Bleaching Treatment of Residual Hyperpigmented Spots with Monobenzylether of Hydroquinone (Monobenzone) in Patients with Disseminated Vitiligo

TAKIWAKI Hirotsugu, FUJIMOTO Kazuyo

doi:10.2336/nishinihonhifu.68.403

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Other Title

ハイドロキノンモノベンジルエーテル（モノベンゾン）による汎発型白斑の脱色素治療
治療ハイドロキノンモノベンジルエーテル(モノベンゾン)による汎発型白斑の脱色素治療
チリョウハイドロキノンモノベンジルエーテルモノベンゾンニヨルハンパツガタハクハンノダツシキソチリョウ

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Description

Three elderly women with disseminated vitiligo who had shown little response to topical corticosteroids and UV therapies were treated with monobenzylether of hydroquinone (MBEH) for bleaching residual hyperpigmented spots on the face and neck. Treatment was started with 5% MBEH cream and the concentration was elevated stepwise to 10-15%. Perceptible improvement in all patients was obtained after two months, and almost complete bleaching was achieved in four months. All patients were deeply satisfied with the results. From a cosmetic point of view, this treatment seemed to be more suitable for disseminated vitiligo than standard therapies to recover pigmentation because results of the latter are usually unsatisfactory for this type of vitiligo in the elderly. Low concentrations of MBEH had been used about 50 years ago as an ingredient in whitening cosmetic products in Japan. This is now strictly prohibited since problematic leukomelanoderma had developed in some cases. Despite the well-known bleaching effect of MBEH, we can find few domestic reports and reviews on the application of this agent for treatment of vitiligo, probably because of the unfortunate history of this agent. We report our successful cases in detail and review the history and adverse effects of this treatment.

Journal

The Nishinihon Journal of Dermatology

The Nishinihon Journal of Dermatology 68 (4), 403-407, 2006

Western Division of Japanese Dermatological Association

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