Effects of Monobenzone and Hydroquinone on Non-vitiligo Users
	Monobenzone	Hydroquinone
First few months	Initial white patches all over the body, including areas not treated with monobenzone	Color lightens a few shades from original where it is applied
One year	Large portion of body has turned white	Hydroquinone use should be limited to fewer than six months. Using it for longer can cause the opposite desired effect, skin darkening and damage
If usage has stopped…	When you stop using monobenzone, melanocytes will become active. Old skin color will start to reappear causing distress and very patchy, uneven skin	If the skin is healthy, the lighter shade can be maintained through regular sunscreen use. Otherwise, any lightening achieved can be easily reversed.
If usage continues beyond one year….	Raw areas of pink skin may emerge, mixed with white patches. Spots of original coloring may emerge within a few years due to follicular melanocytes. Monobenzone becomes ineffective on these spots as the returned pigment has become resistant to the chemical. The overall effect can be devastating mentally, emotionally and psychologically.	The skin has a high risk of developing abnormal pigmentation like exogenous ochronosis.
Chemical structure	[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]	[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

What Monobenzone Does To Normal Skin

* Initially, white patches, white spots and streaks all over the body (regardless of where the cream is applied)
Unlike skin lightening creams which only lighten the areas it is applied to, monobenzone applied anywhere on the body will lead to white patches at different areas. For example, if you applied monobenzone on your face, you could develop permanent white patches and streaks on your arms, legs and torso as well.

* After one year….white skin, with ruddy or pinkish tones
Because monobenzone creams kill the skin’s melanocytes, you can expect completely white and pinkish skin following depigmentation. This usually occurs after approximately one year of monobenzone use. The skin color will be simiar to a person with albinism. Physical activity and exercise will lead to ruddy-looking skin and flushing as the blood beneath the skin’s surface will show up clearly without any pigment to tint its appearance.

* Within one to two years, the skin may start to repigment itself
While this repigmentation may happen to vitiligo sufferers as well, it occurs sooner and more aggressively in people with normal skin. This is because vitiligo sufferer’s immune systems are constantly attacking their own pigment cells. There is no such action in people with normal skin. With a fully-functioning immune system, melanocytes will become active again. Spots and patches of pigmentation will start to appear over previously white skin, leading to a patchy appearance.

Unlike the initial stage of using monobenzone, applying monobenzone to bleach these repigmented spots will likely have no effect. This is because the newly re-emerged melanocytes have become resistant to monobenzone, even in even higher concentrations like 40% monobenzone. In other words, at this late stage, monobenzone will stop working on the skin.

* If the skin does not repigment, expect a lifetime of zero sun protection
Because melanin offers sun protection, completely depigmented skin which has no melanin offers zero sun protection. Vitiligo sufferers who have successfully depigmented wear hats, long sleeves and long pants outdoors all the time to protect themselves from sun damage. Even on cloudy days, sunscreens with broad coverage are a must.

The consequences of monobenzone use on people with normal skin
Often, someone without vitiligo who uses monobenzone in sufficiently high percentages (eg 20% monobenzone) and over a long period of time will have to be treated by a doctor as a new ‘vitiligo’ patient as there exists no way yet to reverse the damage caused by monobezone.

Additional Information on Monobenzone
Monobenzone goes by several other chemical names.

* Benzoquin
* Benzyl hydroquinone
* Hydroquinone benzyl ether/Hydroquinone monobenzyl ether
* Monobenzyl ether of hydroquinone/Monobenzyl hydroquinone
* Benzyl p-hydroxyphenyl ether
* p-Hydroxyphenyl benzyl ether

Monobenzone is distributed and sold under these brand names (this is not an inclusive list):

* Benoquin (the most popular)
* Leucodinine
* Alba-Dome
* Superlite
* Carmifal
* Depigman
* Novo-Depigman
* Dermochinona
* Monobenzon
* Pigmex
* AgeRite Alba
* Agerite


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Very interesting info, GG. Was just wondering about HQ usage. I know that some people have used HQ beyond the 6 months, even for years in some cases and have not seen any adverse reactions that they are aware of. I would have thought that even if you have to cut it down to maybe a 2 or 3 times a week application instead of nightly that you would still need to use HQ or something in order to avoid reverting back to your original complexion, especially if you have lightened beyond your natural skin colour.

The info about the mono also reminds me about someone on the now deleted yahoo brighterskin forum. This person lightened significantly and was over the moon with her results, which I believe lasted for a while. Please bear in mind that she was black and she went through the stage of her skin then redarkening and then becoming resistant to any further treatment with the mono,even at higher percentages. I know the situation was highly distressing for her, especially as people around her were accustomed to the much lighter, (whiter) version and maybe did not understand when her natural colour was seen coming back. I am sure that for anyone lighter or white, the situation would may be not have been as devastating.

When I read about situations like this, it makes me wish that skin specialists, who deal with celebrities and are able to offer good lightening results as opposed to depigmentation, should really think about all the people who have damaged their skin in pursuit of lightening that only seems available tlo the chosen select few


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Yeah, I remember lurking over there way back and seeing the girl your speaking about. In her photos at first I assumed she was an albino, but I read she used mono. The depigment didn't match her features..that was one of the reasons I opted out of ever trying it.

About the hq, I'm unsure if it can be used for much longer periods of time without internal or external damage or not. I have known others using it with an exfoliant for 1 year and more.. perhaps maintaining to a few times a week, exfoliating, and sunblock may prolong it's use and safety? Personally, I hope to be able to switch to something else and use hq 6 months per areas since I have sensitive skin, as I'm unsure.

This is what I am finding so fustrating that at the end of 6 months or so you may have to switch and JUST pray that whatever results you achieve, you are then able to maintain. If there was only a long term solution, I am sure that people would not even mind paying more for it.

I remember the girl you mentioned. She actually came along after the girl I am talking about. I am not sure about how the second girl's long term results turned out, but as you say, her features did seem to not match her new colouring. She was really pleased with her new look though and proudly displayed her photos and I guess if you re happy with how things have turned out, then that's all that matters. It would be interesting to know how she got on.

Yeah, I know. This plagues my mind often on a backup plan and may ave makari as the pla for the face, neck, and ears to maintain again..but what about the rest of the body? I was thinking of tshe F&W, but I was on their website the other day and their active ingredient is hq, whether other sites that sell f&w posts this or not as the ingredient..f&w site say its hq. So, that is also temporary or something to use off and on.

oh, ok. I would have liked to have read the first girl's experiences too..maybe I did. I was trying to see if I could find the old photos again but I can't any longer. It used to be so easy finding her pics too. Yeah, I wonder about their updates and would if we know them only as a different new usernames...just a thought

d**n that sucks. I want to use the hq after six months so that I can maintane my new color. I suppose once I start hq and then six months later I cab switch to makari or mq.

I first started going to whitening forums a month or two ago at. AMHD and saw a woman named lovie who had used mono and achieved a nice complexion; at least that is what others who saw her pictures said. The thread was three years old or so and that was where I first saw gg lol.
I wonder how she and that guy vahid are doing

I am going to order from adc in a few weeks and I am not sure how much to order of ret a and hq for a month; I can probably buy more kojic or papaya soap at a pharmacy

one can use hydroquinone for as long as they want...please...dont listen to that rubbish! hydroquinone is perfectly safe!

what I wanna know more about is mono!

It's funny I keep reading about stopping usage after a certain period basically everywhere I look. So many forums are anti long term hydroquinone usage that you are one of the few to say it is ok. After my encounter with the steroid product I am desperate to know that I can rely on something.

do whatever u think is right....i have absolutely nothing to benifit from you using or not using hydroquinone...I'm done stating the facts...not one of these people on these forms have provided anybody with any documents or legit reports that says that long term hydroquinone use is going to do any harm! why? because there are none! Majority of the world's dermatologists still stand by Hydroquinone...its safety record still stands...and I'm not saying anymore.

not angeleyes but I think she means that the net has been fed with info that says so many negative things about hq. I have seen on so many boards too. That's why F & F was able to get so many people to part with all that money. Not many other products really work afterall. I am so glad you are here enticing !!!!!!!!

Because in all honesty I would not have been quick to try any hq products myself unless I had not seen for myself what you have been able to achieve

Because in all honesty I would not have been quick to try any hq products myself unless I had not seen for myself what you have been able to achieve

Dat's exactly what I meant. I would never have touched the cream I used if I had the info I have now. Unfortunatley I am seeing the consequences of it but am looking towards a "brighter "new year so to speak

this information is so inportant. ive been using carotone and polan soaps and cream. they can be found at any local beauty supply. the carotone has left my skin with uneven dicloration on my chin. i just check the container to see if it has any of those ingredients mentioned thankfully it doesn't. with only 2% HQ. i am due for an upgrade

What about trying monobenzone for a month or so? a friend of mine tried it for 6 months and she changed her skin from black to latino skin type. I don't know if your inputs are experiment based or just book based knowledge. I am not here to offend anyone but I want to know if any of you have used it. If not, it is all just bookish inputs which doesn't equate the real experiments. I know warning someone is easy but what do you have as a subtantial proof. I have seen no pics of either cases( whitened or disfigured). However, I have someone who lightened her skin.Therfore, I do not want to rely on anyone's bookish input.Anyone care to share? Much appreciated!

This is the reason careful research of safe and effective ingredients contained in the product is a must.

I ordered some monobenzone and i got it today,And the cream look brown,Some mono powder look brown,Right?I dont feel right about it .

Really interesting, thanks for sharing.

Thanks, for your reviews about the use of monobenzone in skin bleaching process. Actually I’m using k5 lipogel, wich has not hydroquinone or monobenzone, but pidobenzone. Have you ever tried something similar?

Jethro wrote:What about trying monobenzone for a month or so? a friend of mine tried it for 6 months and she changed her skin from black to latino skin type. I don't know if your inputs are experiment based or just book based knowledge. I am not here to offend anyone but I want to know if any of you have used it. If not, it is all just bookish inputs which doesn't equate the real experiments. I know warning someone is easy but what do you have as a subtantial proof. I have seen no pics of either cases( whitened or disfigured). However, I have someone who lightened her skin.Therfore, I do not want to rely on anyone's bookish input.Anyone care to share? Much appreciated!

i think that the book knowledge is there for a reason based on tests that have been tried and results documented. people have been warned use it at own risk.

wow that was nice