Obagi : different levels of routine
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free skin care · Fri Jan 20, 2012 2:37 pm

Hi
I'm on week 3 of Nu Derm for pigmentation and general skin improvement and I'm using Toner, Clear and Exfoderm forte every morning and Toner and Clear every night with Blender / Retin A every other night. (By the way, I've been using a very tiny, pea- sized amount of Retin A 0.05 every other night for about 2 years and have never got too red or peeling on it). Now I'm on the Obagi as well as Retin A, I'm getting dryness, redness and peeling but it's reasonably manageable. However, no peeling at all on my cheeks or forehead, only around the naso - labial folds and chin. I am using the correct amounts but use a bit less on days I'm very red or flaking. Should I increase Retin A / Blender to every night or will I still get results on pigmentation if I keep on using them every other night? Do some people never peel on cheeks / chin? I have a people-facing job, so it would be difficult to cope with really severe redness and peeling. I also remember reading somewhere that Retin A can cause hair loss and since I've had this problem in the past, I'm wary of upping it to every night because I haven't had a problem with my hair using it once every 2 nights. Any advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

Fri Jan 20, 2012 3:10 pm

I've been using the system with .025% retin a for 4 weeks, and no peeling or redness. I upped it to .1% and 4 days into it, still no peeling.
I have tough skin.

My esthetician told me to use the full amount, (equal parts blender and retin-a) at first. If I become too peely or uncomfortable, scale it down to once every 2 days. (seems like where you're at). Next step would be to dilute it more by increasing the ratio of blender to Retin-a. The peeling part would take as long as it takes your skin to get accustomed to it and by scaling it down, the peeling process may take longer - but be less severe. So it's a matter of decision wether you want to go aggressive and fast, or manageable and slower.
I'm doing the .1% every night so far. Waiting to see some reaction before deciding to scale it down. She did say "YOU HAVE TO PEEL to get results". Yet I am seeing some slow improvement.

I don't know if I was much help, lol, but I still consider myself a newbie. Smile

As far as where you peel, i've seen people peel ONLY in their cheks and chin, and never on the forehead. Maybe it depends on where you have the most damage, or where your skin is dryest to start.

I am curious about the hair loss thing! I have thin hair and would hate that! I shed as it is.

free skin care · Sat Jan 21, 2012 7:36 am

I have worked with Retin A for years, have never ever heard of hairloss as a side effect of the drug.

Using a "very tiny pea size" amount of RA with this system isn't going to get you any peeling or much exfoliation, especially because you're mixing it with other products.

It's the Hydroquinone that is having the direct inpact on the cell that has made too much color, not the RA. RA simply serves the purpose of getting the skin to exfoliate and shed those upper epidermal layers, but also exfoliates inside the skin follicle which is why it's prescribed for acne, too. You will lose some of the that discoloration that's held in the epidermis, but many people have discoloration issues because of their dysfunctional melanocytes...once you stopped feeding the cell the drug of HQ, they go back to producting the same amount of pigment as before.

Also, I rarely saw anyone peel on the forehead...flaking if anything. The majority of peeling occurs in the middle of the face, especially around the mouth area.

Sat Jan 21, 2012 8:12 am

That's very interesting! I was a bit put off as some people have reported to get the discoloration back after stopping the program, I guess now I know why. My discoloration issues are post inflammatory hyperpigmentation, due to picking at those little sebaceous glands that form colorless bumps. It's something I've been trying to control! Lol otherwise,if not by my own means, I don't think I'd have those spots on my cheeks. In my case, I shouldn't have to continue a lifelong HQ treatment to maintain results as long as I stop squeezing my pimples?

free skin care · Sat Jan 21, 2012 11:35 am

Thanks for your advice -I'll increase the Retin A slowly.

Concerning the hairloss thing, there is a link with very high intake of oral Vitamin A and hairloss because it's listed as a possible side effect. I don't believe there's any evidence of a link with topical Retin A but when I began using it, I stopped taking any vitamin supplements that contained Vit. A just as a precaution but that's just me being extra cautious. I guess now I'll just start increasing the Retin A very gradually.

free skin care · Mon Jan 23, 2012 10:39 am

I used both .025 and the .05 of the tretinoin very rarely peeled anywhere except around the muzzle area and around my eye where product margin was. I never peeled on my nose or forehead. In my case, I believe the level of peeling was directly related to the oiliness of my skin. My nose and forehead are very oily and the area around my mouth and chin are 'normal'. The peeling around my muzzle was pretty severe and was scaly rather than flakey. This combined with the redness were the 2 things that made it the most emotionally taxing.

I am doing another cycle almost 2 years after my first and now apply most of the product to the non-muzzle area to minimize the peeling. This probably won't result in optimal benefit but I just can't handle all of the peeling around mouth and if it's a choice between not doing Obagi at all and not applying properly in all areas, I'll take the former.

free skin care · Mon Jan 23, 2012 1:34 pm

its_kristy wrote:

... This combined with the redness were the 2 things that made it the most emotionally taxing.

I am doing another cycle almost 2 years after my first and now apply most of the product to the non-muzzle area to minimize the peeling. This probably won't result in optimal benefit but I just can't handle all of the peeling around mouth and if it's a choice between not doing Obagi at all and not applying properly in all areas, I'll take the former.

I like that wording.. "emotionally taxing"..so true that is what Obaji was to me also. I wanted to share that the clarsonic really changed my life when I learned of it and started using it into my nuderm experience. It exfoliates all that peeling around the mouth..and makes it much more tolerable.
I was told the retin a is working all over the face..that it peels around the mouth because it is mobile and the skin moves more. I also had an esthetician tell me that even though you don't peel..you benefit from the retin a. She actually said you don't have to have an irritated red face all the time.
I've heard so many varying opinions. But..we all want clear, bright, healthy skin...and having red peeling skin and face is a DRAG. I can see doing obaji to whip a face into shape..but the side effects have to go away at some point for anyone to want to continue use.

That is why I've done alternative obaji these past months..with really pretty great success. I didn't want the tender red face for three months.

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