Hello all. Gosh it is good to read these and know that I am not alone. Hope we can all solve this someday! I just started using hydroquinone, though I can see from a LOT of the posts that many of you think this is a bad idea. I am just so desperate. If you have used it successfully can you tell me - did your darks spots get worse before they got better? I have been using it for one week and the skin is peeling off and is VERY red and irritated. How long will this last?