Beware of Using Hydroquinone For Age Spots

It's true that hydroquinone is effective in removing yucky age spots and in lightening skin. It's also true that it's a commonly used chemical, especially in skin care products like moisturizers and cleansers, as well as all kinds of hair products like relaxers and colorants. But the third truth is that this is a very dangerous chemical that you should avoid it if all possible (and it IS possible to get rid of age spots without using hydroquinone).

Hydroquinone is a disaster! It has been indicted as a carcinogen, it promotes and creates allergies, it compromises the immune system and it is a neurotoxin that can affect the functioning of your brain. 

I wondered why they're called "liver spots" and read that it's because they remind people of the liver. Since these spots can be gray, brown or black that idea makes no sense to me. I don't know about you, but I have no idea what my liver looks like. This explanation sounds like an urban legend.

If you want to understand its dangers, you can check it out on the Cosmetic Safety Database. They rate chemicals from 0-10, with 10 being the most dangerous and as you can see from this screenshot, hydroquinone is a 9.

This database is a very valuable resource but honestly, it's pretty boring unless you're a rabid researcher. If you want to know more about this awful stuff, go to their site and you can find references to all kinds of research.

In our graphic above, we included a skull which is a bit tongue-in-cheek but it's to encourage you to read labels and know the ingredients in the products you use. It's not that you are going to use hydroquinone and slowly keel over, gasping your last breath or that the flesh will begin melting from your body.

But here's something to think about … the oldest known hominid or near-hominid species, known as "Sahelanthropus tchadensis", is dated between 6 and 7 million years old. Yet, we've been using all these un-natural chemicals for only about 50 years.

6,999,950 years = no chemicals
50 years = living in a sea of chemicals

Mother Nature just hasn't had enough time to adjust our bodies to all these toxins! So doesn't it make sense to avoid or limit their use in our lives as much as possible? ESPECIALLY since there are non-toxic alternatives. In fact, we have an information packet called A Safe Way To Get Rid of Horrid Age Spots that reveals two safe ways to make your own skin lightening cream that will gradually eliminate age spots. Why not use a safe treatment for age spots?

Hydroquinone is considered one of the most dangerous chemicals found in cosmetics and should be avoided at all costs. Make sure to check your product labels for it and do your homework to find out if it’s in any of your skincare products. Just reading the synonyms for hydroquinone will tell us a lot.

Synonyms: 1,4-BENZENEDIOL; 1,4-DIHYDROXYBENZENE; 1,4BENZENEDIOL; 4-HYDROXYPHENOL; P-DIOXYBENZENE; P-HYDROXYPHENOL; 1,4-BENZENEDIOL; 1,4-DIHYDROXY-BENZEEN; 1,4-DIHYDROXY-BENZOL; 1,4-DIHYDROXYBENZEN; 1,4-DIHYDROXYBENZENE