Detectives found an array of skin-whitening creams and medications in Michael Jackson‘s home, according to recently unsealed search warrants. A cupboard in Michael’s bedroom contained 19 tubes of hydroquinone and 18 tubes of Benoquin. It is suspected that Michael used the skin-whitening creams to remove the pigment from the patches of his skin that weren’t affected by the skin condition vitiligo. Benoquin is the brand name of monobenzone, which the American Academy of Dermatology lists as a permanent treatment of vitiligo. Hydroquinone is a bleaching chemical typically prescribed to treat freckles, blotches and other pigmented spots in order to give the skin a more even tone, but it is also found in OTC products. The FDA has had hydroquinone on its cancer watch list for decades. [Fox 411, Web MD]
