Skin whitening cells causes the skin to naturally regenerate itself. Excess melanin comes to the surface and peels off in a few days. This is particularly useful in sensitive areas like the genitals where laser treatment could leave a scar. Efficacy of the treatment depends on the depth of the pigment. There is evidence to suggest that some types of skin-whitening products use active ingredients, such as mercurous chloride and hydroquinone, which can be harmful. Hydroquinone is not available without a prescription in Europe. It is only available when prescribed by a medical doctor (e.g. a general practitioner). This is also the
Diarylide pigment with the same coupling partners. The molecular structures of these molecules is more conjugated than represented in the images shown below. The pigments' colors can range from yellow to green. One of the most common diarylide yellow pigments is Pigment Yellow 12. Its CAS number is . Other diarylide yellow pigments include ‘’’yellow 13’’’ , ‘’’yellow 17’’’ and ‘’’yellow 83’’’ . These pigments share the same backbone and vary in color depending on substitution of the benzene rings. Worldwide production of color organic pigments was estimated to be about 250,000 metric tons (t) in 2006, with about 25%, or 62,500