I was requested by fellow members to detail my skin lightening routine, if you saw my photos, I have lightened considerably over about a 2.5 month time.

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/skin-l...cs-427200.html


Let me start by saying I use a lot of products, but the ones I attribute my success to are mequinol and tretenoin. But I'll give you the full list of everything I use.

DermoWhite
Bio-oil
Mequinol 10%
Tretenoin 0.1%
Bio Claire lightening soap
Lactic Acid 70%
Microdelivery Exfoliating wash


First off, I never use mequinol alone, I always mix it with tretenoin. I get about a pea size amount and put it on my face one a day at night. With NOTHING else. In the morning I wash my face with bioclaire lightening soap, I honestly don't believe the bioclaire soap even works, I just use it because I spent money on it. When I am done, I dry my face, and apply dermowhite, which does not work that great, however, it moisturizes the skin and it does fade hyperpigmentation even in the slightest, I will take what I can get, but it does moisturize well; and you'll need it because the mequinol and tretenoin dry and peel the skin and make it sensitive. I then apply bio-oil, the bio-oil helps with scarring and it also makes me skin feel moist, which helps with the peeling process. You want to keep your face moist when peeling, it lessens the chance of scars. At night, I wash my face with the Microdelivery wash, this is an EXCELLENT exfolliator, it's kind of pricey, but all their products are really good, you can buy this at Sephora, it removes all the dead pre-peeled skin from your face thoroughly, but gently. This helps the mequinol and tretenoin penetrate deeper when it is put on. When you start this regimine, especially with tretenoin, it is important you put it on everyday, so your skin gets comfortable with the idea of peeling, if you put tretenoin on willy-nilly your skin has to keep starting over from scratch in the peel process. Tretenoin burns at first, but your skin will get used to it, putting this one is the most important part of the lightening process. You could stick your head in a tub of mequinol but if it can't penetrate deep enough it's useless, this is what the tretenoin is for. For the first week, I used the mequinol everyday. The second week I used it 3 times a day. Mequinol mixed with tretenoin is suppose to be at 2%, the only mequinol I could obtain is 10%. I recommend you not use this more than three times a week. It's strong, it burns and there is a risk of depignmentation. After my skin had accustomed to the skin reigime and was not longer tender, I did a 70% lactic acid peel, once every two weeks, and then once a week. I have been doing my own lactic acid peels prior to beginning this regime, so my skin is more than accused to this kind of treatment so it handled well like it always does. What's good about lactic acid is that it does not peel the skin. As far as using lactic acid, go at your own pace if you haven't used it before, it doesn't burn that bad at all, and it mild enough that you can do it yourself. But since your skin will be sensitive because of the mequinol and tretenoin use at your disgression. As for my body, i.e. my chest and neck area, I did the same, except I didn't do a lactic acid peel on my neck.


PROS:
1.lightens the skin
2.fades scars
3.No spotting that has been described with those who use mono

CONS:
1.burns like hell
2.the lightening you get from mequinol is kind of this ashen pale, kind of like you've been left out in the cold too long, as opposed to looking naturally mixed race.
3.Mequinol is 10% and not 2%
4.Lots of peeling
5.Tretenoin can for the first week make you break out because it brings the dirt and oil to the surface
6.I can only find one site that sells mequinol and they charge ridiculous amounts in s&H
7.Using mequinol is trial by fire, meaning that you have to hope for the best, it needs to be used with mequinol for nondepigmentation,but the ratio is sketchy, I just used what worked for me. I do not know what will work for you. You could lighten, or you might ruin your skin. BE CAREFUL


That's all I can think for right now, if you have any questions or if I was not thorough enough in areas let me know.

Well you got me on the willy-nilly part! Lol
I'm starting over with the peeling after taking a break from Retin A.
Kept thinking why am I peeling like I used to when I first started:confused:
Now I know... duh!

Thanks for posting your skin lightening regime and congrats on the lightening!
I need to add something moisturizing to my routine as well, concentrating on lightening I forget about moisturizers all together. Thanks for the reminder.

5 stars for your thread, thanks Dessaml for posting your skin regimen, this will be really beneficial for me. Possibly sometime in the spring I may try using mequinol to help lighten my body and hard to lighten pigmented areas.

Since the mequinol is 10% concentration, how many grams do you think I could use in order to dilute it to a 3 or 4% concentration into a lotion?

Also, how many times of use per week do you maintain your results?

I truly hope all of the mono users and those considering mono will read this thread as inspiration as another alternative that is safer for the skin to use. Because monobenzone is becoming "old school" now.

What's great about mequinol/tretinoin is that it can lighten or depigment the skin, depending on the strength used and how often. And hq can help lighten really well and doesn't cost an arm and a leg to achieve their desired shade.

So with respect,golden girl you try to say that they put steroids in benoquin,Mequinol can cause white spots just like monobenzone can,and mequinol is cytotoxic to the skin just like monobenzone&hq.why you alway's putting monobenzone down something you never used in your life,you using hq and that dangerous,to use on a very long term

And what would you recommend instead? A slice of lemon and some toothpaste mix? I think this is a situation where you have to pick your battles, there is a less likely chance of spots with mequinol, HQ works, but it can even make you darker... so what do you do? What do you think tanning is? A toxic build up in the tissues cells that creates that orange color.

It's hard to say, how much mequinol do you plan on using, a peasize, or less, or more?

Hmmm... I don't know, maybe it is because of the permanent white spots you claimed to have on your shoulder that won't go away.. or maybe it was because your "dermatologist" ""diagnosed"" you with vitiligo but instead of getting a prescription from him you had chosen to search for many many months to find genuine mono from shady mono sellers on forums trying to take advantage of potential customers. And end up selling them a packet of baby powder or packaged asbestos mixed with mercury...if their fortunate to find the real thing with a surprise of genuine white spots. Although the derm will prescribe mono if your body has 50% or greater white pigmentation areas...and not a couple of perm spots on the shoulder...maybe it is all of the above and then some including the tests and research, along with member's experiences on this board and several other boards that made me want to study it more before slathering my skin with it with fingers crossed...regardless of me knowing the outcome that is bound to happen sooner or later.

I wasnt the only one to warn you Haiji with knowledge you were already very aware of, everyone here had warned you and many others. I am not against mono, but I am against it being improperly used and the shady business of mono as well. That should be left for genuine vitiligo patients only and not used for fun.

I have already mentioned again and again the risks with mequinol use as well as hq use along with natural lightener uses. But, from what dermatologists have clearly mentioned (which I have posted several links to their studies) that when properly used along with Tretinoin/Mequinol has been shown to be a much safer alternative to monobenzone and even to hydroquinone and less risky compared to mono. Not saying this is the only solution to everyone's problems, but yes I do add it to the list that it can work well for some in reaching their goals, as the proof is in the pooding per say. Nothing works great for everyone.

And for this, more and more derms are turning to the treatment of mequinol and mono is slowly becoming an old school product. But what perplexes me is that you take a post that was never even addressed to you so personally and ketch an attitude for people who actually tried to help you, I have nothing left to say with your mono journey because that is your choice but you should not get offended if others had success without using mono. But a couple of months back was saddened by your previous use of mono giving you permanent white spots on your shoulder. Who would deliberately do that to themselves after already knowing they are going to have those infamous white spots on their body.

Enough people here has already shared their mono horror stories....and yet with some people...as they say "you can bring the horse to the water, but you can't force them to drink. Some people are destined to learn the hard way after being forwarned what is laid out before them because of being hard-headed. I have already shared my words with you and left it at that. Months later if you continue to use mono you will be next creating a thread about the polka-dotted spots all over ypur body and face and then trying to escape the sun due to chemical induced vitiligo and disfigurement, trying to escape the sun because you have self-induced murdered all of your melanocytes away. You have been around long enough to know what has happened to many, so my words are not the first you have heard.

Again, as so many here has already mentioned, mono should be left to those who suffer vitiligo on 50% or more over their body and any other permanently white pigmented areas that is unable to be treated with repigmentation therapy. I bet if MJ had a choice of not depigmenting due to vitiligo he would have, but so many people with normal melanin cells chose to want to depig as though it is a game.. refusing to realize it should only be treated for vitiligo patients with 50% white spots over there body.

When mequinol is improperly used and not used along with tretinoin, it can give a bad reaction or no reaction at all. Depigmenting with mequinol is also used for vitiligo patients at 20% along with tretinoin, lower concentrations can potentially lighten the skin. Number one I never said all mono contains steroids, that is an ignorant comment to make as monobenzone is a single chemical, derivative of hq but are not one in the same. Although, I have heard some sellers mixing their "mono" mix with steroids and mercury or using some other compound that may not contain mono at all, but adulterated with heavy metals and steroids to make customers think it is actually "working". Shady business, should be left to patients and their derms. As I said before "old school", and should be left to those who have vitiligo.

Again Haiji, you are not reading my words nor the researched findings performed by dermatologists that I posted with hq. Never put words in my mouth that are not mine, I know what I clearly said again and again. Dermatologists stated that hydroquinone can safely be used at 4% or less for the skin and used for 6 months or less, some derms even stated that hq can safely be used for 12 months along with tretinoin and have performed several trials on this to prove their findings. It is mostly the "natural" product companies who bash hq in order for consumers to buy their $40 and $100 alternative in order to capitalize on the innocent minds of people, when in fact it only cost around $5 to actually produce their alternatives. Instead of selling an alternative for a competitive price, many allow their greed to mislead them and could care less about safety and only want the high currency... capitalizing off people's weaknesses.

Also documented, that many people having exogenous ochronosis was noted to be due to the following factors:

-using very high amounts of hq
-not using an exfoliator (such as a retinoid) for their skin in order to have a quick cell turnover
-are not using a quality sunblock high in spf to protect against the dangers of UVA and UVB factors
-hot and humid climates can aggravate the skin further without proper protection due to the sensitivity of the skin from being lightened (or even thinned and stretched due to steroids/heavy metals secretly mixed in)...hence several people in South Africa contacted this the most
-many hq products produced in Africa were tested and found to adulterated with steroids, mercury, lead and/or other heavy metals which causes harm to the skin
-consumers continuously applying and re-applying hq over their body several times a day, abusing the amounts they were to use in a longer period and not all at once in very short periods of time
-some consumers actually applying the creme over their face thickly and letting it sit on top of their skin and walking around outside like this thinking it looks "cool", instead of massaging it into the skin. A false belief believing this method of walking around outside with layers of lightening creme sitting on the surface will make them lighten quicker
-some consumers having an allergic reaction with hq, and with all allergies a product or food must be discontinued before matters become worse....but some continue to use the hq regardless of their allergic reation, thus causing further damage that now may be irreversable to their skin
-and many who were using an hq product were also using other products to lighten that were adulterated with heavy metals

***All of these reasons and more are due to being ill-informed on how to properly use hq and not educating themselves. That is no different than someone choosing to take a whole bottle of Tylenol in one sitting with hope to rid their headache. And because of this ignorance and lack to carefully read how to properly use this medicine, they have caused their system to be poisoned and damaged...maybe even fatal due to being misguided. Was it the tylenol's fault for being misused and abused or allergic reacition?***


I clearly stated that I intend to use hq for 6 months or less per body area and used along with tretinoin. 12 months if I like per area if I wanted to maintain with it, as it has been proven safe when properly used and that is why dermatologists prescribe 3 and 4% hq to their patients to this day to help improve hyperpigmentation, melasma, etc. Even the well-known dermatologist created the "Kligman's Formula" which actually contains 5% hq and still used safely and effectively, which I have posted Kligman's formula several times here since July along with links.

Did you know the natural kojic acid, sepiwhite, arbutin, etc etc are also cytotoxic, along other "natural" or unatural skin lighteners? Cytotoxic meaning that it is preventing the melanocytes (melanin producing cells) to fully function and being terminated, but not permanently all cells thus having a lighter skin and can also redarken? If you knew this you would have even mentioned cytotoxicity of hq because all of the following are also cytotoxic thus having a lighter skin. Even tea tree oil and sandalwood are also cytotoxic, and in turn lightening of the skin due to this reason.

I agree, good point.. even tanning can cause toxic build up and damage, yet we need a little sun to receive vitamin D, very vital to one's health so we are unable to completely 100% avoid the sun or we suffer, little is enough. I believe too much of anything is not good.

Even Retin-a and AHA acids can potentially cause contact dermatitus if improperly used or with having an allergic reaction and continued use. But if he wiashes to use lemon peels and lime slices then their all his.. :o

I was thinking about how much % will 1 or 2 tablespoons make when mixed with 8 oz of lotion? I guess whatever amount needed to make a 3-4% in an 8 oz bottle with lotion.

And when you apply the mequinol 10% to the legs and back, does it burn as much compared to applying it to the face or is the stinging sensation less because of the thick layers of skin on the body?

Hmm, maybe try half a teaspoon just to be safe, and see how your skin fairs. It doesn't burns on the arms and legs really, a little tingle but other than that it was fine, but the skin there is much thicker.

[B]ETA alertB]

EDIT PLEASE READ!!!!!!!

IT NEEDS TO BE USED WITH TRETENOIN FOR NONPIGMENTATION

I made a mistake and said it need to be mixed with mequinol, but it needs tret for non pigmentation, check out Solage Solutions for more detailed information. This is esspecially the mix I was trying to recreate [mequinol+tretenoin]

OK, I may try that around spring time. How soon did you see results beginning to show?

Hey Dessaml - Firstly thanks for the review with the mequinol sounds really very informative.. .

However, I Wish to know if you could tell me some place where I could get Mequinol. I am really fed up searching for it online.. the only place I could find it earlier ison goldpharma something.. and it does not allow me to purchase it from there either.. plus it's a tiny minuscule tube. Its ridiculous the strain of searching for this product..

Please help.. Awaiting your response.

In about 3 weeks.

What do you mean it won't allow you?? That's where I got mine, why won't it let you? What is it saying?? What country do you live in? If you can't get it from there the only option is to buy Solage solution, but it's like $90.00!! I'll look into it, I haven't bought from them in a minute, I can't get it from them any longer I'll make a higher % HQ mix

Or another option will be to go on alibaba.com or tradekey and order a sample size or speak with the sellers there and ask how much for a certain size amount you'll like to try. But you may have to compound your own and not mention you are a consumer and not a retailer.

I'm going to use HQ to lighten my body, I just can't do this to my entire body, too much peeling for me to do this everywhere. If I could just use mequinol I probably would.

OK, but your overall look already looks really light.

I got no results from mequinol

If any one wants to buy mequinol just tell me, also did you use 2% tretinoin as in you found a tretinoin cream that was 2%? Where did you get that? The highest I've seen is 1% or do you mean you diluted the original tretinoin cream to 2%? Please tell me, also if anyone wants to buy mequinol just let me know.