obagi Maintanance
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Fri Nov 12, 2010 12:36 pm

I am an Indian origin women living in Malysia.Can anyone help me with the maintenance routine of obagi Nu derm. After being on the nu derm for 18 weeks, I feel lost, when my doctor says, that I do not have to use nu derm products anymore. How ever, she says "just the obagi sunblock will work", and it is hard for me to understand this statement; after spending so much money and time. Is this possible?
Moreover, I am worried about the long term use of obagi on an Asian skin, because of hydroquinone.
Can someone kindly help me with more information about the maintenance routine?I have read almost all the discussions on obagi nu derm, but nothing is clear for an Asian skin.
My light brown Asian skin looks lighter and brighter now with a pink undertone.( after the 18 weeks of obagi) I like the way my skin looks now and I do not want to go back to my old skin after this long process.

free skin care · Fri Nov 12, 2010 7:13 pm

I am Asian (Japanese) and recently completed the full 18 weeks. On maintenance, you do need to continue to use the products on a reduced frequency to maintain what you have, particularly if you had hyperpigmentation. As far as I know, if the HQ didn't give you problems during the 18 weeks, there are no additional concerns to be had from continued HQ use on maintenance just because of your Asian skin.

Sat Nov 13, 2010 1:46 pm

Hi Kristy,
It is so nice of you to share this information.just finished my 18 weeks of nu-derm 4 days ago, and do not want to loose the freshness and the glow.
If you don't mind me asking, what did you mean by " if HQ didn't give you problems during the 18 weeks, there are no additional concerns to be had from continued HQ use on maintenance"?

free skin care · Sat Nov 13, 2010 4:04 pm

I mean that the long term effects of hydroquinone (HQ) for Asian skin are the same as that for Caucasian skin, unless you had issues with the HQ during the 18 weeks.

The issue with Asian skin and those of color is that we tend to produce melanin more easily and often get hyperpigmentation when the skin is traumatized and inflamed. This is called post inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH). For example, I get hyperpigmentation every time I get a zit. Because the Obagi regimen can by very harsh, it may cause trauma to the skin and result in PIH for Asians and darker skin tones. That is why they recommend those with darker skin tones to use some of the products only once a day. The maintenance phase is the not nearly as difficult as the 18 weeks so if you didn't have issues during that part, you shouldn't have issues on maintenance.

Now that isn't to say that HQ is safe. There are studies that suggest HQ may not be safe LT but those studies are a little controversial because the quantity and delivery method were not representative of how HQ is used while on Obagi. You should do your own research and form your opinion.

Sun Nov 14, 2010 10:36 am

Thank you for explaining.

Mon Nov 15, 2010 2:29 pm

my nails are turning light brown/orange in colour last few days; could it be due to nu-derm? I read in some other eds forums we should stop using nu-derm if that happens; could you please through some light on this? I am sorry to bother you with this.
My doctor doest not seem to know any details. thank you.

free skin care · Mon Nov 15, 2010 8:48 pm

nandi wrote:

my nails are turning light brown/orange in colour last few days; could it be due to nu-derm? I read in some other eds forums we should stop using nu-derm if that happens; could you please through some light on this? I am sorry to bother you with this.
My doctor doest not seem to know any details. thank you.

That sounds like the normal nail discoloration people can get from the products.

free skin care · Mon Nov 15, 2010 10:06 pm

nandi wrote:

my nails are turning light brown/orange in colour last few days; could it be due to nu-derm? I read in some other eds forums we should stop using nu-derm if that happens; could you please through some light on this? I am sorry to bother you with this.
My doctor doest not seem to know any details. thank you.

Does obagi can make the the nail become dark??why?

Tue Nov 16, 2010 12:15 pm

Hi Rileygirl, Smile

Thank you for the information. I have used nu derm for my face and still on it for my arms; which were badly tanned and pigmented. My derm suggested me to follow the same routine for both the face and the arms. My arms are much better and I am almost(14th week) done with the peeling and the pain. In fact,my arms are brighter and clearer now. I do not want to stop it after 14 weeks, because of my nails turning brown/orange. Will it be okay for me to continue or should I stop it for few weeks/ or few months?
Sorry to bother you with this question,please let me know if I could do anything without the hydroquinone?

Tue Nov 16, 2010 12:26 pm

hi zhoushuhappy,
I also need an answer for the same question. hope we will get a reply soon. Are you using obagi products?

free skin care · Tue Nov 16, 2010 12:40 pm

Nandi, you don't need to stop due to your nails being discolored. The hydroquinone just has a tendency to yellow ones nails. It is nothing to worry about.

Tue Nov 16, 2010 12:44 pm

Rileygirl, that makes me feel so relieved.Thank you so much.

free skin care · Tue Nov 16, 2010 2:18 pm

I rub each of the nuderm products over the backs of my hands when I do my routine, but at the end, I take soap and wash off my fingers well, to try to avoid the discoloration.

free skin care · Wed Nov 17, 2010 8:34 am

I wash my hands in between product applications (usually I wait 10-15 minutes to apply the next layer), and after using the hydroquinone products, I use a nail brush with soap to get all of the product out from underneath my nails.

Thu Nov 18, 2010 8:09 am

buffy45,
It is hard for me to wash my hands after the application because I am using it on my arms;please let me know if I could do anything anything else, thank you.

Thu Nov 18, 2010 8:16 am

Nymue,

It is difficult for me to wash soon after the application because I am using nu derm for my arms. Moreover, if I do not apply for my fingers, the rest of the arms will look different in color(color due to Asian skin Light brown).

free skin care · Thu Nov 18, 2010 6:32 pm

Nandi,

I'm Chinese. You still have to use 2-3 times a day during your maintenance. I have totally quit using Obagi, because I can't tolerate Retin-A anymore. My face is like burning even I use it for one day.

free skin care · Thu Nov 18, 2010 7:29 pm

Regarding the discolored nails, I believe it is due to oxidation of the HQ products. I was not careful about washing my hands really well after applying and the skind around my nails and the callouses on palms turned an orangey brown color. There was also a slight amount of the same color on the bottle near the dispenser. After I noticed the discoloration, I bought a small hand brush to scrub around my fingernails and palms.

As long as the discoloration is more of a stain rather than incorporated into the nail itself and growing from the nailbed, you should be ok.

Fri Nov 19, 2010 11:46 am

Hi critic,

Please tell me what happens when we quit?
Does your skin looks the same/or any changes? In fact,my situation is that I have to quit now because my derm does not have the product. Me and my friends came to know this (from my derm) today even though she has been promising us for the past few weeks.

Fri Nov 19, 2010 11:49 am

Hi its_kristy,
I have a question, what will happen if we stop (for 2-3 weeks) after 14 weeks? Do I have to start all over again( 18 weeks routine) when I get the obagi nu derm? Please help me with this question. Thank you once again for your explanation.

free skin care · Sat Nov 20, 2010 8:32 pm

nandi wrote:

Hi its_kristy,
I have a question, what will happen if we stop (for 2-3 weeks) after 14 weeks? Do I have to start all over again( 18 weeks routine) when I get the obagi nu derm? Please help me with this question. Thank you once again for your explanation.

You shouldn't have any deterioration in your results as long as you wear sunscreen. The redness you have from the retin-a will subside. It is however, hard to say how your face will react when you restart the regimen. I had to stop Obagi at about week 14 for about a month due to a severe rash caused by a non-obagi product I tried to introduce into the routine. When I restarted, my skin reacted unpredictably and inconsistently. Some days I was very scaley and dry and others it wasn't as bad.

free skin care · Sat Nov 20, 2010 8:34 pm

One other thing, to the extent that you can, I would continue to use any of the Obagi products that you do have unless you are out of all of them. You should, however, extend your Obagi cycle out an additional 2-3 weeks to make up for the time you were off.

Sun Nov 21, 2010 10:43 pm

I do have exforderm, sunfader and the sunblock. My derm told me that she will be getting the stock only on the 20th of dec. Cleanser is my major worry. Any suggestions please?

free skin care · Mon Nov 22, 2010 9:03 pm

nandi wrote:

I do have exforderm, sunfader and the sunblock. My derm told me that she will be getting the stock only on the 20th of dec. Cleanser is my major worry. Any suggestions please?

Out of all the products in the NuDerm system, I would say the cleanser is one of the least important products. That is to say that I believe almost any cleanser would be an adequate substitute.

Mon Nov 22, 2010 11:01 pm

Thank you, I am so relieved, is obagi a life long process?

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