Monobenzone

Monobenzone is a depigmenting agent whose mechanism of action is not fully understood. It is proposed that it increases the excretion of melanin from the melanocytes. This effect is erratic and may take one to four months to occur while existing melanin is lost with normal sloughing of the stratum corneum. Hyperpigmented skin appears to fade more rapidly than does normal skin, and exposure to sunlight reduces the depigmenting effect of the drug. Following skin depigmentation after topical application of monobenzone, the histological studies indicate similar results as that seen in vitiligo, where the epidermis is intact but with the absence of identifiable melanocytes.