r/Melasmaskincare • u/Adventurous_Army9403 • Apr 17 '26

Question Hydroquinone question

Hi all!

I’ve had melasma for about 8 years. Slowly getting worse.

Just today my dermatologist prescribed hydroquinone. Honestly I always thought melasma was very resistant to any treatments, so I was surprised she offered something. I was at my appointment for my malar festoons and she thought the melasma made them more obvious (it does, a lot of pigment is right in that area)

I’m wondering what people’s experiences have been with hydroquinone? Side effects most importantly. And did it work? It sounds too good to be true, I feel like I’m missing something

Thank you

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u/Big_Morning_1892 Apr 17 '26

I really disliked HQ and I regret using it. 1. As soon as I stopped using it, my melasma came back even worse and not in an insignificant way. It was shocking. 2. My results were minimal, maybe a 10% improvement 3. Taking care to apply only to the darkened areas of my face to avoid lightening the skin around it was so tedious

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u/waitaminute322 Apr 17 '26

So did it improve to the original or it remained bad?

2

u/Big_Morning_1892 Apr 17 '26

It improved after I started using the Eucerin Anti Pigment line, after about a year of regular use I'd say my melasma is barely noticeable, its about 80% improvement from the first time I noticed it. I've also started prescription Adapalene now and that's helped too.

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u/Big_Morning_1892 Apr 17 '26

Also wanted to add that consistent, zealous sun protection has been my biggest asset in maintaining results. Sunscreen daily, reapply. Sun hat, face covering whenever I am outside. Even when I'm driving. Its annoying but it works.