First topic message reminder :

sooooo, this is kind of a long story but here goes. on June 16 i started using mq mixed with .1% ra 2 times a day everyday. it was working wonders skin was peeling like crazy, then... it just stopped, no peeling no stinging i didn't get any lighter or darker. but i kept using it and about 3 months in i had started 2 get darker despite my use of sunscreen. thats when it accrued 2 me that that when i first mixed it 3 months ago i had removed the mq and ra out of there intended tubes and proceeded to mix them in a separate larger container. i believe that my mix was exposed to too much air and oxidized the mixture rendering it useless. so a little less than 2 months ago i pretty much started over, i use it 2 times a day and mix it in my hands. my skin has started peeling again and the area around my eyes is lighter than the rest of my face. the first picture was taken on june 16 and the second was taken 2 weeks ago. feel free 2 comment on my good looks, lol

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khushbu wrote:Maharani,

there's two type of suntan removal. one for body lightening and the other one is skin lightening & spot removal. the ingridients are diffrente so if you know please tell me which one is better.

khushbu, when I purchasd the suntan remover, it was a while ago and there was no specification for the face or body. They have now introduced 2 seperate products. This is what really irritates me about this company. When I first ordered from this company, many years ago, there was basically only one main product and the choice to get a custom/semi formulation. Now there seesm to be a vast array of products, all seeming to be doing the same thing. I fully understand that you may need products for different skin types like oily/dry/ sensitive, but introduing parfait, soho, suntan, erasers, se qisso etc just seems too much IMO

KIM wrote:So it sounds like the 5XF should be avoided then. It was what I had planned to try after ambi so looks like I will be using something else now.Is there any other products from this company that is ok then or should they all be avoided ?

Unfortunately none of us can really vouch for this company and say that their products are free from anything harmful. All I can say is that personally I have never had a problem, so far, with their products. Only issue has been that sometimes it doesn't seem to work.

I do also need to add that the company do state that the 5 x F should not be used on the face and is for the body only.

yes___I mean no wrote:sounds like everyones doing well, i'm happy 4 u all. and i i'm diffidently going 2 add hq, i just looked back at golden girls results, and it's shocking weather your look at it 4 the first time or 100th.
it's just.... AMAZING(sniffle sniffle... cry)

I forgot to mention that her best results have actually been whilst using makari. She only changed to HQ as the makari was expensive in comparison.

I really misss makari but don't want to risk breaking out again especially as the marks are fading well. I do agree that I got really good lightening with it. I have heard that it isn't as effective as it used to be. I don't know how true this is. That is why I was banking on Fair and flawless. I may try out the lightening cream as it is not as expensive as the some of the others.

MAHARANI wrote:I do also need to add that the company do state that the 5 x F should not be used on the face and is for the body only.

I have decided to try out the 80xf which is ok to be used on he face. I am sure it will not be as effective as the 5xf but hopefully it also means I wont get any problems.

Oh and just to add that I have still not had any problems with the 5xf but I wont push my luck lol

yogi wrote:Oh and just to add that I have still not had any problems with the 5xf but I wont push my luck lol

how long have you been using it?

the thing is about this gel is that it lightens you!!! the first 3 weeks are the best!! then come the break outs without fail! and these are not you're regular acne pimples! they're cherry red! hard as rock! and they show up every where you apply the gel!...who gets acne on their knees?? I did!!! and I mean you can use tretinoin to combat the pimples but then its just a big waste of time! becuase these pimples leave dark ugly scars that you have to battle as well...it makes no sense to have light skin or light semi smooth skin with dark marks all over! it looks like a tiny fairy came with a little shovel and dug holes all over your face!
another thing now that its winter time this stuff is drying the h*ll out of my skin, I'm going to do what Ladonna did and what Ondine is currently doing now, hydroquinone and tretinoin with that beautiful carotein cream! by the way I'm using the carotien cream at the moment! its an excellent moisturizer/Exfoliator/lightener! I'm going to use this with hydroquinone and tretinoin...
the thing is with the 5xf gel is that the acids in that stuff do more harm than good! and that whole thing about steroids....I'm starting to believe it! my face is as swollen as a balloon at a birthday party! i swear if any one kisses my cheeks they're just gonna POP!!!! forget this!! hydroquinone and tretinoion for me! its gonna take time and all but hey i want my face back! everyone keeps asking me if i'm on medication! i look like a lolly pop! slim body swollen face! this is rediculous!
and I highly recommend the carotein cream! my hydroquinone package just arrived today...thank god...I'm never touching that 5xf gel again!
My boyfriend keeps telling me I look fine but I know I dont!!! my face is like 5 times the size it orginally is! my cheeks are so swollen that I'm semi blind when I smile!

OMG enticing that does not sound good at all !! And 100 brownie points to your boyfriend for being sweet and saying you look ok even though you don't feel it.I have been using the 5 X F since september so 2 months now. So far no problems. I know you have been at it longer than me but like I posted elsewhere I limit the usage. I am also going to see how the 80XF works. I do not want to revert back significantly. I admit that I am not as light as the first bout of lightening but I put that down to decreasing the application frequency. I still think I have lightened from my original tone and I guess that is why I want to continue. No one has really put forward something that really significantly lightens apart from HQ and retin A. I cant believe you got a breakout on your knees. This must have serious stuff in it!!

yogi wrote:OMG enticing that does not sound good at all !! And 100 brownie points to your boyfriend for being sweet and saying you look ok even though you don't feel it.I have been using the 5 X F since september so 2 months now. So far no problems. I know you have been at it longer than me but like I posted elsewhere I limit the usage. I am also going to see how the 80XF works. I do not want to revert back significantly. I admit that I am not as light as the first bout of lightening but I put that down to decreasing the application frequency. I still think I have lightened from my original tone and I guess that is why I want to continue. No one has really put forward something that really significantly lightens apart from HQ and retin A. I cant believe you got a breakout on your knees. This must have serious stuff in it!!

yes my dear! and that kligman formula left me with these horrible stretch marks near my right shoulder!
how many times a day do you use the 5xf gel?

I only use it at night a few times a week.

Maybe this may be a case of less being more and that's why no problems so far. Anyway good luck with it. Has the other product arrived yet?

less being more is right....but I think this only means that the effects will only take longer to catch up to you...please keep us posted yogi as it could probably just be my anotomy and who knows the gel could work fine for you..

I will definitely keep you all updated. I wss hoping that as I have not bombarded my skin with it that the bad effects will be held off.

KIM wrote:Maybe this may be a case of less being more and that's why no problems so far. Anyway good luck with it. Has the other product arrived yet?

yes I have it now. It has a similar look to the 5XF but slightly more orange with more bits in it. Thats the only way I can describe it. But it is gel like and goes on like the 5XF. I intend to use it the sme way, so not every night just in case it has problem ingredients as well. I don't think anyone has mentioend problems with it but I would rather not take any chances.

Thanks. I know you will let us know how it works out

Well so far I am not pleased to say that I have darkened since stopping using the 5 x F and replacing it with the 80 X F. I already guessed that this might happen but I had hoped that it wouldn't be so quickly. With Christmas coming it does feel a bit depressing going backwards

yogi wrote:Well so far I am not pleased to say that I have darkened since stopping using the 5 x F and replacing it with the 80 X F. I already guessed that this might happen but I had hoped that it wouldn't be so quickly. With Christmas coming it does feel a bit depressing going backwards

only steroids have that effect. if some thing really inhibits pigmentation when it is ceased, pigment takes a while to come back because the agent has greatly inhibited or killed of the pigmentation...it cant just come back after one week...
wow...the people at F&F are shameless...

See now that's what I don't get how they can get away with it for so long? I saw a post on another forum about some newbie having problems with long term use of HQ/RA and being in a vicious cycle of darkening and having to increase the concentration. The sceptic in me thought I would not be surprised if it had been posted by someone from F & F because they have been getting pretty bad press lately. I know that there is still some controversy about HQ but there just does not seem to be many viable alternatives. Whenever anyone says that there are safer aternatives they always throw out kojic acid, alpha arbutin etc but I don't hear of a specific product that works hardcore

rainbow wrote:See now that's what I don't get how they can get away with it for so long? I saw a post on another forum about some newbie having problems with long term use of HQ/RA and being in a vicious cycle of darkening and having to increase the concentration. The sceptic in me thought I would not be surprised if it had been posted by someone from F & F because they have been getting pretty bad press lately. I know that there is still some controversy about HQ but there just does not seem to be many viable alternatives. Whenever anyone says that there are safer aternatives they always throw out kojic acid, alpha arbutin etc but I don't hear of a specific product that works hardcore

the people who had problems with any hydroquninone product did not have a product with unadulterated hydroqinone...it was tampered with by the seller or some one else and laced with, mercury, steroids or some house cleaning agent...there is nothing in documented reports that says that hydroqunione causes any darkening of the skin! if one uses hydroqunione and goes out into the sun without sun protection obviously one will get darker even without hydroquinone use...
futher more using hydroquninone with tretinoin makes it darn near impossible for ochronosis or any other kind of skin dissorder to occur as tretinoin is whats used to treat ochronosis and various other skin disorders...and thats a fact.

thanks for clearing that up because I have decided that I need to try something else

Enticing wrote:

rainbow wrote:See now that's what I don't get how they can get away with it for so long? I saw a post on another forum about some newbie having problems with long term use of HQ/RA and being in a vicious cycle of darkening and having to increase the concentration. The sceptic in me thought I would not be surprised if it had been posted by someone from F & F because they have been getting pretty bad press lately. I know that there is still some controversy about HQ but there just does not seem to be many viable alternatives. Whenever anyone says that there are safer aternatives they always throw out kojic acid, alpha arbutin etc but I don't hear of a specific product that works hardcore

the people who had problems with any hydroquninone product did not have a product with unadulterated hydroqinone...it was tampered with by the seller or some one else and laced with, mercury, steroids or some house cleaning agent...there is nothing in documented reports that says that hydroqunione causes any darkening of the skin! if one uses hydroqunione and goes out into the sun without sun protection obviously one will get darker even without hydroquinone use...
futher more using hydroquninone with tretinoin makes it darn near impossible for ochronosis or any other kind of skin dissorder to occur as tretinoin is whats used to treat ochronosis and various other skin disorders...and thats a fact.

So what you're saying is that as long as it is pure HQ like from ADC that there should be no problems? When do you think someone should take a break from it though?

KIM wrote:

So what you're saying is that as long as it is pure HQ like from ADC that there should be no problems? When do you think someone should take a break from it though?

no there should be no problems unless one is allergic to Hydroquinone and one in every one hundred people are. Also doctors recommend that WOMEN who are pregnant and/or nursing cease using Hydroquinone and Tretinoin (until they have given birth and stopped nursing) as the effects that both medicines can have on a fetus or baby are unkown...other that that there is no reason to take a "break"...Hydroquinone and tretinoin dont get tired lol...you only stop if you've decided that you want to revert to your orignal skin tone and texture...or you cut down on the amount of times you apply if you dont want to get any lighter and just want to maintain the color you have at the moment. other than that there is no reason for a break.

Great. I don't think I am allergic to hydroquinone as ambi has been ok for me. I have seen some lightening with it and it is only 2% so maybe 4% will give very noticeable results