Ingredients Reviewed: Obagi’s Hydroquinone

Aging is a normal part of life and skin aging right along with it. Skin aging is a process that everyone will go through naturally but there are a few things that tend to speed up the process. Daily sun exposure is one of the primary reasons for this unwelcome fact.

The Obagi Nu-Derm System offers a way of therapeutically decreasing the aging process by penetrating below the surface of the skin. As a result, the skin cell functions are transformed at a cellular level thus initiating a healing process of the damaged skin. What you are then left with is younger and healthier looking skin.

What Obagi Products Contain This Ingredient?

There are several Obagi products available and each has a specific purpose for use. The foaming Gel Gentle Cleanser Toner is used for preparation of the skin area to be treated. The Clear Exfoderm and Forte Exfoderm are typically used to improve skin area to be treated. Clear Blender is used for the stimulation of the area to be treated. The Healthy Skin Protection SPF 35 Sun Fader, the Physical UV Block SPF 32 and the Sun Shield SPF 50 are all products used to protect the skin from the actual UV rays. There is even a complementing product called Eye Cream Tolereen Action but is only optional.

What Does It Do and How Does Hydroquinone Work?

Hydroquinone is most commonly used to lighten the skin. Woman who are looking for a lighter complexion often use this product as it works as a bleaching agent helping to eliminate melasma, freckles and many other skin conditions which cause spots or dark patches. Hydroquinone works in that it causes skin cells to discontinue the production of what is known as pigment. It is available in both a prescription and non-prescription form for convenience. The non-prescription form comes in a 2% formulation while the prescription form comes in a 4% formulation. The prescription form is often used to treat patches or darker skin.

Hydroquinone In Other Brand Products?

There are several brand name prescription-strength products that contain hydroquinone on the market today. Some examples include Glyquin, Lustra-AF, and Tri-Luma. They offer all of the same benefits and are quite similar in nature. Choosing a particular brand will simply be determined by preference.

About the FDA Proposed Hydroquinone Ban in 2006

A ban on the sales of all over the counter cosmetic products containing hydroquinone was proposed on August 29, 2006. The FDA claimed that studies in rodents produced “some evidence” that hydroquinone had the potential to act as a carcinogen or cancer causing chemical. The problem with this claim was that it was not proven in humans. Another problem with hydroquinone was that it was linked to a medical condition also known as ochronosis. This condition causes the skin to become thick and dark, and produces dome-shaped yellow and gray spots among black women and men in South Africa, Britain and the U.S.. There have even been studies which reported high levels of mercury as well as abnormal function of the adrenal glands in people who used products containing hydroquinone. As a result, Japan, Australia and the European Union have already banned this product. There is, however, no ban on hydroquinone in the US today.

More Great Posts from Obaging:

• Condition and Enhance Your Facial Skin With Obagi
• Protect Your Skin With Obagi Nu-Derm Sunfader SPF 15
• Cleanse Your Face With Obagi Facial Cleansers
• All of the Steps and Products Involved
• Obagi Nu-Derm Exfoderm Forte

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