Go easy on medicated lotions, creams, gels Feb 6, 2008
Ironically, in certain skin types the opposite -- ochronosis, or darkening of the skin -- can occur. In many cases, this happens in darker-skinned individuals, she says, adding that hydroquinone has been under FDA investigation for discontinuation in OTC products because of possible cancer-causing activity in rats exposed to large amounts. (CNN)
FDA weighs curb on skin lighteners Feb 1, 2007
The FDA also said it could cause a disfiguring skin condition in people called ochronosis, which causes the skin to become dark and thick and results in dome-shaped yellowish spots and grayish-brown spots. Hydroquinone is an organic compound that decreases the formation of the pigment in skin that gives it a brown color. (FOX59, IN)
FDA May Limit Skin Bleaching Products Aug 31, 2006
The type of skin discoloration noted by the FDA is called exogenous ochronosis, a darkening of the skin ... Exogenous ochronosis is rare in the U.S., Taylor notes. (CBS News)
Ban urged for non-prescription skin-bleaching creams Aug 31, 2006
However, the drug's link to a disfiguring condition called ochronosis has been widely documented since 1975 in black women and men in South Africa, Britain and the United States ... Since 1983, South Africa has limited the concentration of hydroquinone in skin-lightening products to 2 percent to combat ochronosis. (CNN -- Health)
Health Highlights: Aug. 30, 2006-update Aug 31, 2006
The agency also cited studies that found an association between creams with hydroquinone and a condition called ochronosis, which can cause darkening and thickening of the skin, dome-shaped yellowish bumps, and grayish-brown spots. In the United States, about 65 companies sell more than 200 skin-lightening products that contain hydroquinone, the FDA said. (Food Consumer)
FDA Mulls Ban on Creams to Lighten Skin Aug 30, 2006
Citing studies in Africa dating to 1975, the FDA also noted a link between the use of creams containing hydroquinone and the development of ochronosis, a condition that can cause darkening and thickening of the skin, dome-shaped yellowish bumps and grayish-brown spots. A number of patients developed this condition even after South Africa limited the concentration of hydroquinone in nonprescription products to 2% in 1983. (Los Angeles Times)
Glamour at a price in Asia May 20, 2006
He stopped prescribing it a decade ago when he noticed patients with redness and itching and with more serious side effects like ochronosis, the appearance of very dark patches of skin that are difficult to remove. Some patients also develop leukoderma, where the skin loses the ability to produce pigment, resulting in patches of pink like those on Panya's face and neck. (International Herald Tribune -- Health)
