{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,23]],"date-time":"2026-07-23T15:23:50Z","timestamp":1784820230868,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,5,25]],"date-time":"2021-05-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1621900800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The desire for an even skin tone pervades all cultures and regions of the world. Uniform skin color is considered a sign of beauty and youth. Pigmentation abnormalities can arise idiopathically with genetic predetermination, with injury and environmental exposures, and with advancing age, and can, therefore, be distressing to patients, leading them to seek a variety of treatments with professional assistance. In this short report, we describe the trends in the use of prescription lightening creams, particularly in patients with darker skin types residing in the US. Amongst 404 participants, skin hyperpigmentation had a moderate effect on patients\u2019 quality of life, and the most common diagnosis associated with the use of a prescription product was melasma (60.8%). The most common agent prescribed was hydroquinone (62.9%), followed by triple combination cream (31.4%). It is the dermatologist\u2019s duty to gauge the effect of the pigmentation disease on patients\u2019 life in order to counsel, tailor, and decide on the most appropriate treatment option.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph18115650","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,5,25]],"date-time":"2021-05-25T13:14:21Z","timestamp":1621948461000},"page":"5650","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":18,"title":["Trends in Use of Prescription Skin Lightening Creams"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"given":"Dana S.","family":"Saade","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mayra B. C.","family":"Maymone","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0005-1823","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Henriette","family":"De La Garza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Eric A.","family":"Secemsky","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02215, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kevin F.","family":"Kennedy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Saint-Luke\u2019s Mid America Heart Institute and University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, MO 64111, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Neelam A.","family":"Vashi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,5,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3723","DOI":"10.31557\/APJCP.2019.20.12.3723","article-title":"The Role of Stem Cell Factor in Hyperpigmented Skin Lesions","volume":"20","author":"Atef","year":"2019","journal-title":"Asian Pac. 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