So I've been using Retin A and Hydroquinone on my arms for about a week now, just started my face a few days ago. My face looked like it was getting lighter, then my skin started peeling, got REALLY RED, and it feels + looks like I have a really bad, painful sunburn. My arms started peeling the first couple days, slightly, but after that, nothing, there's no changes whatsoever, except it looks lighter after an exfoliation for about an hour. I really want to lighten my arms, cause they lighten very slowly, and when I tan on my arms, the tan stays for a long time and is hard to get rid of. There's some hair on my arms, as I'm a guy, should I shave it? Or does that affect it at all?

Here's my routine/formula:

I use the mixture for hydroquinone provided here:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/skin-lightening/how-mix-proper-high-percentage-hq-cream-lotion-350586.html

I use just regular moisturizing lotion, as we don't have E45 or whatever in the states, and I leave out the Retin A. (I have the .1% tretinoin gel form, btw)

So every night, I exfoliate, then I let my arms/face dry. Then I apply a small amount of retin A to my arms/face. I let that sit in for a few minutes, then I put on the hydroquinone lotion. Then I go to bed. In the morning, I repeat the process, starting with exfoliating, except I'll put on sunblock after the hydroquinone (Neutrogena SPF 100, dry touch, whatever it's called)

Question though, whenever I heat up the propylene glycol or whatever, and as quickly as I can I pour the hydroquinone into the tub, BUT as soon as it makes contact with it, it turns a light brown... should I mix it with something else? The hydroquinone is pure white right until it mixes with the propylene glycol. Maybe that's making it less effective?

Also I'm stopping the retin A on my face until my face recovers, and hopefully it'll be lighter after it's healed.

Sorry for all the questions.

Update: I used an old toothbrush the past couple days to scrub my arms (not my face) with the soap.

My face is still red, but not as much, however it does not appear lighter AT ALL, if anything, it looks like by the time it heals, it's going to be darker, or at least the same. The skin around my mouth/smile area is extremely tight, and wrinkled. Whenever I move it, the thin layer of skin on the top turns into wrinkles, I look older than my parents. Tried putting lotion on, does not help, luckily I don't have to be anywhere today.

Anyway, today I noticed some slight peeling on my arms, still doesn't look lighter, or maybe just a bit. I think the hydroquinone isn't working, cause I've heard of people getting worried of lightening too fast with this treatment, and worried about other people knowing they're lightening their skin. As for me, I've just gotten redder and darker. I look like someone who works outside a LOT, and I hate it. As a kid, I had beautiful milky skin, with a touch of yellow, people were so jealous of me. So I wasn't "pale" I was just light. People now think I'm hispaninc, although I'm just white, with a touch of black. My sister is light as well, for now. (she's 7) I just hate that my skin holds on to tans so long. A whole winter of long sleeves and no sun will leave my skin maybe 1 or a half a shade lighter, but definitely not back to it's original color. Please someone advise me I hate my skin color on my arms and face and neck. It doesn't match the rest of my body, and I hate looking so dark and red all the time, and now I look even worse.

It sounds to me like you are doing way too much. It takes more than a month for skin cells to turn over and for the lighter skin comes through. I know you are using the retin A to speed up the cell turnover process, but it sounds like you are doing more harm than good by over exfoliating. Quit with the retin A. Or quit with the exfoliation. They will only burn your skin and get you darker. And it does not happen after a week. Mono took two months to work for me, so did my mixture of benzl arbutin. Depig.com is no longer there, but that is where I used to get benzl arbutin from.

Yeah you're right. I'm going to stop with all the crap, if anything it made my skin redder/darker. Once my skin heals up, I'm going to try a lactic acid peeling, and that'll hopefully help get rid of the layers of skin I've darkened/ruined. I think I used too much retin A, cause I thought it wasn't working. After peeling, and starting with fresh skin, I'm going to try that fair and flawless sun tan removal and perhaps one of their creams. I found a new routine someone else was doing, and their results are amazing (they posted pictures) they have the color that I used to be.


Here it is:

Morning

Cleansed face apply the following:

VITAMIN C - face & neck, let that absorb for 5 minutes
Hyaluronic serum - 5 minutes
Fair&Flawless - 5 minutes
Luxury body butter, I use this on my face, smells so nice 2 minutes
La roche posay sunscreen
With breakfast I take the supplements

Night

Cleansed face

Retin-A applied to dry skin, face & neck - 20 minutes
VITAMIN C - 5 minutes
Fair&Flawless - 5 minutes
Hyaluronic serum


I also use the following:

Lactic acid 85% body peel weekly
25% glycolic moisturizer twice a week, not needed but I use it anyway >.<
Mandelic acid once a week
Miracle Noir Dead Sea Premier Mud Mask. This stuff is so good. Use once weekly
Bliss triple oxygen instant energizing facial mask. Totally amazing. Use once a week.

Do you think this would be good? I would probably use a 50% or 60% peel at first. Would that make it less effective overall or would it just mean that it would take longer to get deeper into the skin?

I don't want to try mono because I know it's not right for everyone and I don't want to take a chance, right now I'm willing to wait for results after this disaster. I'm in so much discomfort and I look DARKER, the darkest I've ever been, plus with red tones on top of that. Not attractive at all.

I do not know enough about any of the products above to really give any advice on them. I do use retin A at nights to keep acne away. I am not currently lightening my skin, but I have in the past.

If you really are white, or almost white, I think mono may be an option for you. Mono is NOT a skin lightener, however, on white people, it will act like one. I never recommend that dark people use it because it is drastic on them. I am white and have used mono. I used it to fade a tan. The fading was not at all drastic because I was only trying to get an even color and match up with my natural untanned areas. I was very happy, and believe me, no one knew I was using this. Also, mono is not permanent, especially if you don't have vitiligo. After going in the sun, the color came right back. So I used it again and avoid the sun like the plague. You really need to quit with the peels. I know exactly what you are talking about when you said the peels made you look older. I did the very same thing with myself, I went overboard with the peeling around my eyes and ended up looking like an old woman. Thankfully, the skin grows back and after a few days I looked totally young and normal again. You have to be patient though, with whatever you are doing. A few weeks is not enough for good results

Hey so I wanted to use mono... I'm fair but wanted my original colour back which was pale... I have have too much sun exposure over the years... my legs/feet/top part of my arms... chest... stomach are fair.. but I still want my old colour back and my hands/face/n bottom part of my arms are quite tanned but I don't like... it looks odd. What percentage of mono do you think I'll need? N would I repig after depigging?

Thanks..

I'm unsure if mono is right for me. While I was originally light as a baby and up until 8, I had yellow undertones, because I'm not 100% white. Right around 8 years old, my family moved from an apartment, to a house, where I would be outside a LOT with the neighborhood kids. I would start to tan, in the summer, but in the winter months, the tan would take forever to fade, and by the time summer rolled around again, my skin would be lighter, but not back to it's original color. This went on for several years until I stopped playing outside all day. I entered high school, and my skin did get lighter, as I wasn't outside all day, and no recess. But then last year I got a job where I'm outside more of the shift, and I've been getting darker. (I only work a few days a week) I learned about sunscreen, which I wear now to prevent some of the tanning effects. (I'm 17, by the way, if you're confused, haha)

So I wanted to try peels before doing any creams and stuff. I was think of using the F&F suntan removal cream, after doing several weeks of lactic acid peels, and then see where I'm at. I know naturally, I can be very light, but for some reason my body holds on to tans for long periods. I feel like if I get the layers of sun-effect skin off, I will be my desired color/close to it my desired color. I just want to see where I'm at after I can get rid of a few layers of this tanned skin, and start from there. Besides, I tried lighteners on my arms before, and with pretty much no luck. The skin on my arms pretty much is tough to lighten, and easy to tan. Not even worried about lightening my face, cause it doesn't tan as easily, and responds to lighteners.

Btw my skin is doing great now, there's some slight peeling around the mouth, but overall I look 10 times better than I did a few days ago. It was embarrassing at work on Saturday though, haha, the peeling was so bad, it looked like I had drooled all over my face overnight and didn't wash it.

Anyway thanks for your replies.

Oh yeah, (not sure if I could edit my previous post)

I wasn't using chemical peels before.
I was using retin A pretty much twice a day, and exfoliating twice, a day, pretty much rubbing my skin raw, cause I thought it would work faster. I also was using way too much retin A, was just globbing it on.

So yeah, I realized how powerful some of these chemicals can be, and I'm willing to be patient and lighten slowly over time.

Anyway, the thing I was thinking about eventually doing, was this dude's routine:

Look how LIGHT i have become >.< - Skin Care Talk

He apparently deleted the first photo, but there's some photos throughout the thread, and a photo on the last page. That would be my dream color, I haven't been that light in a while, but I don't think I was ever that... BRIGHT, and even looking. Haha

Anyway, he doesn't use mono or HQ. his routine is what I posted above, he mostly gets results from peeling, and probably F&F. I wouldn't start with the high percentages of peeling at first. I do have a 40% lactic acid peel here, my mom bought it but never used it. (she's worried about wrinkles and such) or actually I think she did once, but I really didn't notice much... she just looked... shinier, I guess. So should I start at 40? Or 65? Something in between? Was going to buy from makeupartistschoice for now.

But yeah, for now, only going to lighten my face/arms, since I don't swim, and I hate shorts, those are the only parts of my body people see.