[live1]

4%hq is not doing anything,do u think im a non responder,.retin a is peeling me like crazy,,i cant find a source of high strength hq ,so i was thinking about mono .is it legal in uk.my natural color is riahannas and my darkness area of my face is tyson bedford will mono get me to my real color.
what strength should i use

 

[YellowLeave]

you shouldn't use mono for hyper pigmentation issues.
I should ask,How long have you been on HQ 4%? because as far as I know it is effective for most cases.

 

[live1]

1 month twice a day with tretnion and spf 50 .how long does hq take to start noticeing it working .i heard mono works quickly,i used 1 tube of hydroquinone and tretnion so far,am i a non responder.is that even possible.

 

[YellowLeave]

Normally it would be 1 month but some times it could take up to 2 - 4 months.

 

[live1]

so does all skin respond to hq ,im a use it for another month if that does nothing ill try mono as im desprate to fix my face

 

[YellowLeave]

If you are gonna use mono you should counsel Ondine. she knows better about it. Or you can try higher strength of HQ.

 

[ninasky]

hi live, wait a couple of weeks and give your skin a rest. from your posts youve been exfoliating and applying like crazy, so take a break and let your skin recover.

and that tca peel how long ago did you do that?

Youve got very itchy feet at the moment, i think you need to slow down and then start again.

After you've let your skin recover, begin the regime again and start off easy with the retina. retina can make the neck very sensitive as well as the face. lowest concentration, tiny amount every few days, hq is meant to be twice a day.

dont use mono yet until youve tried hq for a little while longer. your skin is on the lighter side (from photos) and should respond to the hq with time.

 

[YellowLeave]

I don't use retina on my nick at all. it is too irritant for my sensitive skin. I might not buy any more when mines finish. Because even after the alternating method and being gentle with my skin it still irritates the hell out of me.XD so, if it irritates that much you should drop it.
good luck

 

[ondine]

I'm with ninasky. Very sane approach. With most things in life, desperation leads to poor choices & regret. From what you describe as your skin issue, following Ninasky's advice & including HQ4% in your routine will give you the results you want. You do NOT want to use mono, in any strength, for what you are trying to achieve. Skin lightening requires both discipline & patience (2 noble traits that tanning does NOT cultivate). If you work on these, it will be easier for you to succees in attaining what you want.

 

[live1]

well i did not stop retin a and hq only likas as soon as i stopped my skin was no longer sore ,so i want to know is does everybody's skin respond to hydroquinone or only a lucky few.and where can i get strong strength hq from as i think 4 is too weak.

ps i used 2 % for 3 months last year and that did nothing i got it from my friend,
i used 100 % tca peel only on a scar under my eye,it completely removed it.
i ill take your advice and stay away from mono thanks,

 

[YellowLeave]

I hate you Ondine. After reading each of your posts I discover more about how stupid I am. Lol

 

[ondine]

GOOD!

2% HQ is very weak & doesn't do a heck of a lot for most people. If you were already white, 2% might brighten & even your skin & give it a glow if it was a little dull. It won't really lighten a black person. From what I've read, anyone whose skin tolerates HQ well experiences lightnening from it. Some people do not tolerate it (irritation, rash..) but that is true of any cream you can point to. Some people can tolerate it-until some manufacturer adds a fragrance & they react to that; not the HQ.

Have you tried the 4% steadily 2x/day for a good month-all while avoiding the sun & using a good sunblock? If not, your judgment is premature. THe alternating method is a solid 'tried & true' one that has worked well for many people. RA is irritating to many people. You have to begin with the lowest strength & go slowly.

Derms in scientific journals consistantly refer to HQ4% as the gold standard in skin lightening. Most of this research refers to lighter skin (the fair end of FitzIV & lighter). With very dark skin (Dark end of Fitz V to Fitz VI) in order to truly lighten dramatically, either using 4% for a longer period sometimes 3x/day or a higher concentration 2x/day for a shorter period to achieve the initial lightening then reducing the concentration as needed is often the approach. It really varies. How can what is effective in lightening an already fair Japanese person be expected to work in the same manner & at the same dose & in the same time frame on someone extremely dark from Sub-Saharan Africa?

 

[ondine]

Hope that was a joke! thanks for the compliment. This forum is amazing. I learn something too every time I come here.

 

[live1]

cool ,yes twice a day for 32 days so far wearing spf 50 and avoid sun ive been using the combo.so u think maybe next few days it will work?
if 4% does nothing in the end do u have any sources for strong strength hq more than 4% ,ive been getting my stuff from alldaychemist its called alustra is that any good or should i even look at a diff brand

 

[ondine]

That is the exact same one I've used. When you say 'work', what are your expectations? You ought to see evidence of some lightening by now. You won't see radical results this fast. Please go dig up La Donna's thread called From Lauryn to Mariah. It is about 3 pages in. She details her experience with the alternating method. Her HQ4% is the alustra. You'll get some perspective on gauging results. Check it out!