with a dermatologist, they will effectively explain how Retin-A will restore much of her skin damage. Im sure she will trust a dermatologist over family.

 

Wow ! i'm interested to use Retin-A for myself then if it does everything you say. My goal is to have Jill Scott (yellowish-brown) Complexion, even, supple, and healthy skin all over. Right now I have Queen Latifah skin tone (light brown). Sorry you probably would have to repeat yourself LightenNLift but can you tell me where can I buy good Retin-A online, for the whole body or just the face? Or can you put the link of the best thread where you talk about that? Yes I want a baby like skin and be 2 shades lighter... so help.

About the peeling. U sure it won't burn? Thanks again.

 

You can buy Retin-A from this overseas online pharmacy called alldaychemist.com, there are three strengths of Retin-a : 0.025% (the weakest), 0.05% (medium), and 0.1% (strongest). You have to start off at 0.025%, the weakest strength, because you've never used it before and your skin has to get accustomed to it, so you can order it on that website, type - tretinoin on the search field and click the 0.025% strength. The prices on this site is super cheap but the shipping is pretty high so to offset the shipping cost you can order in bulk if you are sure u want to stick with it. The peeling at this weak strength wont burn if you use a dime sized amount for the whole face, it seems too little to use but that will be enough. If you dont want to use Retin-A, you can also use Glycolic Acid Creams or HQ/Glycolic Acid mixed creams to get simiar results and of course a baby smooth skin also.

 

wow! you can buy Glycolic Acid online too? at alldaychemist.com? Retin-A will lighten my skin 2 shades for sure? can I use it all over my body? elbows are hard to lighten up. i use SH-18 soap to brighten my skin the body, it think it works not sure lol...

i have to mix the creams together? i can't use them one after the other?

 

u can use them one after the other or mix them together but for the knees, you should mix them together b/c that'll give you good results for those stubborn areas. oh no Alldaychemist doesnt have glycolic acid but I know of a product called Neostrata with glycolic acid and HQ 4% that I think you should try for your face, it will lighten up to 2 shades quick and you wont have to use the RA.

 

great i'm checking all that out !

 

thank you for the facts! i use nadinola. my families' version of 'fair and lovely', carried throughout the generations. nothing is as effective. i still use other products on my skin, yet nadinola is always part of my daily cream use.

 

F&L contains a steroid. I'm glad you're using Nadinola. A member here, Goddess of Earth, got excellent results & dramatic even natural lightening using Nadinola 3% HQ & Carotein cream (an exfoliant). This might be an idea for you to try...

 

i could hug you for this post ondine im a skincare geek at heart so i love to read actual facts not fluff!

im using maxipeel right now 4% hq 0.25 retin a its been less than a week and already im noticing a difference in my skin tone and luminosity!!

 

Re-bumping.

 

I have a question about long term usage:
I often hear or read about people not using HQ past 6 months (or a year max), has anyone been using HQ for more than one year and been okay?