Are More Men Bleaching Their Skin?

Evidence #6: A More Aggressive Stance Against Hydroquinone

In 2006, the United States proposed a ban on skin-bleaching creams with the powerful drug, hydroquinone that is prevented from being sold over-the-counter unless with a doctor’s prescription. These cremes which contain the skin bleaching agent, are predisposed to possible skin disfigurations and cancer.

According to the Food and Drug Administration:

An estimated 65 companies in the United States sell roughly 130 different skin-bleaching creams and other products that contain hydroquinone.

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 U.S.

The condition is marked by the darkening and thickening of the skin, as well as the appearance of tiny dome-shaped bumps and grayish-brown spots, the FDA said. Studies report the signs have appeared in users even after short-term use of the creams.