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Wed Nov 10, 2010 8:59 am  |
I know there are a ton of Obagi threads already, and I have read through most of them over the years! But some of them are really lengthy, and it would take a lot of digging to find the answer I'm looking for! So pardons in advance for another Obagji thread. 
After years of hemming and hawing, I started the Nu Derm system last night. It's through a reconstructive plastic surgeon (found her on the Obagi website, and she's on my insurance). Oddly enough, it's her receptionist that really knows the system, and she doesn't even need to see me for occasional checks to see how I'm progressing. They said I can feel free to call with any questions though. I'm not sure how I feel about that part of it, but that's got nothing to do with my question.
I'm trying to start off w/the "less is more" attitude, after reading about all of the scary side effects. And I already know that I'm sensitive to tretinoin. One of my questions was how much blender and tretinoin to use, as it seemed that what I put on last night was a lot and hard to really get it to absorb into my skin. But I found the answer on another thread, about an inch line of each. Is that right? Does anyone else notice that they don't really combine that well and turns into a hard to rub in white cream once you put it on your face?
The receptionist suggested I start with every 3rd night w/the blender and tretinoin, which I think is a good recommendation. I'm using the .05%. I would've liked to start with the .025%, but the office only carried the .05 and .1.
So the question I'm really looking to have answered is this - are you all careful how close you get the product to your under eye area? I have sort of reverse raccoon eyes, with pigmentation starting not too far below my eye area, so last night and this morning I have taken the product right up to the under eye area. I was thinking it might be a good idea to start using a good thick eye cream for that area, to keep it from getting too dried out and crepey. Does anyone else do this? As I don't have pigmentation directly under my eye, I don't think that this should affect my results.
I'm also putting a little bit of aquaphor around the edges of my nose and corners of my mouth before bed. Luckily I don't have pigmentation issues in those areas either (just everywhere else!). Because I know from my Retin-A experience that I get really scaly there very quickly! The Retin-A that I was using before was only .04%, and I couldn't use it more than twice a week, so I am already stepping that up!
I took some pics this morning (my doc also took pics at the office), and I was thinking of starting an Obagi journal on here somewhere. I have seen some in the Product Reviews forum, and some here, so I wasn't sure which would be the best place for it. I really think it would help me get through this process!
Oh, I also found this very interesting. My doc showed me pics of another woman who had had very good results with the Obagi routine, and had pretty severe pigmentation on her cheeks, almost in a freckle like pattern (opposed to me who has mostly big patches). She said that she ONLY used the Clear and was still able to get rid of most of her pigmentation! The receptionist actually suggested I might want to start w/just the Clear, but after years of being on the fence, I was ready to just jump in feet first and do the whole shebang. Has anyone else ever heard of anything like that?? |
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Wed Nov 10, 2010 1:55 pm |
Couple of more questions:
On the cheat sheet that I got from my doc. which shows which products to use when, it says that I should be using the Vitamin C (I got the 15%) AM AND PM. I've been using Vit. C for years and have never before heard of using it at night. I did not apply it last night and intend to use it only in the morning. Anyone else ever hear of applying it at night?
I was also told to use Clear all over my face, and then to go back and spot treat over my pigmented areas (which IS most of my face!). I already used 2 large pea sized dollops of the Clear and spread it all over. I didn't see the point of using more on the dark spots. Seems like it would just use up the product twice as fast. Is there any benefit to using more Clear on the pigmented areas? |
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Wed Nov 10, 2010 5:26 pm |
I think, a good eye cream is a must during this progam. And yes, I am very careful not to let my Retin A/Blender combination close to the eye area otherwise it will become very wrinkly.
I would not recommend using Vit C twice a day since if you plan to use blender and Retin A, your skin will become a little more sensitive to Vit C than usual. I even skip it at all if I've used the Retin A/blender the night before. |
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Thu Nov 11, 2010 6:06 am |
| Nymue wrote: |
One of my questions was how much blender and tretinoin to use, as it seemed that what I put on last night was a lot and hard to really get it to absorb into my skin. But I found the answer on another thread, about an inch line of each. Is that right? Does anyone else notice that they don't really combine that well and turns into a hard to rub in white cream once you put it on your face?
So the question I'm really looking to have answered is this - are you all careful how close you get the product to your under eye area? I have sort of reverse raccoon eyes, with pigmentation starting not too far below my eye area, so last night and this morning I have taken the product right up to the under eye area. I was thinking it might be a good idea to start using a good thick eye cream for that area, to keep it from getting too dried out and crepey. Does anyone else do this?
The receptionist actually suggested I might want to start w/just the Clear, but after years of being on the fence, I was ready to just jump in feet first and do the whole shebang. Has anyone else ever heard of anything like that?? |
Nymue, to measure the correct amount of products, you can use the letters on the bottles. From O to I is 1 gram (the amount you should be using of Clear and Retin A). The distance from O to A is 1/2 gram, which is the recommended amount for the Exfoderm and the Blender. Yes, it is hard to rub all the into your skin. This is a huge part of the process. You need to massage, and massage some more to make sure all the cream is rubbed into your skin.
I always used the products close to my eyes and I never had a problem with it. Some people are hesitant to do this, but it is what is recommended. The Clear, Blender/RA combo can even be used on your lids. Make sure you are feathering the products out over your hairline, as well. Some people develop a lot of dryness, especially under their eyes when the use the products close, so make sure you use a good eye cream twice a day and you will be fine.
The Clear by itself will reduce pigmentation. However, it is the Blender/RA combo that works in the deeper layers of your skin, which is what will help with any "deep" pigmentation you have. The Clear is more for the surface layer or pigmentation that is not deep. You could definitely just use the Clear (and Retin A at night) to maintain your results but I would not rely on the Clear alone to get rid of any deep pigmentation.
As for using the C twice a day, I would not. Some people use C at night instead of during the day. I did this, as I am more interested in collagen production than sun protection from the C. But, since you are just starting out on Nu Derm, I think you should stick with your C in the morning only, at least for a time. Check with the receptionist and ask her why she recommended C twice a day and are you using the Obagi C?
Good luck! |
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Thu Nov 11, 2010 8:50 am |
Thanks so much for the informative response, rileygirl! And you too, RussianSunshine
Riley, I've seen a couple of other people say that the amounts of Blender and Retin-A should be equal? Is this something that is just a personal decision? The Obagi pamphlet says .5 - 1 gram of Blender (actually it says the same thing for Exfoderm too). I've been using a gram of each so far, though that may come back to bite me in the butt!  I definitely don't want to do too much too soon, so I'll back off to .5 gram of each.
As I've had crow's feet since my early 20s that have only gotten deeper over time, I have been using the products on the under eye area in the hopes that it will help to diminsh the lines. So it's a good idea to use an eye cream twice a day, I'll start doing that ASAP. I wasn't sure if the "no moisturizer" rule extended to eye creams as well!
I have also been taking the products right up to the hairline, as I have a spot that goes right up into it! I color my hair light blonde anyway, so if the products do any bleaching there, who cares!
Yeah, the AM and PM use of the Vitamin C just seemed all wrong to me. I'll have to ask the receptionist about that next time I call. I like the morning use for the sun protection. And yes, I'm using the Obagi C. It already seems like a better product than the PSF C that I was using before.
No issues w/redness or dryness yet, but as my skin usually takes 2-3 days to respond to application of Retin-A, I expect to see the flakies start popping up shortly. I've got my Clarisonic and microfiber cloths ready and waiting.
I wasn't sure about getting the Obagi cleanser, as I use one that I like quite a lot (CeraVe). But I went ahead and purchased it and I gotta say, I LOVE it! Does a bang up job at dissolving all dirt and makeup and even my mascara, which I could just not find a cleanser that would do that! When I swipe the toner on after washing my face at night, there is no residue. I also think it has a nice pleasant smell. If it wasn't so expensive, I'd continue to use it indefinitely! Though maybe I can find it cheaper elsewhere, eBay maybe? So I'm using that at night and my CeraVe in the mornings.
Thanks again for the responses!! Really very helpful! |
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Thu Nov 11, 2010 10:33 am |
| Nymue wrote: |
Riley, I've seen a couple of other people say that the amounts of Blender and Retin-A should be equal? Is this something that is just a personal decision? The Obagi pamphlet says .5 - 1 gram of Blender (actually it says the same thing for Exfoderm too). I've been using a gram of each so far, though that may come back to bite me in the butt! I definitely don't want to do too much too soon, so I'll back off to .5 gram of each.
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You're welcome, Nymue. Usually the amount is 1/2 gram for the Exfoderm and 1/2 gram for the Blender, 1 gram for the Clear, and 1 gram for the Retin A. That is the "normal" protocol. When starting out it is ok to use 1/2 gram of Retin A mixed with 1/2 gram of Blender, but when your skin adjusts more move up to the 1 gram of RA mixed with 1/2 gram of Blender. HTH! |
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Thu Nov 11, 2010 1:06 pm |
| rileygirl wrote: |
| Nymue wrote: |
Riley, I've seen a couple of other people say that the amounts of Blender and Retin-A should be equal? Is this something that is just a personal decision? The Obagi pamphlet says .5 - 1 gram of Blender (actually it says the same thing for Exfoderm too). I've been using a gram of each so far, though that may come back to bite me in the butt! I definitely don't want to do too much too soon, so I'll back off to .5 gram of each.
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You're welcome, Nymue. Usually the amount is 1/2 gram for the Exfoderm and 1/2 gram for the Blender, 1 gram for the Clear, and 1 gram for the Retin A. That is the "normal" protocol. When starting out it is ok to use 1/2 gram of Retin A mixed with 1/2 gram of Blender, but when your skin adjusts more move up to the 1 gram of RA mixed with 1/2 gram of Blender. HTH! |
That does help! I think starting off with .5 gram of Retin-A is a smart call, especially because I already know I'm sensitive to it. I think I may have overdone it the first night! |
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Thu Nov 11, 2010 4:24 pm |
| The hydroquinone products (Clear and Blender) rarely cause an adverse reaction in most people so I wouldn't hesitate to use the full recommended dosage of those. It's the tretinoin that causes the major side effects so if you feel like you need to gradually implement, that's the product you should use reduced amounts of. |
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40, Asian, Fitpatrick III with mostly moderate hyperpigmentation and isolated severe. Currently on Obagi Nu-Derm. |
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Mon Nov 15, 2010 8:58 am |
| its_kristy wrote: |
| The hydroquinone products (Clear and Blender) rarely cause an adverse reaction in most people so I wouldn't hesitate to use the full recommended dosage of those. It's the tretinoin that causes the major side effects so if you feel like you need to gradually implement, that's the product you should use reduced amounts of. |
Thanks Kristy, that sounds like a good plan! |
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Mon Nov 15, 2010 1:28 pm |
| what is clarisonic? Is this cleanser? |
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| Wed Apr 24, 2024 8:49 pm |
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