[need2blight]

Hello All,

I have been lightening my skin for almost 2 years now. I had bad acne through my teens and it has carried on into adulthood. I took acutane and that has seemed to cure the acne.

But i was left with so many scares, so i got a high dosage of HQ 20% ( without a derm perscription) and it has even out my skin nicely and has restored my confidence. Has anyone else used a high dosage of HQ for an extended period of time.

Their are so many negative things being said about HQ but it works so well.

I only used the hQ 1 weekly now for maintenance. I went from a whoopi goldberg color to a beyonce. Your probably saying thats a drastic change and yes it is but im happy with it and i love my new colour.

So is anyone else using such a high dosage of HQ?

 

[ondine]

I would be interested in trying , but I've heard so many negative outcomes that, without seeing verifiable evidence, I am reticent. 4% HQ & tretinoin worked for La donna & it is a lot less harsh. Would you be willing to share more concrete data? some photos? Infoabout HOW & for how long you used it & your source?

 

[mireckca]

I have been lightening my skin for almost 2 years now.... .... But i was left with so many scares, so i got a high dosage of HQ 20% (without a derm perscription).

Hmmm. So have you been using the 20% HQ for the two years? How were you able to get this without a prescription?

 

[ondine]

there are places online where you can buy almost anything w/o a prescription. It is a matter of safety & being able to be certain that what you purchase is actually what you wanted & what they claim it to be. There's a lot of fraud out there & the skin bleaching market is particularly vulnerable. Some people are depserate & will try anything. As we all know, a high price does not mean a better product.

 

[mireckca]

there are places online where you can buy almost anything w/o a prescription.

Yes, you are correct. I myself have not seen it commercially available in strengths higher than 4%. So I was supposing that a pharmacist would need to compound it extemporaneously - in which case a prescription would be needed.

Sometimes other concentrations are used in investigational or research studies. Maybe that is the source of the HQ here - at 20%, wow!

 

[need2blight]

hi all

no its not for research and yes i did get it off the net, and the product is real, i have used many skin lighteniing products befor and they worked for some time but this is the best and yes i know that HQ is not the best product out their in terms of safety but it works really well in high concentration.

 

[Freddy]

can u post some pictures.

 

[IluvNY]

Hi ya why not go see your doctor and get proper medical advice where you are not changing your skin just to me this does seem like a bit of drastic thing to do, so to speak! Anything you use now a days come with side effects and personally I would not want to use anything without consulting a doctor first, also I dont know the name of it off hand but I know a new drug has come out in the Uk that is really helping with acne any how good luck with it!

 

[mireckca]

Well, I for one am thrilled that you have gotten such fabulous results! It is nice to know that some products actually work, isn't it. Please post some photos!

Tell me if I am wrong, because you have certainly learned alot about this. I thought that use of the 4% HQ was regulated (i.e., required a prescription, I know, you can get it without one from certain sources) because of health concerns - one being that it can cause cancer. So I wonder if there are also concerns about using the 20% since it is a higher concentration. Maybe it doesn't matter at all at higher concentrations?

Also I think that your initial question is a good one. I too wonder if there is any danger using that high concentration for a long time, especially if you want to maintain a lighter color for a lifetime.

I hope that others on this board can give some feedback.

 

[kissdaski]

Hi all,

Which is good because thats a short amount of time compare to years and years.I know hq works because I used 4% and it did me well. That was a while go though. I have been told that hq cant be used in hihg dosage for years and years. For now yes, like for years of usage thats where you hear the horror stories of \\hq. I am going to def lower the hq% when I get my results and alternate with the ret. I suggest you do the same...

 

[need2blight]

I only use my hq 1 a week for maintenance, i have family members that have been using hq for over 20 years now and they have no problems with it, i know the risk involved but the benefits far outwieght the risk in my opinion.

 

[kissdaski]

Oh, so u used 20% for how long? HOw did youuse it..regime? Did you use an retinol or peeling agent? that's what I am trying to find. I know, according to other people hq cant be used for years. I used mines for month's-triluma. This was 2-3 years ago. It did give me a yellow complexion but my original color is like ashantis. I feel like if there isnt any problems with using hq then your should you stop? what percent has your family member been using hq for?

 

[fawnie]

Here is a rather lengthy article about skin lightening and alternatives:

Skin Lightening and Depigmenting Agents: - eMedicine Dermatology

 

[mireckca]

Here is a rather lengthy article about skin lightening and alternatives: Skin Lightening and Depigmenting Agents: - eMedicine Dermatology

Fawnie - thanks for posting this article. It is just as I thought - HQ is approved for usage at 2% OTC and 4% Rx. It also goes on to say that

"concentrations as high as 10% can be compounded extemporaneously for refractory cases."

Based on that article it seems that 20% HQ is not intended to be used in this way. However, it is commercially available, so it must be intended for some other designated purpose. I wonder what it is?

This sounds to me like it might be a case of using a drug for its unintended purpose, which happens frequently in practice, but the risk is typically monitored because the patient is under a physician's care.

That does not seem to be the case here. And there seems to be little info on the long term effects of 20% HQ - which is what prompted the original post in the first place.

It also means is if something goes wrong, the manufacturer cannot be held responsible for damages. This can make a bad situation even worse.

 

[fawnie]

Thanks mireckca

I can sure see the dilemma though: if something is working so well why stop it.....even if it is likely to cause cancer somewhere down the road?

That article above lists safer alternatives to HQ.

 

[mireckca]

I've been looking all over the net for information on HQ 20%. In particular, I am seeking some sort of documentation of the protocol for usage and where it can be obtained. I have looked and looked and have found nothing at all. The highest concentration that I have been able to find is 8% from an on-line company - no higher.

Could someone provide a linkage or a source for me? Thank you very much!

 

[ondine]

Google the cream called Benoquin. It contains a 20% HQ concentrate. It is prescribed to permanently depigment and whiten (literally) the skin of people with extreme vitiligo. when there are such severe white patches that the dark skin ceases to be the dominant colour, this can be used to even the complexion. It is very strong & the results are permanent. It also leaves the person's skin very vulnerable to sunlight in the extreme.

 

[mireckca]

Google the cream called Benoquin. It contains a 20% HQ concentrate.

Ohhhhhh!. Benoquin is the trade name for Monobenzone, not Hydroquinone.

So that's the problem here. I was trying to figure out how she was using a 20% concentration of HQ. She's not; as you clarified here; she is using a related product.

I am sure that she was not trying to mislead us, but it sure did raise alot of concern here. Whew!

Yes, monobenzone is used for this purpose; please note that my comments were addressing the 20% HQ usage, although there are still concerns related to the monobenzone, esp. over the long term.

 

[ondine]

If you google Benoquin, you can read the actual product monograph from the manufacturer. It warns against using their product for overall lightening. I wonder,though: more & more people are saying that they've used it without any problems.

Until I find more concrete evidence, I will stick to the tretinoin/ HQ4% treatment.

 

[mireckca]

If you google Benoquin, you can read the actual product monograph from the manufacturer. It warns against using their product for overall lightening. I wonder,though: more & more people are saying that they've used it without any problems.

Until I find more concrete evidence, I will stick to the tretinoin/ HQ4% treatment.

Yes. I would like to hear the testimonies of folks in their 50's and 60's who used the Benoquin extensively and over long periods of time, say like from their 20's. That is a big concern - since carcinogens take time to kick in and have been reported to give rise to virulent cancers decades later.