Effects of Hydroquinone

There was a recent study done at the University of
Capetown that suggests 1 in 3 women in South Africa
bleaches her skin. Unconfirmed reports from the Nigerian
National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and
Control (NAFDAC), also suggests that 77% of Nigerian
women bleach their skin! There are similar stories in
Ghana, Liberia, Senegal etc. All across Africa and even
Asia, the habit of skin bleaching is becoming more and
more prevalent.
Look around you and the signs are everywhere. You
probably know a friend, aunty, sister, neighbour, colleague
who is fixated on skin-bleaching.
For women of African descent, the scourge of skin
bleaching is made worse because most women (and even
men!) use creams made with the potent bleaching agent:
Hydroquinone.
Some important facts about Hydroquinone:
1. Hydroquinone works by inhibiting the enzyme
tyrosinase, which is important in skin pigment (melanin)
development. It is important to be aware that Melanin
actually provides protection against UV radiation. It is
more effective than any sunscreen known to man. It
diffuses UV radiation and turns it into harmless heat.
2. Combining Hydroquinone with skin products that
contain benzoyl peroxide, hydrogen peroxide, or other
peroxides, (found in most acne treatment) is harmful to
the skin. This causes temporary staining of the skin. Also
hydroquinone should not be used with any of the new
resorcinol-based skin lightening treatments such as
Clinique dark spot corrector.
3. 4% and above hydroquinone concentration is generally
considered by most dermatologists to be one of the most
effective skin-lightening and age spot-brightening agents.
Overall, it is considered to be a bit safe/less harmful for
Caucasians and light-skinned asians BUT not as safe for
darker-skinned people (Africans).
DANGERS OF HYDROQUINONE.
1.)It causes pigmentation of the eye and permanent
corneal damage.This only occurs when the eye is directly
exposed to hydroquinone.
2.)It causes OCHRONOSIS(a skin disorder characterised
by progressive sooty darkening of the skin.)
3.)It whitens skin by killing your skins pigment cells.
4.)Its counter productive as it gives u dark
knuckles,ankles,purplish vericose veins,a PATCH WORK
OF COLOURS ON A ONCE BEAUTIFUL SKIN.
5.)It can cause irritation and contact dermatitis.
6.)Even if you succeed in bleaching the skin whiter with
hydroquinone products,it often has an unhealthy,pasty
look.Also,once you stop using it,ur skin re darkens.And
since using it long term is unhealthy,its a basically a
catch-22 situation.
7).If you live in the tropical region, the combination of
hydroquinone and the sun is a bad one.Increased risk of
ochronosis have been linked to excess sun exposure
while using hydroquinone. As such, dermatologists often
recommend to always use hydroquinonewitha sunscreen.
(Note: In the hot African climate, sometimes, even
sunscreens do not offer enough protection for the skin!)
8.)Most products with hydroquinone have an awful
smelland cause intense body heat and sweating. Users
often try to mask the odour by profuse use of perfumes
which seems to make it even worse. There is off-the-
shelf hydroquinone-based product(s) that’s so potent that
users have to constantly stay in air-conditioned rooms!
9.)It thins out the outer layer of the skin (the epidermis),
which is dangerous especially during or post- surgical
procedures, as it may take the skin a longer time to heal
from cuts, wounds and/or stitches.
10).It ages your skinand as you get older the effects
become even more pronounced. It is not a pretty sight to
see someone whose skin has been damaged by
prolonged years of hydroquinone use! Age gracefully and
not with disgrace.

Source: http://wholewomannetwork.org/2013/01/03/for-all-
women-of-african-descent-10-reasons-why-hydroquinone-
is-bad-for-your-skin/