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    wantolight's Avatar
    wantolight Posts: 47, Reputation: 4
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    #1

    Aug 30, 2011, 09:29 AM
    How to speed up the process of Monobenzone?
    Are there any ways that I can do to see results faster , I 've been using as strong as 60% monobenzone cream for 3 and a half month, I don't see much lightening , are there ways that I can do to make it go faster?

    Well my skin color is not that dark , why would it take so long? Are there ways to speedup? I have heard of Retin A , will it do~? What else suits best?
    clueless2008's Avatar
    clueless2008 Posts: 135, Reputation: 18
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    #2

    Aug 30, 2011, 11:07 AM
    Want,
    First off, 60% is very strong for you not to see any results. However it can take up to months before you can see anything. After a month you should at least see some spots. Are you sure that the mono you are using is authentic? I would recommend having it tested somewhere, cause you would not want to waste all that time and money on a fake cream or fake amount of mono.
    If it is real, you can speed up the process by using Retin-a and occlusion. Good luck!
    I highly doubt its authentic if you got it from an online company.
    wantolight's Avatar
    wantolight Posts: 47, Reputation: 4
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    #3

    Sep 1, 2011, 09:59 PM
    Retin A did cause my skin burn for awhile , but I don't see that it gets me faster on track, or the RA that I've got is fake? Would you mix your compounded cream with retin A for the run! I don't see spots , just little bit lightening , but not so sure at all , not much big difference
    michaeljr's Avatar
    michaeljr Posts: 89, Reputation: 3
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    #4

    Dec 30, 2011, 06:13 PM
    For me it didn't matter what strength, because I have normal skin monobenzone only triggered my melanocytes to realize they were under attack and pump out more melanin not less, after an initial one month lightening. Here's an old message I receive from Holly long ago, I lost touch with her but she shared a lot of scientific mumbo-jumbo with me and Amber:

    "the medication, benoquin, still indicates discontinue all use at 4 months that where i was misled, maybe others? yes everybody has different chemistry so progress of vitiligo and total depigmentation is variable. i have been depigmenting since 2002, is taking forever! 20% left. decided to depigment before extensive vitiligo, for cosmetic reasons. i was buying monobenzone from researchd, then leucostrata until tsunami. now, dlight and depig. 4-oha is the same thing as mequinol. the skin will eventually over-replace the 33% maxim pigment being inhibited by either hydroquinone or mequinol as they are both weak and eventually ineffective on limiting pigment. to get permanent white skin you have to kill, and keep killing melanocytes. hydroquinone and mequinol can't do that, but monobenzone can. long-term monobenzone depigmentation is erratic because it is only effective on 85% of epidermal melanocytes, and only 14% of follicular melanocytes at any one time period. in active vitiligo, one's own immune system will continue to depigment even the migrating non-G1 and non-telogen reservoirs, which monobenzone alone can't do, yielding a faster prognosis. in non-extensive vitiligo and normal skin, the skin being one organ, monobenzone therapy will continuously be counter-affected by the above referenced reservoirs. contrary to popular belief, the skin does not become immune to monobenzone, but monobenzone at the dermal layer is only effective on nondifferentiating melanoblasts, as opposed to simple epidermal. breaks are not necessary and countereffective to success. up to 85% of refractory follicular melanocytes repigmenting the dermis and epidermis via melanosome migration, at any one time period. there are many people who have indefinitely hypopigmented or depigmented with monobenzone without having extensive vitiligo. very few of them are famous, but include m. jackson, l. richie, and dr. vikki. many others are doctors and pharmacists with african or asian descent who use dr ashley's chance success formula with retinoic acid. skin depigmented only with monobenzone is usually left with light brown tones and does not glow white in blacklight, while skin depigmented via universal vitiligo, monobenzone assisted extensive vitiligo, and/or aggresive laser therapies appears white and glows in blacklight. depigmentation for non-extensive vitiligo is off-the-books, expensive and cumbersome. my derm warns do not use over 30% monobenzone unless you are already 50% vitiligo depigmented or greater, or it will cause ochronosis via toxic buildup especially in face, palms, mucous membranes, kidneys. anywhere from 2% - 20% fine if extensive vitiligo, 20% - 30% if not extensive vitiligo. monobenzone absorbed best: all skin folds, under arms, behind ears, and directly around labia/testicles. hyperpigmentation first is actually a better sign that areas will fully depigment than initial hypopigmentation is. that from the experts especially pharmacists and doctors hypopigmenting selves slowly. laser depigmentation will be necessary to destroy the resistant reservoirs that tend to activate during the 1st-2nd yr following monobenzone therapy. that is where i am at. my doctors tried peels, oral and intradermal monobenzone patches, glucocorticoids, imatinib, but only laser depigmentation sessions along with continued monobenzone applications indefinitely banish the repopulating melanocytes. eyebrows gone permanently, lips, nipples, undereyes lighter though, due to laser. it is purely experimental and if you do not have vitiligo or $6K+ disposable annual salary you should not touch monobenzone or consider permanent lightening. it took michael jackson 10 years and $1M to fully depigment exposed areas of skin and it is reported he still has pigment on torso, leg, pubic areas. why because laser so time consuming if you are other 98 out of 100 people without vitiligo, consider self lucky. don't use hydroquinone or mequinol (4-oha) since you will either get hyperpigmentation or vitiligo or both long term. "

    Notice she states she had non-extensive vitiligo before she used mono, but it was still ineffective for her. Samir and another pakistani dude who posted their pictures here then disappeared, also said they developed minor vitiligo patches before deciding to depigment for cosmetic reasons and "get it over with". But apparently they failed and diseappeared. Because mono doesn't lighten normal skin, it gives it dark patches.
    wantolight's Avatar
    wantolight Posts: 47, Reputation: 4
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    #5

    Jan 2, 2012, 12:40 AM
    Hi michael,

    I've read your post , I;m a normal skin person like you , no vitiligo , due to personal reasons I have to depigment , is there a chance that I can be as white as MJ? I am able to spend 6K disposable annually for laser or anything, would monobenzone depig me, where can I get the real mono

    Are you as white as MJ now , are you satisfied with your results so far ?

    I await your reply
    michaeljr's Avatar
    michaeljr Posts: 89, Reputation: 3
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    #6

    Jan 2, 2012, 12:57 AM
    Hi, I don't believe what Holly said is accurate for normal skin. She and Samir had minor vitiligo before they started depigmenting. Samir had some smal white patches and so did she in other post I read so many years ago. Apparently they liked the color of the white patches and wanted to speed up the process of depigmenting instead of repigmenting those spots. I have normal skin and monobenzone is not the answer for normal skin. Monobenzone only makes normal skin worse. Your testimony demonstrates the same, as to many upon many others and all the derms I have been to (dozens over the years). Are you asian, south asian, black? I am black. Well, my result skin color is "dark white" which is lighter than high yellow but darker than MJ or depigged vitiligo people. I did not get light from monobenzone, but from mequinol for a few months following my monobenzone disaster (to remove/peel away the mononbenzone-induced hyperpigmentation) and since then from benzyarbutin for the past few years but for the past recent most year I have run out of herbalinn/benzyarbutin and used hydroquinone and 5% homemade alpharbutin creams made from skinactives to try and maintain my light skin.
    wantolight's Avatar
    wantolight Posts: 47, Reputation: 4
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    #7

    Jan 2, 2012, 07:45 PM
    Hi michael,

    Thank you for your prompt response , do you mean mequinol made your original black color skin turned dark white? It's still a good progress , isn't it? Where did you get your mequinol?would you mind to pm me,thanks and how did you remove/peel away the monoobenzone-induced hyperpigmentation? By what method and how long did it took? I suspect monobenzone made your skin dark white not mequinol? Because most said that mequinol take years to depigment,and monobenzone take months but from your reply in previous mono did not depig or go light for you , only created dark patches? I heard some said that would get white spots if it's the real mono

    Do you often repigment? And as your skin turned from black to dark white , most people might think that you are an asian or mix race? It's still a great achievement so far?

    michaeljr's Avatar
    michaeljr Posts: 89, Reputation: 3
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    #8

    Jan 14, 2012, 04:12 AM
    Back in those years I got mono from all different sources including directly from Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, it was pure and still did not work to lighten my skin. What happens is the monobenzone crystals get into the skin and irritate the melanocytes and remains under the skin for years wreaking havoc. In weak skin like vitiligo, it kills the melanocytes. In normal skin, it first kills of a few melanocytes which creates the impression that it lightened the skin fast, but then the irritation of the crystals on the strong melanocytes creates a lot of dark pigments, darker than the skin color to erupt. So what monobenzone does on normal skin is creates a marbling of a few lighter spots mixed into a few darker spots, along with the normal color. This is called leucoderma. You can Google leucoderma monobenzone to see pictures of that disfiguration, or just look at your skin a few months if you keep using monobenzone. I am not a doctor nor an expert, I am just sharing my experience over the years, including my frustration with something that was supposed to work and be permanent, but only caused more problems with hyperpigmentation than less. I check this forum only about once or twice a year to see if anything better has come around or if benzylarbutin has returned. I am also trying out deoxyarbutin (and have already give up on alpha arbutin) but so far, nothing has lightened me the level herbalinn/benzylarbutin used to. Surely it can't be the only thing in the world! Is there anything else you are trying or are you still hopeful with monobenzone?

    And regarding what lightened me, no not mequinol alone. Again, mequinol 20% for a few months following my monobenzone disaster helped remove/peel away the mononbenzone-induced hyperpigmentation and lightened up those dark spots. I wouldn't go back to it because it burned like crazy, literally like your skin is on fire and even when go in the shower to wash it off, it continues to burn more and more, but I know of people who said they got used to it or appled the cream very, very sparingly only to small body area. A few time I applied mequinol 20% to my whole face and body, just a light layer after a shower and it burned like crazy I thought I would go into shock. So anyway, the mequinol luckily somehow burned away the dark spots and lightened them up, but did not work to lighten me alone in 10%-20% so then once I got my hands on the jars of herbalinn those worked great to lighten up my skin to around a "dark white" color or that of most italian people, keep in mind I am black ethnically. So it made a huge difference and people treated me better those days but then herbalinn seemed to switch to bottles and their cream even the 20% benzylarbutin seemed weaker but still worked, then they just stopped selling and I had a supply saved up and made it last a year but since then I can see my normal skin color is slowly creeping back but at least it's 100% evenly, like once in my life my hands and my face are about the same color when my hands used to be black like charcoal now at least all of my skin is one light color maybe a shade or two darker than white, that's why I say dark white. I originally looked Jamaican, now look like a mixed race hispanic light skin, like light skinned Puerto Rican with buzzed hair. I have been told I have Daddy Yankee's complexion recently. But I have african hair. Please network with others to see what's working for them, and their own experience with mono or mequinol. Good luck!
    wantolight's Avatar
    wantolight Posts: 47, Reputation: 4
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    #9

    Jan 15, 2012, 08:24 PM
    Hi Michael,

    Without herbalinn and benzylarbutin your skin is getting back to dark brown , or still remain as Italian white? I know where to get benzylarbutin but I didn't know this product is that effective, so the best is herbalinn?which is not available in the market

    I do see people with normal skin depigs with mono with pics in this forum so I suspect mono may react differntly to different individuals or the mono you got from Spectrum Pharmaceuticals isn't real? Have you tested it?
    michaeljr's Avatar
    michaeljr Posts: 89, Reputation: 3
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    #10

    Jan 16, 2012, 07:31 PM
    Spectrum Pharmaceuticals (recently bought out by a larger monopoly) has been the main supplier for reagents at my University for almost a decade I've worked there, and mono costed $1200 per KG and was on backorder for 2 months so it was not fake. Yes there are people, mostly young pakistani or indian guys (based on their names and pics) who posted their initial result pic with mono over the years here, but disappeared after the repigmentation. Most of them mentioned resorting to 60%+ mono like I did in desperation to return to the initial lightness they enjoyed for the first couple months, only to be extremely frustrated and depressed after such high strengths did nothing but exacerbate the patchiness between both hyperpigmented and hypopigmented areas. You might want to read Simmy's threads and updates on here, they are a model of what one can expect in the next years, regardless of what % mono one uses, or which reputed source. We have to remember extensive vitiligo patients sometimes experience curative repigmentation instead of depigmentation when monotherapy begins. So you are right if you were getting at that different people respond differently to this one phenolic compound. Frankly, I don't get how people with normal skin dwell on mono so much even when it is not working for years, like it's the holy grail that has a personal grudge against only them for some reason, and they blame it solely on being scammed or something, but refuse to come to terms with the limitations and potential eventual DISASTER of the drug itself, the one drug known to in the end, work only for vit patients exclusively, anyway.

    I hope you luck out with the elusive "real" mono that elusively "works"... but from what I read I have seen you reported using 60% with no results either which leads me to conclude you're in the same boat as the rest of us who kept using monobenzone hoping it would eventually work, oblivious to the reality that it was just causing more hyperpigmentation than lightening. But don't take any one experience's word for it alone of course (afterall I decided long ago that monobenzone was a dead end and am looking for an affordable reliable source of real Benzyl 2-Acetamido-2-deoxy-alpha-D-glucopyranoside in quantity, or a better alternative yet for something to ward off this gradual return of my natural color over the coming years). That's what this forum is for but I wonder why no one else is helping with their input if there are normal skin people that either depigged or are in process of depigging with mono in this forum, where have they gone and why are they not helping you "speed up the process" any??

    Have a successful year, I will be back on in January 2013 with an update and look forward to yours! :)
    wantolight's Avatar
    wantolight Posts: 47, Reputation: 4
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    #11

    Jan 17, 2012, 06:53 AM
    Yes ,one of the reasons for stop selling herbalin and benzlarbutim might because these creamed contained mercury and being banned and this morning I noticed that my neck depigged ,its as white as Michael jackson, but unfortunately I don't know which cream deppiged me as I use monobenzones from different sources ,the whiteness is even and I don't have white nor dark patches like most said
    ver0nica's Avatar
    ver0nica Posts: 24, Reputation: 2
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    #12

    Jan 19, 2012, 01:29 AM
    Hi.. I was looking for my old post about the streaks on my neck that appeared a year ago but can't reply to it, you can see here so I don't have to reintroduce myself and my problem history all over again, thanks. https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/skin-l...ck-443734.html

    So, I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade, but you just don't know the horror I have been through and a year later I come online after hearing about the SOPA lockdown thing, wanting to reflect on what I had been through a year ago. I was pretty but I wanted to be prettier. Before a year ago, I would go on YouTube, skype and AIM like every and liked how my face looked with all its feature like my eyes, nose, lips, hairstyles, and my skintone somewhat. I just felt I would get soooooo dark in the summers and that tan would last until the spring, and that I looked my best and lightest in the Sprint so I used to above products and was not satisfied so moved onto Monobenzone just about exactly a year ago from today. And I just wish I never used it. I admit I heard more bad stories and saw horrible pictures of damage to black skin, but everywhere said it was a permanent whitener and since nothing else I tried work, I figured what did I have to loose except some of my color.

    Let's just say it didn't turn out anywhere how I expected and now streaks on my neck are least of my problem because at least the pigments spread out more on my neck during summer and I wasn't getting any sun. Why? Because I can't even wear short sleeves or shorts,I'm totally disfigured. When I try to wear shorter long sleeves that show a few inch of my arms, people notice and whisper that I have vitiligo or melasma spreading all over my body. I am three colors right now, raw pinkish milky (whick looks like old burns), blackened areas and normal areas which look the best. I hate I ever messed with that stuff. And what's killing me on top of it all, part of me still wants to get lightened up to the color of the raw pink areas, and the other half is saying genetics will always keep trying to fill back in the areas.

    I don't want to admit it, but here and there in those pink areas, are little round patches of pigment around the fine body hairs, you know peach fuzz? Well my peach fuzzz is surrounded by these islands of blackish pigment floating and growing across the raw pinkish milky areas. It's like I'm bipolar, I don't know which one is better, the pigment growing back (which looks sadly so dark) or the raw milky pinkish areas on my hands, arms body and legs. I have not been dating or intimate with anybody for over ayear because of how disfigured I feel, and the more of myself I look at various skin areas, I realise no area is improving, I'm just getting so much more and more splotch and it's been a full year now, when will this end?

    My back, thank god I can't see it in its entirely unless I'm using two mirrors facing each other. There are so many dark marks streaks, randomly all over it. And that's not all, there are also whitish pink splotches all randomly in between the streaks. The streaks appear overnight and you can see them like "growing" like branches of a tree but like on a canvas, well not my back. From what I can tell the splotches started from my nape and grew downward, although at my but there are new darkest splotches, obviously the darkest hyperpigmentation I have ever seen, growing up, to kind of meet in the center of my back.

    My face. I hate talking about it, because its is more stably disfigured from day to day. My lips are light. Yay!! No, actually a dead looking white like you would see on zombies. And my face, well its hyperpigmented the worst and I have this morning ritual of putting on white concelear, then tan concealer, and then brown concealer to match what most of my skin color still is, brown :(

    I know nothing I can say or do will stop people from trying It. I just don't have time or know-how to create a blog about this and I know it's not the only thing in the world to worry about when other people have bigger problems like needing face transplants or a heart to stay alive. Vanity is addictive and so is skin lightening. There was a time in the late fall I finally stopped monobenzone till thanksgiving (only like 1 month) when I knew for sure the white streaks were replaced by random dark patches. But for christmas I went back to monobenzone 40% because hydroquinone 10% wasn't working after a 1month skin turnover, and I wanted to desperately look pale in time for Christmas. Instead, I looked like an extensive melasma patient. I suppose had I looked like a vitligo patient I would be happy and feel OK, I'm well on my way toward depigment.

    But, and I almost forgot by going off on wild tangents as I often do, that I'm hear to tell you that after 1yr. Of 20-40% monobenzone my skin became disfigured and I have taken a deep downward spiral in my looks, and in life. I'm at a crossroads and I have seen dozens of doctors, including those who treat viligo only to be given a cold shouldern, lack of compassion, hydroquinone creams, and expensive $500 fractional laser that looked like a toy red penlight, didn't hurt and didn't do anything, either We tried strong peels and after the crusting my skin would look reddish for a few weaks but afterward, my normal color would come back in that area, and then on top of it like almost like overnight, follicle pigments would grow in and spread rapidly

    My arms, face, legs, cheast . Is patch work of pink, brown, large patchess. All dermatologists who tried to help took my money but in the end said that's all they could do and just brushed me off saying t the damage is irreversable and passing me onto another specialist but I've been through that cycles several times now with no improvement. I don't know what to do next, it's a new year and I'm back worse than I started I'm skeptical to try 60% like you guys mentioned because according to the depigmentation doctor, she told me no strength is working, my skin is immune to Monobenzone. But half of my doesn't believe her because at least some white streaks do appear here and there, but it's just the dark patches which are taking over even though I slather them. I rub so much 40% mono into my face 3-4 times a day until red as a cherry, and that makes my face look more even and pink for a few hours but would not last so if I don't cake on make up over the unevenness reveals itself too soon again.

    I've wasted thousands of dollars in the past year, I don't even want to know exactly how much, I might have a heartattack. Especially to think what if I had invested the money into something extremely overpriced, like deoxyarbutin 3% and for so little, I checked their website it only comes in 25 ounce for $100? That's less than an ounce of cream! Would not last more than week as I need it for a whole face and body treatment twice a day, cause there is so much brown pigment left in most of my skin areas, aside from the white streaks and the few raw splotches(which are mostly in my pubic area). I can't live on like this, if I dated a guy or was getting married more religiously, the guy would freak out seeing white splotches around my pubic area bordered by hyperpigmentation.

    I'm trying to stay positive but what is there left to do? Anything that is new and promising, including the Deoxyarbutin in the other thread, is too expensive and impractically price to use it for anything more than to get rid of a few dark specks on the face. And I have dark splothes appearing all over my body! And dermatologists are supposed to be experts but not even their expense lasers or deep peels work. What's left? If anyone please know or has had a similar experience please share. I tried to message a few members but wasn't able to, I guess that has been censored too or its simply not allowed. Thanks for listening, and for any helpful knowledge or advice you guys think my help me at all.

    Be careful, most of the mono I go was from sellers' websites which were advertised here. I guess it's true, it some of it were pure monobenzone that is not the problem, it's that monobenzone doesn't work for anyone. I actually don't want to end up like MJ because I don't think he used safe things, just lots of white makeup to cover up the monobenzone disfigurements, and other risky meds for his mono, and emotional issues, well hope he is at peace in heaven now. Well I suppose I should at least appreciate that, life in the mean time but you guys please help me out with your advice or at very least take my experience into considerations, to. Thanks for listening.
    wantolight's Avatar
    wantolight Posts: 47, Reputation: 4
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    #13

    Jan 19, 2012, 07:22 AM
    Hi veronica

    I'm sorry for you ,can you email me some pictures of your disfigurement?I think I can help you
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    ver0nica Posts: 24, Reputation: 2
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    #14

    Jan 19, 2012, 10:59 PM
    I haven't taken pictures of my disaster since I was so pretty before and now I am not :( Except few doctors have taken some pics for their records, that's about it. But from what I understand, you have been using 60% monobenzone for months, and also concurrently with Retin-A, and still haven't seen significant lightening? Where's the light at the end of the tunnel for any of us? Please pray for me to get better and I will do the same for you if you don't mind, and if you have advice to help me, spill it. I hate suspense.
    wantolight's Avatar
    wantolight Posts: 47, Reputation: 4
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    #15

    Jan 19, 2012, 11:55 PM
    Yes , I have results , my neck depigged , and my skin lightens, just that they didn't catch up my neck yet

    Have you tried vitiligo oil? you can repig by that oil
    ver0nica's Avatar
    ver0nica Posts: 24, Reputation: 2
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    #16

    Jan 20, 2012, 12:09 AM
    That's it, your neck suddenly depigged in the past 2 weeks? How long have you been using monobenzone? I mean I got white streaks on my neck after 4 weeks of monobenzone but after that I started getting hyperpigmentation at the same time. So how many months ago did you start mono? For me I totally lost track of time in the above memoires, forgot about a whole year. My brain is still telling me no, it can't be so long. Maybe because there's been no progress. But yeah, I have to come to terms and accept that I have been using monobenzone for 2 years :(

    I will give the repig oil a shot if I can find it and what's in it and a reasonable price, thanks. I just want to even out my skin after 2 years of monobenzone and getting nowhere except darker and patchier.
    wantolight's Avatar
    wantolight Posts: 47, Reputation: 4
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    #17

    Jan 20, 2012, 12:25 AM
    vitilio oil is cheap , you can Google it , one of which is vitligo organic , I've been using monobenzone since last year's June , but I am lazy , only rub them whenever I want , I rubbed them to my face neck hands and arms , I do see some darkenings but it's only temporary , no melasma so far , and I hope I wouldn't have it in the future days

    However your story scares me , as because of your discoloration in pink,white and brown , actually I knew these risks , but I just have to depigment , so let God decide my life , let him determine how it goes!
    I sure will pray for you , have you tried high percentage hydroquinone + RA , I heard some members use this formula to clear hyperpigment
    RiaX's Avatar
    RiaX Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
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    #18

    Jul 18, 2012, 05:46 PM
    No don't waste your time with vitiligo oil... or with repigmenting at all. You people are silly, I'm sorry but there is no other way to put it. I have universal vitiligo and am depigmenting with palomer laser therapy and monobenzone 20%. Im also a qualified pharmacist. Now let me tell you the truth of monobenzone, there are hundreds of internet adverts and companies that sell it, have you ever considered they just making money of you selling it for cosmetic reasons? If you had to buy in person depending where you life you wouldn't get it without a prescription. These people don't give a damn about your health.

    It's a misconception about monobenzone that it will lighten your skin by shades. Its also a misconception that it will depigment the area you apply it to. Monobenzone is absorbed into the skin where is destroys the melanocytes and its irreversable. The reason it can only be used by vitiligo patients is because their skin morphology is completely different. The body regulates the melanin reserves as vitiligo is an autoimmune disease, in normal people that process does not occur so depigmentation will NOT be uniform. Monobenzone has systemic effects, it can depigment anywhere applying in one area may cause the depigmentation of another. If you depigment you must remove ALL hair as follicles act as a pigment reservoir.

    Unlike vitiligo patients who are unable to develop cancers because the skin morphology is different (its unknown why journal articles can be sourced from US derm journal and India derm journal if you want a detailed hypothesis on this), it's the same modality that they do not suffer damage from monobenzone and are highly unlikely to get hyperpigmented, especially if their natural skin tone is grade 3 or darker. My skin has been through hell and back, from PUVA soralins nbUVB oral immunosupression (cyclosporin and methotrexate) corticosteroids class 3 and 4 topicals. Yet I show no sign of photodamage and my skin is perfect in terms of texture only its uniformity is off. The remarkable thing about idiopathic universal vitiligo is the skin's ability to regenerate far better than in an healthy individuals (again sourced from derm journals and my personal exp).

    SO if you take anything from my post take this, If you DO NOT have universal vitiligo with a bsa > 60% depigmented STAY AWAY from monobenzone you will only succeed in disfiguring yourself. Once you have damaged your skin nothing will save you, hydroquinone is not strong enough to reverse hyperpigmentation due to monobenzone. Why? Because they all the same family compounds if one caused hyperpigmentation its likely the others will, cause in dermatology we refer to them as phenols. Maybe a spectra vrm2 or palomer laser might be able to reverse the hyperpigmentation but be prepared for pain and cost. Plastic surgery as well but on the level of disfiguring its unlikely its viable. The strength is as follows hydroquinone, 5-methoxyphenol then monobenzone.

    Using 60% monobenzone is foolish you can get a toxic build up in your body via absorption through the skin, this can effect your kidneys. Though data is limited because you not suppose to be using it for so long if you don't get a response from it. Though a vitiligo patient will always respond to monobenzone that's why studies have not been furthered with regards to the drug. It's a medical treatment not a cosmetic
    michaeljr's Avatar
    michaeljr Posts: 89, Reputation: 3
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    #19

    Jul 24, 2012, 09:47 PM
    Thanks pharmacist! It's important to understand that while vitiligo patients can't get melanoma because their immune system is constantly killing pigment cells, vitiligo patients can still get other forms of cancer and too much radiation (including UV) can cause other types of cancer. I know a lady with vitiligo and blue eyes, who developed inoperable tumor in the back of her eye because she was a sun worshipper and didn't ever wear shades.

    The main point which sellers don't like to hear, is MONOBENZONE Won't WORK UNLESS YOU HAVE VITILIGO. It might seem to work for the first month or two but then it backfires. It always does go wrong on normal skin, until proven otherwise.

    I was hoping to hear of what does work on normal skin since you're a pharmacist, maybe a young one in tune with the latest news. Any developments? Hopefully that's not your only post looking forward.
    ver0nica's Avatar
    ver0nica Posts: 24, Reputation: 2
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    #20

    Aug 6, 2012, 08:54 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by RiaX View Post
    No dont waste your time with vitiligo oil... or with repigmenting at all. You people are silly, im sorry but there is no other way to put it. I have universal vitiligo and am depigmenting with palomer laser therapy and monobenzone 20%. Im also a qualified pharmacist. Now let me tell you the truth of monobenzone, there are hundreds of internet adverts and companies that sell it, have you ever considered they just making money of you selling it for cosmetic reasons? If you had to buy in person depending where you life you wouldnt get it without a prescription. These people dont give a damn about your health.

    Its a misconception about monobenzone that it will lighten your skin by shades. Its also a misconception that it will depigment the area u apply it to. Monobenzone is absorbed into the skin where is destroys the melanocytes and its irreversable. The reason it can only be used by vitiligo patients is because their skin morphology is completely different. The body regulates the melanin reserves as vitiligo is an autoimmune disease, in normal people that process does not occur so depigmentation will NOT be uniform. Monobenzone has systemic effects, it can depigment anywhere applying in one area may cause the depigmentation of another. If you depigment you must remove ALL hair as follicles act as a pigment reservoir.

    Unlike vitiligo patients who are unable to develop cancers because the skin morphology is different (its unknown why journal articles can be sourced from US derm journal and India derm journal if you want a detailed hypothesis on this), its the same modality that they do not suffer damage from monobenzone and are highly unlikely to get hyperpigmented, especially if their natural skin tone is grade 3 or darker. My skin has been through hell and back, from PUVA soralins nbUVB oral immunosupression (cyclosporin and methotrexate) corticosteroids class 3 and 4 topicals. Yet i show no sign of photodamage and my skin is perfect in terms of texture only its uniformity is off. The remarkable thing about idiopathic universal vitiligo is the skin's ability to regenerate far better than in an healthy individuals (again sourced from derm journals and my personal exp).

    SO if you take anything from my post take this, If you DO NOT have universal vitiligo with a bsa > 60% depigmented STAY AWAY from monobenzone you will only succeed in disfiguring yourself. Once you have damaged your skin nothing will save you, hydroquinone is not strong enough to reverse hyperpigmentation due to monobenzone. Why? becuase they all the same family compounds if one caused hyperpigmentation its likely the others will, cause in dermatology we refer to them as phenols. Maybe a spectra vrm2 or palomer laser might be able to reverse the hyperpigmentation but be prepared for pain and cost. Plastic surgery as well but on the level of disfiguring its unlikely its viable. The strength is as follows hydroquinone, 5-methoxyphenol then monobenzone.

    Using 60% monobenzone is foolish you can get a toxic build up in your body via absorption through the skin, this can effect your kidneys. Though data is limited becuase you not suppose to be using it for so long if you dont get a response from it. Though a vitiligo patient will always respond to monobenzone thats why studies have not been furthered with regards to the drug. Its a medical treatment not a cosmetic
    Thank you, RiaX. I just wish I had read this 2 years ago before I opened Pandora's box. Curiosity, the gift that keeps on killing and killing this cat.

    My grandfather died a few months ago, I had posted about it here but I don't know if you guys go on the other boards. I realized I have a serious problem when we were sitting in the funeral parlor, everyone was crying but I was looking at my grandfather how dark and wrinkly he was in the casket, and thinking to myself if I will look so dark when I am lying there. I'm really obsessed about light skin it's effecting me mentally but I will get into that elsewhere. And I'm not that dark to begin with, I am mestiza, tan skin. I still apply 20% a few times a week but I don't know if the places I have been buying from are the real deal.

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