Need Help with Obagi
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Fri Sep 28, 2007 12:26 am

Hi All,

I just recently bought Obagi clear and exoderm forte. I also got the retin-a cream 0.025%.

I use different cleanser and toner. I didn't buy the blender.

So here is what I've been doing for the past 2 days. I used the cleanser, toner, clear, exoderm forte, and sunscreen in the morning. At night, I use cleanser, toner, clear, and retin-a.

1) How long should I wait til I apply the exoderm forte after applying the clear in the AM?

2) Should I even apply the clear especially since I apply the retin-a cream afterwards? Or should I apply only the retin-a at night without the clear?

Please help me Smile

. My skin type is oily and I have freckles that I am trying to fade. Yet, I'm trying to exfoliate my skin.

free skin care · Fri Sep 28, 2007 5:07 pm

You don't have to wait any length of time after the clear for the exfoderm, just wait until you feel the clear has absorbed in to your skin (few seconds).

If you don't use the clear, your freckles will not diminish. I would also recommend you get the blender, as that helps the Retin A penetrate deeper.

Also, be careful with Retin A during the day. It really is supposed to be used at night as it makes your skin more sensitive to the sun. If you are using the RA during the day, make sure you stay out of the sun completely.

Just on a side note, be careful of using a different cleanser/toner. I tried to use a different toner when I was at about the 3 month mark. My face turned to a beat, and burned so badly. It took me a while to figure out that it was the off brand toner doing this. I am a firm believer that if you are going to use Obagi, use ALL the products at first to make sure your skin does not have any reactions before you start switching to different products. HTH.

Fri Sep 28, 2007 5:43 pm

thanks rileygirl. I'll think about getting the blender.

your advice is really helpful.

free skin care · Fri Sep 28, 2007 6:15 pm

Definitely get the Blender. It contains some ingredients that push the Retin-A deep into the skin. I don't think you will get the full benefit of Nu-Derm without the Blender step.

EDS just lowered their Obagi prices too!

Sat Sep 29, 2007 11:09 am

I just started the Obagi system as well. I have the whole system as well as the extra sunscreen and Action which is a moisturizer of sorts. I was told to use ONLY Obagi products. Not even soap!
I am wondering what to do as a mid-day routine. I do the whole recommended AM routine but most days I exercise and feel like I want to use something mid day to clean my face. I don't want to wash away the AM products though. Any suggestions?
Also, if anyone is interested, I have decided to be VERY brave and blog my transformation! Eek! rockerlynne dot blogspot dot com

free skin care · Sat Sep 29, 2007 1:05 pm

rockerlynne wrote:

I just started the Obagi system as well. I have the whole system as well as the extra sunscreen and Action which is a moisturizer of sorts. I was told to use ONLY Obagi products. Not even soap!
I am wondering what to do as a mid-day routine. I do the whole recommended AM routine but most days I exercise and feel like I want to use something mid day to clean my face. I don't want to wash away the AM products though. Any suggestions?
Also, if anyone is interested, I have decided to be VERY brave and blog my transformation! Eek! rockerlynne dot blogspot dot com

Good luck Lynne! I'm sure you'll be happy with your results from Obagi. Maybe I'm weird, but I thought that the peeling was kinda fun. I especially liked it when I woke up and my face looked like a molting snake!

free skin care · Sat Sep 29, 2007 4:42 pm

rockerlynne wrote:

I just started the Obagi system as well. I have the whole system as well as the extra sunscreen and Action which is a moisturizer of sorts. I was told to use ONLY Obagi products. Not even soap!
I am wondering what to do as a mid-day routine. I do the whole recommended AM routine but most days I exercise and feel like I want to use something mid day to clean my face. I don't want to wash away the AM products though. Any suggestions?
Also, if anyone is interested, I have decided to be VERY brave and blog my transformation! Eek! rockerlynne dot blogspot dot com

As for reapplying after you exercise...I think most of the product would be already absorbed into your skin so you wouldn't have to worry about washing it away. It would be up to you whether you wanted to apply again after washing your face post-workout. I always exercise in the morning before I apply anything so I've never had your particular dilemma.

Sun Sep 30, 2007 3:10 pm

Hi beeb,
You are funny! And weird! Very Happy

I love that! I am excited about the peeling as well. I like other weird stuff like that too but won't go into it here.
Thanks for the info on the re-application. I decided this morning to do my exercise first and then do the AM routine. Worked excellent for me. Sounds like you are doing it the same way.
www dot rockerlynne dot blogspot dot com

Wed Oct 03, 2007 11:31 am

I have been using Obagi for a week now. Obagi clear, exoderm forte, retin-a and sunscreen. I'm still waiting for the blender to arrive.

Anyhoo, I noticed that under my eyes i'm starting to get wrinkles. I'm not sure if i accidentally applied one of the products near that area or not. But now I'm scared. I'm only 23 and I did not expect this to happen. Has anyone experience such a thing? If so, was it just a side effect and it'll go away?

free skin care · Wed Oct 03, 2007 4:58 pm

sillygoose.jen wrote:

I have been using Obagi for a week now. Obagi clear, exoderm forte, retin-a and sunscreen. I'm still waiting for the blender to arrive.

Anyhoo, I noticed that under my eyes i'm starting to get wrinkles. I'm not sure if i accidentally applied one of the products near that area or not. But now I'm scared. I'm only 23 and I did not expect this to happen. Has anyone experience such a thing? If so, was it just a side effect and it'll go away?

sometimes the dilcate skin under the eyes absorbs some of the product and you get wrinkley looking skin--don't worry, it's only temporary. as your skin become more resiliant using the obagi, the reaction will go away.

If it really bothers you you can REALLY avoid the eye area whenyou apply the retin-a and blender at night (I mean a good inch away from the eyes since the cream does penetrate under the skin and will migrate a bit in my experience) or you can lay off the Retin-a and Blender for a couple of days. I use the obagi eye cream which works very nicely too.

free skin care · Wed Oct 03, 2007 5:22 pm

I agree with beeb. I was going to suggest the eye cream (any eye cream actually just around your eyes, at 23 you aren't wanting to diminish any wrinkles yet!)

Sun Oct 07, 2007 4:23 pm

Uh, I don't think at 23 you should be so hard on your skin. As I understand, you are applying Retin-A in the mornings, and that's just not right... It should only be used at night, believe me on time it will get rid of whatever your problem is, and applying it twice is just going to aggravate the dryness, flaking, burning and sensitivity, but your skin cells won't get better faster.

Also, Obagi blender is not necessary to push anything deeper, Retin-A already goes deep enough to help your skin. Besides, there's no ingredient in blender able to go deeper than Retin A, in fact, Retin A is highly regulated precisely because it promotes change at a cellular level, and no ingredient in blender does that.

Another detail: except for the myristyl ether propionate, which is only an emollient, blender and clear are the same product. So you could have used the clear you already had at night, half an hour after retin-A...

But oh, well... one goes to a store dedicated to sell Obagi, and they will tell you that you absolutely need every single product or else, which of course is false.

Tue Oct 09, 2007 9:56 am

Thanks for everyone's response. The wrinkles were just temporary due to the drying of my skin. Phew!

Now I am encountering something else. I have tiny bumps on my face now. I've been using Obagi for 2 weeks and the bumps just surfaced 2 days ago. I'm not sure if this is supposed to happen or if I'm having an allergic reaction.

I am asian and have olive,oily skin. I'm trying to fade my freckles. I do not have acne.

Look forward to hearing your responses!

free skin care · Tue Oct 09, 2007 12:11 pm

sillygoose.jen wrote:

Thanks for everyone's response. The wrinkles were just temporary due to the drying of my skin. Phew!

Now I am encountering something else. I have tiny bumps on my face now. I've been using Obagi for 2 weeks and the bumps just surfaced 2 days ago. I'm not sure if this is supposed to happen or if I'm having an allergic reaction.

I am asian and have olive,oily skin. I'm trying to fade my freckles. I do not have acne.

Look forward to hearing your responses!

Are you using retin-a?

Tue Oct 09, 2007 12:38 pm

Yes, I'm using Retin-a 0.025%.

free skin care · Tue Oct 09, 2007 3:35 pm

sillygoose.jen wrote:

Yes, I'm using Retin-a 0.025%.

why don't you try laying off the retin-A for a day or so to see if that helps. Theres a woman on the http://www.spectacularskin.com/forum/forum.php forum, Susan RN who is an obagi expert. Maybe you could post the question there and she could help you out.

Sun Oct 11, 2009 12:56 pm

I am freaking out. I used the obagi system for three weeks each day. Then I stopped bc of the intensity of the treatment and I got wrinkles under my eyes and on my forehead AND bags under my eyes when i awake in the morning and stay during the day which I DIDNT HAVE BEFORE. i havent used the system for four weeks now and they are still there. I am 31 years old. Had nothing before this. What is going on? The condition is getting better but this was uspposed to help me not create these situations.. pleae HELP!!!!!!!!!!

free skin care · Sun Oct 11, 2009 5:06 pm

I desperately need some advice on the nuderm system. I purchased the whole set and have been using for over 6 weeks now. I have no symptoms as described as peeling, redness and so on. Does it mean the product will not work on me?? Can anyone give any experience sharing?? Idea

free skin care · Sun Oct 11, 2009 7:14 pm

reeses9 wrote:

I am freaking out. I used the obagi system for three weeks each day. Then I stopped bc of the intensity of the treatment and I got wrinkles under my eyes and on my forehead AND bags under my eyes when i awake in the morning and stay during the day which I DIDNT HAVE BEFORE. i havent used the system for four weeks now and they are still there. I am 31 years old. Had nothing before this. What is going on? The condition is getting better but this was uspposed to help me not create these situations.. pleae HELP!!!!!!!!!!

Reeses9,
Have you consulted a derm in regards to your situation? Also, did you go through a derm or plastic surgeon prior to starting Obagi Nuderm? It isn't uncommon when using Nuderm for everything to get worse before it gets better. Wrinkles (that were never there before), redness, irritation, crepiness -- especially around the eyes, blemishes, etc. can all be part of the "out with the old" stage but will improve with continued use of the products. At this point, since you are so obviously upset and maybe a bit afraid to use the products again, I would suggest an appointment with a derm. It's quite possible that if you had continued on, the problems you are seeing with your skin would have resolved. You didn't use the products long enough to even complete a skin cycle allowing the new skin cells to push to the surface.

free skin care · Sun Oct 11, 2009 7:16 pm

Drsunmei wrote:

I desperately need some advice on the nuderm system. I purchased the whole set and have been using for over 6 weeks now. I have no symptoms as described as peeling, redness and so on. Does it mean the product will not work on me?? Can anyone give any experience sharing?? Idea

Drsunmei,
I responded to your question on another thread. Smile

free skin care · Sun Oct 11, 2009 7:27 pm

reeses9 wrote:

I am freaking out. I used the obagi system for three weeks each day. Then I stopped bc of the intensity of the treatment and I got wrinkles under my eyes and on my forehead AND bags under my eyes when i awake in the morning and stay during the day which I DIDNT HAVE BEFORE. i havent used the system for four weeks now and they are still there. I am 31 years old. Had nothing before this. What is going on? The condition is getting better but this was uspposed to help me not create these situations.. pleae HELP!!!!!!!!!!

You're probably having that because you stopped after only 3 weeks - right in the middle of the "old with the old" phase. The Nu Derm Will help that condition if you stick with it and do the entire program.

I do 2nd kims - go see a derm!

free skin care · Sun Oct 11, 2009 7:30 pm

Drsunmei wrote:

I desperately need some advice on the nuderm system. I purchased the whole set and have been using for over 6 weeks now. I have no symptoms as described as peeling, redness and so on. Does it mean the product will not work on me?? Can anyone give any experience sharing?? Idea

Not everyone gets the peeling, flaking, redness, etc. with Nu Derm. It does not mean the system is not working. But, that said, what strength Retin A are you on and how much of each product are you using? You should be using 1 gram of Retin A - are you using the right amount? Are you using the Exfoderm or the Exfoderm Forte?

free skin care · Mon Oct 12, 2009 7:22 pm

I am using clear and blend at night and clear and exfoderm and spf 35 during day time, exactly following the instruction from the Obagi website. My friend using Obagi C system, she is peeling very seriously since the first week. I thought it will take time for me for such results to come. Then I wait and wait and still nothing. Then I start to wonder why.

free skin care · Mon Oct 12, 2009 7:31 pm

Drsunmei wrote:

I am using clear and blend at night and clear and exfoderm and spf 35 during day time, exactly following the instruction from the Obagi website. My friend using Obagi C system, she is peeling very seriously since the first week. I thought it will take time for me for such results to come. Then I wait and wait and still nothing. Then I start to wonder why.

I think you would have to be using the Retin A too to get the peeling.

free skin care · Mon Oct 12, 2009 7:35 pm

jom wrote:

Drsunmei wrote:

I am using clear and blend at night and clear and exfoderm and spf 35 during day time, exactly following the instruction from the Obagi website. My friend using Obagi C system, she is peeling very seriously since the first week. I thought it will take time for me for such results to come. Then I wait and wait and still nothing. Then I start to wonder why.

I think you would have to be using the Retin A too to get the peeling.

Yes, most definitely. With Nu Derm you have to use Retin A and Retin A is what causes most of the flaking/peeling.

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