What is Hydroquinone? How does it Brighten Skin?

It appears since time began that people have attempted to lighten their skin. As far back as 200 BCE, the Egyptians, Romans and Greeks were mixing potions of honey and olive oil and making white lead masks to brighten their skin. 

Hydroquinone is a current product used to lighten skin, especially problem areas such as age or liver spots, freckles, and also, melasma. Basically any skin condition that is hyperpigmented. 

It has been approved by the FDA for usage and usually requires a prescription for administering though you can buy over the counter at a lesser dosage. As a topical lightening agent it prohibits interfering with melanin production by the melanocytes. 

ZO medical grade skincare products administer the right grade to their skin brightening products for effective and speedier results, such as found in their Pigment Control Creme’4% HQ.

1. ZO recommends a thorough cleansing regimen to prepare the skin. This three step program cleanses, exfoliates and balances the skin, preparing it to receive and absorb the hard working ingredients in the ZO line.

2. Layer and combine ZO Skin Health Daily Defense (a retinol serum), ZO Skin Health Growth Factor Serum (which has humectants to retain moisture in the skin)  and ZO Skin Health Vitamin C 10% Self Activating (with a Vitamin C stabilizer) for an overal holistic approach to healthy skin care. 

3. And at night apply either the ZO SKin Health Retinol Skin Brightener 1% or if you want to tone down the retinol a bit, try ZO Skin Health Wrinkle + Texture Repair with 5% retinol. 

ZEIN OBAGI, MD – Researcher. Innovator. Author. Educator.

• World-renowned dermatologist
• Founder and medical director of ZO Skin Health, Inc.
• Author, Obagi Skin Health Restoration & Rejuvenation (1999) and The Art of Skin Health Restoration & Rejuvenation: The Science of Clinical Practice (2015)