[spotty2]

The site I was on told people heat made you skin lighten faster...

One guy suggested a sweat suit.. heat does something??

My tummy is pretty bad considering that wasn't my focus area..
Dang 4 months!.

[michaeljr]

I saw that advice on the viti support forum. Apparently, it does help monobenzone absorption.

So I had bought a sauna suit on eBay for cheap. I slept in every night for about 2-3 months (during mono and mequinol experimenting), it felt miserable! And looking back, that is why there is so much mono stuck in my system, and wreaking havoc on my attempts to even out my skin tone for so long (5yrs) now. :(

Apparently there are vitiligo patients who have difficulty depigmenting, and some have gone onto repigment instead of depigment, from the attack mode monobenzone triggers in melanocytes. The small weak ones die, but the big ones grow bigger, more active, and more "dendritic". My doctor explained if you have mostly weak ones (vitiligo skin) monobenzone will work, but if you have mostly normal ones (normal skin, or only minor vitiligo), monobenzone will never work. Same goes for mequinol he said, it produces confetti depigmentation. Which is why we see such uneven, patchy skin tone for so long.

I hardly ever applied to my back, as a lot of it I can't reach. But I just looked in the mirror and 5 years later, I stll have a "black & white cow" pattern going on back there, spreading up my neck as well as down my buttocks and all around my legs, groin, everywhere. When will this marbling ever end??

[spotty2]

I don't know where I am. My larger spots will start to fill in then pow! A stark white spot will appear...
They are so difficult to hide under make up...

[michaeljr]

Everyone up until today, online, here and random strangers in everyday setting, will start talking and recommend Dermablend. Apparently, many women of color wear dermablend as a daily concealer because it is so opaque and lightens up their black skin tones. Unfortunately, I have tried it many times over the past 5 years to hide my obvious black and white spots, to blend them, but it doesn't work. First of all I am a male, and makeup on a male stands out, draw even more attention to all that's going on in my skin. With a girl, people overlook the obvious makeup texture. I have gotten airbrush trial too. But the problem with dermablend and everything else, is this. Over the black areas, dark still shows through no matter how thick or how many layers. Over the white spots and light areas, they absorb a stain from the dermablend but stand out brighter. So concealment doesn't work. These glycolic/lactic gentle peels are my only hope since deep TCA and Phenol peel which doctors promised me would hypopigment, hyperpigmented instead. :(

The doctor's excuse why they didn't work, when they promised it would, is because monobenzone causes the worst kind of hyperpigmentation, also called exogenous ochronisis. In layman term, my doctors have said it in one way or another that is "very deep dermal pigmentation rooted in the basal layer". So that's why peels won't work, Even an extreme burn off all skin down to the raw tissue below basal, will trigger some rebound pigmentation during re-epithelialization from follicles, which also serve as a "reservoir for new melanocytes and melanin".

[spotty2]

Mac & derma blend have both have various of colors,, its easier to cover a tatoos on a white person that it is a darker...

Spray tan might be an option... I have an excellent make up artist.
I fell bad for you but there are a few people that can help... it cost... but 'its worth it if it work right?

[michaeljr]

I get get the darkest shade. I just visited 2 other forums and don't feel as terribly bad and down as I was today, because I'm not alone. On SCT I just perused, and saw Krissie stated she used mono for 4 months 4 yrs ago and she still suffering the nasty side effects, she descrived it as a "snake going through your system. I can't help but agree, a hyperpigmenting snake! Speaking of which, I then saw on RS an Indian guy with the same blackening in part from TCA peels, it seems it caused hyperpigmentation (look at neck) and hypopgimentation (upper face). Hypopigmentation After 35% Tca Peel- Indian Skin. What Are My Options? (photo) Doctor Answers, Tips Did same for me, except my lightened areas filled back in with a dark brown color a few weeks later, and my new skin color (due to monobenzone and tca peels) is about as dark as he is.

[spotty2]

Depig.com site( no longer up) said you will see nothing for a min of 4 months.

Most people like me gave it 4 to 6 months before we saw results we didn't like.
We didn't know it was too late to turn around... there's many 4 to 6 months users out here..
The site disappeared... after that...
Are you still searching boards?
I've given up. I know where to go it s a matter of money

[michaeljr]

are u still searching boards?
I've given up. I know where to go it s a matter of money

Sure is. I don't search forums, I search Google for monobenzone hyperpigment treatment and other such search chains. Sometimes, forum entries instead of research articles come up :(

[spotty2]

Oh okay...

[michaeljr]

Did the OP post a picture of how bad his or her skin got yet. It just dawned on me that I have been a member 5 years and never showed a little of my condition. I have described my history so many times, and my original color dark brown and similar to Jon Secada, I am Belizean, with black and south american root. While I wouldn't paste my face, here is my ugly feet taken at the doctor office yesterday



I have these black patches all over from mono. Note the dull, gloomy, ashy, grayish zombie effect throughout my skin, that mono, high strength HQ and mequinol each or together imparted. That includes back, buttock, genital, leg, arm, stomach, neck, chin, undereye, you name it. My skin used to be one perfect dark mocha color before I messed with mono.

[spotty2]

Oh wow! You skin sound like it was a beautiful color... did u read the depig site that has disappeared...
You would have to go darker to even out the color which I know u don't want to do.

If u was darker with white spots it would be more difficult

[michaeljr]

Yes, I remembered Sinny and her arm picture from that site, that is what my doctor telling me yesterday has seen worst, just like you say, said it would be worst if I had the pink raw flesh color in between the black patches, instead I have a very light brown color, that looks white because the surrrounding skin is so black, but that it would look twice as worst if the lightest areas were raw pink. I do get people ask if I got burned, because around my mouth and eyelids there is where there is so much black and white contrast people notice but it's not as bad as full blown burn victim with raw flesh. So the prognosis was I'm a good candidate for accelerated, more even repigment therapy, than my skin on it's only would never fully even out from all the mono, mequinol, HQ damage, but with all the UV and tacro and laser I will have to accept going darker for a few years more until the pigment spreads out more evenly. And that I don't look like I have vitiligo. I did when I started mono but that lasted only very short I could swear one area would be light one day then start filling in with black spots overnight, so a lot of color came into the palest areas just as soon as I started mono, about during 2nd month.

So you have the white or pink patches in a darker color? Or you have your natural color with some white patches? I forgot. And what are you using these days? Something custom formulated, or?

Ok I just uploaded my doctor's pic of my feet as my avatar and realized it looks worst small than blow up, to me. An remembered to point out that in my nail bed and the back of my heels, the pigment is growing into those area which shouldn't have any color, but do now. Good grief!

[spotty2]

I have them all! Lighter. Blended brown spots then a few white spots. I have a few whiote spots that darker spots filled in. I tested arbutin w/o retin a or mono. That spot is lighter w very few spots I don't think the color is every going to come in there... don't know what your face look like but if its like your feet spray tan is your best option... If only we knew what would happen...

[michaeljr]

Could it be you have more hypopigmentation and I have more hyperpigmentation because of our routines? What are you currently using to continue lightening? Right now I'm just exfoliating, not using anything to lighten but I'm hoping my Qmed session next week starts to lighten up my face and hands a little, it would be so disappointing if my skin darkens instead, like it has with all previous derm's attempts. Amlactin I feel is a great gentle moisturizing exfoliator, but I'm not really seeing any flakes or the dark areas being purged away yet, Sigh.

[ver0nica]

I have these black patches all over from mono. Note the dull, gloomy, ashy, grayish zombie effect throughout my skin, that mono, high strength HQ and mequinol each or together imparted. That includes back, buttock, genital, leg, arm, stomach, neck, chin, undereye, you name it. My skin used to be one perfect dark mocha color before I messed with mono.

I am dealing with the same blackening except my normal skin tone is a more yellow-brown than a blackish brown. I am Filipina with some Spanish roots as well. We call it Mestiza here, not Mulatto though, the racial moxing.

Anyway, so the blackening actually stands out more on me than your feet. On my face, it looks like a racoon mask. I wish we could have a second chance and never touched this stuff, but my only recourse now is to keep applying because Sara said if I don't more black patches will appear, if I stop applying monobenzone.

[spotty2]

Could it be you have more hypopigmentation and I have more hyperpigmentation because of our routines? What are you currently using to continue lightening? Right now I'm just exfoliating, not using anything to lighten but I'm hoping my Qmed session next week starts to lighten up my face and hands alittle, it would be so disappointing if my skin darkens instead, like it has with all previous derm's attempts. Amlactin I feel is a great gentle moisturizing exfoliator, but I'm not really seing any flakes or the dark areas being purged away yet, Sigh.

Yes it could be... when my arms become spot free( which are perma taned).. I'll be so much happier... we may have to live w what we've done...

[wantolight]

A small update. Continuous Retin A and monobenzone applications , my hands and arms depigged 98%, however it is not MJ color , a very very very light brown , in some lights my color looks like MJ . But I warn you guys , do not mess up with mono if you are a faint of heart , you will need extreme patience because this process takes ages and the amount of money burning for monobenzone takes more than I expected. I am a Man of violent thus I ain't afraid of disfigurement and the slow process that I am having in my routine

[spotty2]

You are a man of violent? I don't understand what you mean?
How long have you used mono?
Do u have spots yet? Photos?
You can pm me w them if u like... I'll share mine.

[michaeljr]

Sounds great, happy it's working for somebody! Almost tempting to me for giving monbenzone another shot. Only arms and hands, what about rest of body? I can't picture it but 98% sounds awesome, congrats on your progress after all this blackening!

[sara1234567890]

Can someone please tell me where I can get real mono from?