November 2024

Shutterstock / Dean Drobot Through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the US Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to supply economic assistance for American employees, small businesses, and industries. It also included a provision banning the sales of over-the-counter hydroquinone.  Very similar to a Russian nesting doll, major laws passed in Washington is commonly full of smaller, less-publicized provisions. As an alternative of voting on each item individually, lawmakers can bundle multiple issues right into a single piece of laws. For a long time, dermatologists have referred to hydroquinone because the ‘gold standard’ on the subject of treating hyperpigmentation—which is more common on Black skin—including skin conditions like melasma. And studies have shown that when used under...