My Obagi experience
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free skin care · Wed Jun 09, 2010 6:20 am

hix831 wrote:

Hello, this is my first post! Sorry in advance for the length.

A girlfriend of mine just had some amazing results with the obagi nuderm line, and I'm interested in trying it. Her freckles have almost completely disappeared, along with her fine lines. I'm very jealous! I'm wondering if I should jump in and try the obagi, or just start by getting some Retin-A. I'm 28, my skin tone is quite even, I just have a smattering of small brown spots around my eye area, 1 brown scar about the size of a pea, and a few faint acne scars, so I'm not too concerned about focusing on lightening my skin, though it would be great to get rid of these imperfections. I do however have genetically large pores and have recently developed an overall crepiness as well as fine lines under eyes and labial folds. Does it sound like I need the whole Obagi line? If so, which line? Or would a nightly Retin-A do the trick?

I know I should consult a dermatologist, but I've recently moved to an Island in the South Pacific where I haven't been able to locate a derm w/ obagi knowledge Sad

My skin is also unhappy with the climate change (from Dry So Cal weather, to hot humid tropical weather. No breakouts, but clogged pores, general oiliness along with dryness). Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!

Welcome, hix831! Nu Derm and C-RX systems are both great for hyperpigmentation. You may get a tiny bit of lightening of brown spots with Retin A, but it will take a long time. However, if you aren't really concerned with the brown areas, then maybe you could just start on Retin A and see how you do with that.

If you are interested in Nu Derm I would definitely advise to see a derm/esty, but I know a lot of people do not. Either way, I would tell you to do a lot of research. Nu Derm is great, but it is a total system that requires commitment and patience. It is an 18 week long system, and you will be red, dry, flaky, etc for a large majority of the time. Also you must continue with maintenance after the 18 weeks to maintain your results. HTH!

Wed Jun 09, 2010 11:58 am

Dear Hix831,

I had exactly the same dilemma as you. My beautician recommended the Obagi Nu derm a while ago, but after investigating the side effects on forums like this, I was put off by the majority of people reporting severe side affects, including peeling, break outs, redness. From the reviews I also concluded that using tretinoin on it's own doesn't seem to have such drastic side effects, so I started using just tretinoin 0.1 every night. My skin was peeling a bit and I had some side effects for about a week, then they completely stopped, and after using it for 6 weeks I decided to start the obagi nu derm as I thought I could take something stronger. So here I am, on day 9 on the Obagi Nu derm with 0.5 tretinoin.

Well, to answer you question, I think that tretinoin on it's own will achive a smoother skin and will help with fine lines and large pores, but to make a real difference you probably ought to go with the Obagi system.

My question for all you Obagi experts out there: I have been on the Obagi for 9 days, I had some peeling for about 6 days and it's completely stopped. Is that normal? Should I maybe go up to the tretinoin 0.1? Currently using 0.5. Or maybe change exfoderm to exfodem forte? Some people talk about the quantities used, well I am not quite sure if I use a full gram as the amount I put on is probably about a larger peasize but when I put it on my face it feels like there is too much product on and takes ages to rub some in as it is, if I used any more, the extra amount would just sit on my skin.

Wed Jun 09, 2010 12:12 pm

Hi Everyone, I am a little confused about my Nu Derm experience. I am 43 with sun damage. I have been on the nu derm system for 5 weeks. I was happy with what was happening until about 3 days ago. I am extremely dry, peeling again, and my wrinkles below my eyes (top of cheeks) are really pronounced. Should this be happening this far into the system? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.

free skin care · Wed Jun 09, 2010 12:43 pm

nicerkitten wrote:

Some people talk about the quantities used, well I am not quite sure if I use a full gram as the amount I put on is probably about a larger peasize but when I put it on my face it feels like there is too much product on and takes ages to rub some in as it is, if I used any more, the extra amount would just sit on my skin.

You are not using Near enough product. 1 gram of Clear twice a day, 1 gram of Retin A mixed with 1/2 gram of Blender, and 1/2 gram of Exfoderm is what you should be using. To measure 1 gram you can use the OBAGI letters on your bottle. From the O to the I is 1 gram. This is not a thin little line either, think of toothpaste. You should have to rub, and rub, and rub some more to get it all rubbed in. That is part of the process. 1/2 gram is measured from the letter O to the letter A on the bottle (again think a toothpaste like line). Try the correct amount before you even think of moving up the strength of your Retin A.

free skin care · Wed Jun 09, 2010 12:44 pm

TLS315 wrote:

Hi Everyone, I am a little confused about my Nu Derm experience. I am 43 with sun damage. I have been on the nu derm system for 5 weeks. I was happy with what was happening until about 3 days ago. I am extremely dry, peeling again, and my wrinkles below my eyes (top of cheeks) are really pronounced. Should this be happening this far into the system? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.

Part of the process. You will be dry, flaky, red, peely off and on the entire time.

free skin care · Wed Jun 09, 2010 12:46 pm

nicerkitten wrote:

Dear Hix831,

I had exactly the same dilemma as you. My beautician recommended the Obagi Nu derm a while ago, but after investigating the side effects on forums like this, I was put off by the majority of people reporting severe side affects, including peeling, break outs, redness. From the reviews I also concluded that using tretinoin on it's own doesn't seem to have such drastic side effects, so I started using just tretinoin 0.1 every night. My skin was peeling a bit and I had some side effects for about a week, then they completely stopped, and after using it for 6 weeks I decided to start the obagi nu derm as I thought I could take something stronger. So here I am, on day 9 on the Obagi Nu derm with 0.5 tretinoin.

Well, to answer you question, I think that tretinoin on it's own will achive a smoother skin and will help with fine lines and large pores, but to make a real difference you probably ought to go with the Obagi system.

My question for all you Obagi experts out there: I have been on the Obagi for 9 days, I had some peeling for about 6 days and it's completely stopped. Is that normal? Should I maybe go up to the tretinoin 0.1? Currently using 0.5. Or maybe change exfoderm to exfodem forte? Some people talk about the quantities used, well I am not quite sure if I use a full gram as the amount I put on is probably about a larger peasize but when I put it on my face it feels like there is too much product on and takes ages to rub some in as it is, if I used any more, the extra amount would just sit on my skin.

I am not an expert, but I will try to answer as per my experience will allow me.
I *think* your skin is well nourished, hydrated, in good shape and this is why you don't have so much of peeling, dryness and redness.
I am sure I used the full gram and maybe even more and it just absorbed right away; my skin has a tendency to feel dry.

Be happy that you don't get that much of the side effects. Who knows how will your skin will react later. I would say wait a little more, maybe another week and see if you need to change anything; you still have a long way to go. I had good Obagi days and bad ones.
I don't know about the strength of Retin-A, but it seems that your skin can put up with a stronger kind, but I don't really know. I started using the 1% and it was too much for me and lowered it to the .025% and did not make much of a difference regarding dryness.

If your skin is normal to oily, I think they recommend the Exfoderm forte.

I hope rileygirl and/or kims give your their input also!

take care!

Edit: I see rileygirl just answered you. As she very well indicates it is one full gram twice a day and the other stuff as she describes.

free skin care · Wed Jun 09, 2010 12:57 pm

TLS315 wrote:

Hi Everyone, I am a little confused about my Nu Derm experience. I am 43 with sun damage. I have been on the nu derm system for 5 weeks. I was happy with what was happening until about 3 days ago. I am extremely dry, peeling again, and my wrinkles below my eyes (top of cheeks) are really pronounced. Should this be happening this far into the system? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.

Mmmm... I had dryness, peeling, around my mouth, and stopped the Retin-A/Blender on my lower lids by the end of the 8th or 9th week. I used the Clear there though. I never used the Exfoderm there, you are not supposed to.

There are some good tips in this thread and others. I think Aquaphor and baby rash cream also work and that's what the girls here recommend. I also bought the "Action" from Obagi which also help.

Wed Jun 09, 2010 1:13 pm

thank you for such quick responses. Has anyone really seen any improvement in fine lines from the nu derm system?

free skin care · Wed Jun 09, 2010 1:24 pm

TLS315 wrote:

thank you for such quick responses. Has anyone really seen any improvement in fine lines from the nu derm system?

Definitely. I wiped out the nasolabial lines I had on Obagi. Nu Derm will definitely help with fine lines.

Wed Jun 09, 2010 1:28 pm

thank you so much rileygirl, I have been reading post here for quite some time and you have been a great help to me. I am feeling pretty bummed today, by the way my face looks, so encouragement means a lot.

free skin care · Wed Jun 09, 2010 3:32 pm

TLS315 wrote:

thank you so much rileygirl, I have been reading post here for quite some time and you have been a great help to me. I am feeling pretty bummed today, by the way my face looks, so encouragement means a lot.

TLS315, it is a rough system. I totally understand the bummed feeling. All of us who have been on Nu Derm get it. Just hang in there and in several months you will be thrilled with your skin! You can do it. Very Happy

Wed Jun 09, 2010 4:03 pm

Margarett, I wish the lack of peeling was due to what you suggest i.e. my skin being hydrated and nourished, unfortunately I don't think so. My skin is not bad, but it is definately dehydrated and not in the best condition.

When you say your skin absorbs the cream straight away, do you mean the blender and tretinoin as well? I find the blender mixed with the tretinoin becomes a thick white cream which doesn't want to absorb at all. I took rileygirl's advice (thanks for that ) this evening and used quite a lot more of the tretinoin and blender than before and rubbed and rubbed it in for ages, to the point that my hands became sore Wink

Let's see if it does the trick. Razz

Wed Jun 09, 2010 4:28 pm

Thanks for the info rileygirl and nicerkitten! I've been toying with the idea of trying this for over 3 years, so I guess I should just take the leap! Is obagi prescription only? What do you girls think of the deals they have on ebay? Does they sound like a good deal?

Thanks so much!

free skin care · Wed Jun 09, 2010 6:09 pm

nicerkitten wrote:

Margarett, I wish the lack of peeling was due to what you suggest i.e. my skin being hydrated and nourished, unfortunately I don't think so. My skin is not bad, but it is definately dehydrated and not in the best condition.

When you say your skin absorbs the cream straight away, do you mean the blender and tretinoin as well? I find the blender mixed with the tretinoin becomes a thick white cream which doesn't want to absorb at all. I took rileygirl's advice (thanks for that ) this evening and used quite a lot more of the tretinoin and blender than before and rubbed and rubbed it in for ages, to the point that my hands became sore Wink

Let's see if it does the trick. Razz

Actually, the Blender and RA were the ones which got absorbed the most, the others not as much.

I hope it works this time for you and your redness, dryness is mild!

free skin care · Wed Jun 09, 2010 6:13 pm

hix831 wrote:

Thanks for the info rileygirl and nicerkitten! I've been toying with the idea of trying this for over 3 years, so I guess I should just take the leap! Is obagi prescription only? What do you girls think of the deals they have on ebay? Does they sound like a good deal?

Thanks so much!

No, Obagi is not prescription only. You can buy it online. I got the best deals here at EDS. I would not know about buying it at ebay.

Retin-A is prescribed by your doctor but girls around here can find it in online drugstores too without prescription.

good luck!

Thu Jun 10, 2010 6:36 am

Are you supposed to mix the blender and tretinoin together before applying? That's how I've been doing it. Thanks.

free skin care · Thu Jun 10, 2010 8:07 am

nicerkitten wrote:

Are you supposed to mix the blender and tretinoin together before applying? That's how I've been doing it. Thanks.

Yes, mix then apply.

free skin care · Thu Jun 10, 2010 8:10 am

hix831 wrote:

Thanks for the info rileygirl and nicerkitten! I've been toying with the idea of trying this for over 3 years, so I guess I should just take the leap! Is obagi prescription only? What do you girls think of the deals they have on ebay? Does they sound like a good deal?

Thanks so much!

While Obagi may not be rx only, some of the products contain prescription strength hydroquinone and cannot be sold on ebay. That's why you won't find Clear, Blender or Sunfader there. You can find sellers that will sell sets of the non-HQ products, then have the HQ products as bonus items. However, they won't disclose the bonus items in the listing--you have to ask what they are.

Thu Jun 17, 2010 9:54 am

Hi, all. tomorrow I will have been doing nuderm for 2 weeks. Peeling, redness etc. every day, but already the change in my skin is quite dramatic. I am VERY happy I decided to do this.

I have a question, though. I have to go to a fancy event in 2 weeks. How many days prior to it should I stop the regimen so thst that night I won't be all lizardy? And do I have to stop the whole thing? or just the exfoderm and retinol?

free skin care · Thu Jun 17, 2010 12:44 pm

echobaby wrote:

Hi, all. tomorrow I will have been doing nuderm for 2 weeks. Peeling, redness etc. every day, but already the change in my skin is quite dramatic. I am VERY happy I decided to do this.

Hi Echobaby,
That's great news that you've already seen improvement in just two weeks' time!! I would probably stop all the products (except sunscreen, of course) 4-5 days prior to your event. Keep us updated on your progress!

I have a question, though. I have to go to a fancy event in 2 weeks. How many days prior to it should I stop the regimen so thst that night I won't be all lizardy? And do I have to stop the whole thing? or just the exfoderm and retinol?

Thu Jun 17, 2010 2:48 pm

Thanks, KIMS. I will let you know how it goes. Wrong thread, but since you're on today, maybe you can answer where people are purchasing their copper peptide products(not for my face). I posted this question on another thread, but now I can't remember which one. The forum is somewhat confusing.

Fri Jun 18, 2010 10:03 am

I am just over 2 weeks into Obagi Nu derm now and I have minimal peeling, mainly around my mouth, nothing at all on my cheeks or forehead. However, my skin has lots of little red bumps and just looks like I have bad skin. I just look unhealthy and pale. At least if there was peeling, I would know that it is doing what it's supposed to do. I don't know how people go through this. Having bad skin for 2 weeks is slowly crushing my self confidence, I never want want to go out and that's considering that my skin is a lot better than most people's on Obagi.
I am almost close to giving up as I don't see my skin will actually get better. My skin usually looks great after being in the sun a bit plus putting a bit of self tan on. Now I look so white from the hydroquinine with red spots. Yuck!
I also have the same question as echobaby. If I go on my holiday in 4 weeks time, how long before should i stop and which products should I stop? I will not have the yucky skin on my holiday for 3 weeks, so shall I stop it altogether or shall I just stick to the cleanser and toner. Don't know what to do.

Fri Jun 18, 2010 11:52 am

Have any of you noticed your eyelids peeling, even though you're not putting the products anywhere near them? How does that happen? Confused

free skin care · Fri Jun 18, 2010 12:39 pm

nicerkitten wrote:

I am just over 2 weeks into Obagi Nu derm now and I have minimal peeling, mainly around my mouth, nothing at all on my cheeks or forehead. However, my skin has lots of little red bumps and just looks like I have bad skin. I just look unhealthy and pale. At least if there was peeling, I would know that it is doing what it's supposed to do. I don't know how people go through this. Having bad skin for 2 weeks is slowly crushing my self confidence, I never want want to go out and that's considering that my skin is a lot better than most people's on Obagi.
I am almost close to giving up as I don't see my skin will actually get better. My skin usually looks great after being in the sun a bit plus putting a bit of self tan on. Now I look so white from the hydroquinine with red spots. Yuck!
I also have the same question as echobaby. If I go on my holiday in 4 weeks time, how long before should i stop and which products should I stop? I will not have the yucky skin on my holiday for 3 weeks, so shall I stop it altogether or shall I just stick to the cleanser and toner. Don't know what to do.

Nicerkitten, stop about 1 week before your trip. The tiny red bumps do not sound right. I would go check with your derm/esty about them. It almost sounds like an allergic reaction. Just 1 thing about the no peeling. You are only 2 weeks into it. Give it some time. I did not peel at all, and just had a lot of flakes around my mouth area, but Nu Derm wiped out all my freckles and age spots. I tell you this just for you to know that not every person peels. It does not mean the system is not working. It takes time to work, though.

free skin care · Fri Jun 18, 2010 12:43 pm

echobaby wrote:

Have any of you noticed your eyelids peeling, even though you're not putting the products anywhere near them? How does that happen? Confused

The products will "travel" so to speak when you sleep, echobaby. You can try to put the products on a few hours before bed, but sometimes that doesn't help. If you use an eye cream, that should stop the peeling on your lids.

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