I am getting mixed reviews on Hydroquinone. Can someone tell me any information you might have on this product? I know it works great for pigment, and I understand that you should only use it for about 4-5 months. Question that I'm faced with is why? Why only 4-5 months? What will it do if I use it longer? How deep does this product go into my skin? How long is it in my system? Is it dangerous? Also, seeing some patients that have been using it 20+ years... what kind of side effects would one have after this amount of time on this product?

Hydroquinone (HQ) works amazing well for pigment especially if it's hormonal hyperpigmentation (melasma). Yes there are mixed reviews about it being banned in several countries ... It's actually just highly regulated where they need a prescription for 2% and here in the US FDA has approved 2% for over the counter use. The reason why FDA says to limit use to 3 months because it's a drug and we don't take any drug long term.