DR. LESLIE A. GLASS, M.D.

Dr. Glass did a good job treating my acne when I was a teenager, so of course I trusted her with my skin as an adult when I developed the mask of pregnancy (melasma) after two children. My trust was misplaced. I visited her in May 2015 with my six month old baby and mentioned to her that I was still nursing. At the time, I had hyper-pigmentation above my lip that looked like a mustache and very faint hyperpigmentation on my cheek bones. She prescribed me Hydroquinone .05 and Retin A .05 blended to fade the hyperpigmentation. She provided no instructions for application other than to apply the cream every other night or so and use sunscreen. She did not ask for a follow up. When I filled the prescription, I noticed the warning not to use while nursing. I called her office to ask why she prescribed it because she knew I was nursing. Her assistant assured me it was safe to use. I nevertheless waited until I had almost completely weaned my baby and used it for about four months with SPF 35, foundation with sunscreen and a wide brimmed hat. My skin peeled horribly and was very irritated during use; I didn't know I needed to wait a half an hour after washing to apply it and to use moisturizer concurrently. Dr. Glass pointed this out on the second visit. The treatment didn't work and, worst of all, I developed a highly noticeable patch of dark sunspots and burst capillaries on my left driver's-side cheekbone. When I visited Dr. Glass again over a year later, she said there is no way to reverse this sun damage. I have learned that Hydroquinone is banned in Europe, should not be used for more than three consecutive months because of possible irreversible side effects and certainly should not be used while nursing. I wish I had thoroughly researched the products Dr. Glass prescribed before use and never filled the prescription.