Prospective Evaluation of Topical Almond Oil vs Hydroquinone

Open to females ages 18 years and up

• Premenopausal women of Fitzpatrick skin types 3 to 6

• Those with a nut allergy
• Smoking is an independent risk factor and serves as a confounder for the development of facial aging [18]. Therefore current smokers, those that have smoked within the past year, and former smokers with greater than a 20 pack year history of smoking will be excluded.
• Those with an autoimmune photosensitive condition or a known genetic condition with a deficiency in collagen production (such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome) will be excluded as this can be a confounder for facial photoaging.
• Hormonal medications or therapies will not be allowed unless they have been stable on their medications for at least 2 months. Examples include oral contraceptives, progesterone-based injections, and estrogen based hormonal replacement therapy.
• Those who have undergone any cosmetic procedures to the face in the 4 months prior to enrollment in the opinion of the investigator. People that have undergone deeper chemical peels (TCA based peels) within 1 year prior to enrollment will also not be eligible.
• Individuals who are unwilling to discontinue vitamin E containing supplements and food sources during the washout and intervention.
• Individual who are unwilling to discontinue topical cosmetic products during the duration of the study.
• Individuals who are not willing to engage in a two-week washout on topical treatments known to affect facial pigmentation and these agents will be restricted during the study period as well. These include topicals that contain:
  • Retinoids such as tretinoin, adapalene, retinol.
  • Antioxidant ingredients such as vitamin C or vitamin E.
  • Pigment-reducing agents such as hydroquinone, azelaic acid, kojic acid per the discretion of the investigator except for the hydroquinone that is provided in this study.
  • Topicals that contain a nut oil or nut extract as part of their ingredient list.
• Furthermore, subjects will be asked to refrain from use of any other topical products for one week prior to each visit apart from the study agents supplied from this study.