Can I Just Start with Cosmelan 2 at Home?

You can use Cosmelan 2 without the mask, but that's like having chocolate milk without the chocolate - you'll be mssing the most important part of the recipe!

Cosmelan mask will contain various levels of hydroquinone plus some peeling agent. This is what preps your skin to


Jump start the process and give you some fast results

Prep your skin to make best use of the home products


There will be a doctor within your horizon who has Cosmelan. You can contact the company, Mesoestetic, and get some physician information.

I think you'd be shortchanging yourself if you skipped the first and most important step.

Please go to the cosmelan site and they should list all of the doctors in your area that work with the Cosmelan peel. If not your original doctor may be willing to send it to you by mail , since you already know how to do it. The cosmelan 2 can in fact be applied and worn as a mask, however for the true cosmelan 2, you need a prescription. The products you see for sale on the internet are the aesthetician formula, and this is not as strong, and often does not give the same results.

Gail Humble MD

I would advice you against using Cosmelan 2 without Cosmelan 1 . They work synergistically. Besides buying medical grade products such as Cosmelan 2 which has 6% Hydroquinone on line is not advisable

Cosmelan 2 is the maintenance cream and will not provide you the results that you are looking for without the mask.  Cosmelan 2 was designed to be applied after the treatment with the mask.  Please consult a board certified dermatologist who performs the Cosmelan treatments.  Cosmelan is nothing short of a miracle.

The CosmelanTreatment Mask is one of the most successful treatments for Melasma related pigmentation we offer at our practice. I would not feel comfortablerecommending just the maintenance cream as an equivalent alternative. The maskgets deep into the dermas to help break up the melasma/pigment. Not startingwith this step will most likely result in an underwhelming result. The only other alternative I can think of would be a series of Salicylic Acid Peels from a Board Certified Dermatologist scheduled two weeks apart, followed by the use of the Cosmelan 2 nightly and sunblock everyday. This at least will get rid of some of the layers of pigment/melasma and help the Cosmelan 2 to absorb deeper into the skin.

The short answer is "no". Even if you've already been treated previously, you won't get the same results by not being first treated with the Cosmelan Step 1 mask, then using the other products. While the Step 2 initiates the peeling portion, you won't have the necessary foundation for it to work properly. Some physicians may ship you the set to use yourself if you've been treated at their office before. Consider calling your prior physician to see if that's something he or she would be willing to do. But don't waste your money by buying just a portion of the necessary products.