7 Weeks of Obagi (Long)
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Wed Apr 16, 2008 12:44 pm

Hi All

I have been lurking for about 7 weeks, and credit all the Obagi info posted here for the reason I haven't given up.
In an effort to return the favor to all the new Obagi users, here is my day by day journey so far. Hope this helps someone else down the road.

AM Routine
Cleanser
Toner
Clear (½ gram)
Exfoderm
SPF 35

PM Routine
Cleanser
Toner
Clear (½ gram)
Blender
Retin-A & Blender mixed (½ gram each) every other night

2/27/08 (Wednesday) – Day 1
Began with the PM Routine minus the Retin-A and Blender due to my Botox treatment this afternoon.

2/28/08 (Thursday) – Day 2
No major changes this morning. AM Routine as normal. Face started to feel flushed and turned red in the afternoon.
PM Routine with 1st Retin-A/Blender application.

2/29/08 (Friday) – Day 3
Face very red this morning. Under eyes very puffy and crepey. No peeling or flaking yet. AM Routine as normal. Clarisonic was a little rough for me.
Eyes returned to normal as day progressed.
PM Routine minus Retin-A/Blender application.

3/1/08 (Saturday) – Day 4
Significant peeling around nose, mouth and eyes when I woke up. Under eyes very puffy again this morning. Face extremely red today, like a bad sun burn. AM Routine as normal. Clarisonic felt fine, even a little soft.
PM Routine with 2nd Retin-A/Blender application.
Started using cool gel mask for eyes for 10 min in an effort to reduce eye puffiness.

3/2/08 (Sunday) – Day 5 – (Worst Day So Far)
Face very tight and hot this morning. Very flakey. AM Routine as normal. Clarisonic too much, even with the sensitive brush. Feels like I am wearing a mask.
Had lunch at about 3:00 pm. When finished, the entire area around my mouth and chin was white with dead skin from the movement of eating. Rinsed face off with warm water and washcloth and added a ton of moisturizer due to dinner plans for the evening. Applied a small amount of Bobbie Brown tinted moisturizer mixed with regular moisturizer to combat the appearance of redness and peeling. Did not eat much at dinner, because I didn’t want my face to fall off. Toward the end of dinner, peeling began around my lips. By the time I got home the peeling had spread to the entire front of my face. Rinsed with warm water and washcloth
PM Routine minus Retin-A/Blender application. Toner and Clear both burned like hell.
Gel mask used again on eyes.

3/3/08 (Monday) – Day 6
Very red where the peeling occurred last night. Not as red in other areas. Slight peeling and flaking on the sides of my face. Significant peeling and flaking under my chin. Gel mask seems to be working at keeping the eye puffiness at bay. AM Routine as normal. Clarisonic better this morning, but still too sensitive to use around my nose and mouth. Burned slightly less than the previous night. Face feels very tight and mask-like again today. Using Laura Mercier mineral makeup, since I have to go to work. Will definitely skip the Retin-A/Blender tonight to give my skin a break. Did a little research and using washcloth to remove the dead skin is not recommended, as it just exposes the products to raw skin. Much better to use fingers and gently rub. Good to know.
PM Routine as normal minus Retin-A/Blender application. Added Vaseline around mouth and chin area. Gel mask on eyes.
Ordered the Action from Amazon today.

3/4/08 (Tuesday) – Day 7
Feel so much better this morning. Does not hurt to talk or eat. Still tight from under my eyes down to apples of my cheeks, but area around my mouth and chin feel back to normal. AM Routine as normal, though I briefly contemplated skipping the Exfoderm. Flakey and peeling around nose, mouth and chin. By 3:00 pm my face was so tight I couldn’t move it without cracking and peeling. Went home and gently washed face with fingers. Added a little cortisone to get me through to PM Routine.
PM Routine as normal with Retin-A/Blender application. Slight stinging with Toner, but not with anything else. Gel mask on eyes

3/5/08 (Wednesday) – Day 8
AM Routine as normal. No stinging this morning. Noticeable flaking on chin. Skin gets progressively tighter as the day wears on.
PM Routine as normal minus Retin-A/Blender application
Gel mask on eyes, and then cucumber slices.

3/6/08 (Thursday) – Day 9
AM Routine as normal. Decided to skip the SPF 35 to see if that made a change to the appearance of my face. Since my mineral makeup has SPF 15, and I do not go outside other than to and from my car, I thought I would be ok. Not sure if it’s the lack of sunscreen, but my face feels much more tight and dry today.
Sides of my face started peeling slightly today.
Did Alba’s Enzyme mask in the afternoon to assist in getting rid of the dead skin. Vitamin A&D Zinc Oxide Cream throughout the afternoon up until the PM Routine to calm the skin.
PM Routine as normal with Retin-A/Blender application

3/7/08 (Friday) – Day 10
AM Routine as normal. Used a microfiber cloth in the shower very lightly. Went back to the sunscreen. Added foundation primer before the mineral makeup. Feel dry and tight again today. A little itchy.
Action was delivered today. Went home, washed my face, put the Action on. NIGHT AND DAY!!! I will not go another day without this on.
PM Routine as normal minus Retin-A/Blender.

3/8/08 (Saturday) – Day 11
Woke up to feel the skin peeling. Finally, the rest of my face (except forehead) is peeling. Microfiber cloth to exfoliate the skin. AM Routine as normal. Best day so far. Skin feels hydrated and relaxed. A little dryer and tighter as the day wore on, but not unbearable.
PM Routine as normal with Retin-A/Blender.

3/9/08 (Sunday) – Day 12
AM Routine as normal. Slight flaking on chin. Otherwise no other major peeling.
PM Routine as normal minus Retin-A/Blender. Enzyme mask, which burned a little.

3/10/08 (Monday) – Day 13
Peeling again throughout entire face expect forehead. AM Routine as normal.
PM Routine as normal with Retin-A/Blender application

3/13/08 (Thursday) – Day 16
2 week follow up appt. Told to increase the Retin-A slowly to every day. Will try 2 or 3 days on with 1 day off, depending on sensitivity.
Feels a little dryer and tighter today.
PM Routine as normal – 2nd day in a row for Retin-A/Blender application

3/14/08 (Friday) – Day 17
Major peeling this morning. A little sensitivity, but nothing unbearable. AM Routine as normal. Peeling throughout the day, mostly on my nose and around my mouth. Tightness toward the end of the day. Flaking/dryness on chin.
PM Routine as normal minus Retin-A/Blender application

3/15/08 (Saturday) – Day 18
AM Routine as normal, except skipped the Exfoderm. Have a party to attend this evening, and want to alleviate the redness.
PM Routine as normal with Retin-A/Blender application

3/16/08 (Sunday) – Day 19
A lot of peeling around chin and mouth this morning. AM Routine as normal. Almost no irritation. Light flaking around chin and nose throughout the day. PM Routine as normal with Retin-A/Blender application (2nd day in a row). Added Papaya Enzyme mask after cleanser and before toner. No burning.

3/17/08 (Monday) – Day 20
AM Routine as normal. Redness beginning to subside. Flaking on chin. No tightness otherwise.
PM Routine as normal with Retin-A/Blender application (3rd day)

3/18/08 (Tuesday) – Day 21
AM Routine as normal. Forgot to put the Action on today, but didn’t feel a difference. Face is more red today, but that might just be due to the 3 days of Retin-A. Feels normal otherwise. Not a whole lot of flaking or peeling.
PM Routine as normal minus Retin-A/Blender application. Will resume Retin-A tomorrow evening and try for 4 days.

3/20/08 (Thursday) – Day 23
AM Routine as normal. No flaking or peeling either last night or this morning. Still red. Tightness today, so I know the peeling is coming.
PM Routine as normal with Retin-A 2nd night in a row.

3/24/08 (Monday) – Day 27
Completed 4 days in a row of Retin-A on Saturday night. Off day last night.
Started 1st day again tonight.

3/25/08 (Tuesday) – Day 28
Began using 10% vitamin c serum this morning, which adds about 15 minutes to morning routine because you need to wait 15 minutes before applying other products after.

3/27/08 (Thursday) – Day 30
Completed 3 days of Retin-A in a row last night. Have family coming into town, so I will take the next 2 nights off from the Retin-A. Face is more red than usual this week.

3/31/08 (Monday) – Day 34
Began Retin-A Saturday night again and will attempt every day use with no breaks going forward.

4/4/08 (Friday) – Day 38
Completed 6 days in a row of Retin-A. Skin is irritated, so I will skip tonight and resume tomorrow evening.

4/8/08 (Tuesday) – Day 42 – 6 Week Mark
My face is finally adjusting to the products. I am more of a pink color now, and I can see the new tone taking shape. Very soft, but still peeling quite a bit in the evenings and first thing in the mornings. I have finally been able to use my Clarisonic full time again within the last week.

4/15/08 (Tuesday) – 7 Weeks
Completed 8 days in a row of Retin-A on Saturday. Could not go for longer. Chin burned like it was week 2. Took Sunday off of Retin-A and resumed again Monday night. I look almost normal today.

VegasObagi

free skin care · Thu Apr 17, 2008 8:46 am

Hello VegasObagi,

Thank you for the very detailed input of your obagi journey.

I am on my 11th day today and am doing well.

I am sure your Obagi diary can help a lot of the new users.

Thank you again for taking the effort to write and wish you for the clearest and smoothest skin.

Thu Apr 17, 2008 9:16 pm

Hey thanks a lot for this. I just bought it and planning on to use it. I'm really scared, because i need to work.....and I'm a wedding coordinator, so when i work i can't look scary...... But Hope that i get over the scary stage around a month.

Thu Apr 17, 2008 10:24 pm

Thanks so much, VegasObagi! That was so helpful! I'm on my third week now. The flaking is a bit annoying because sometimes I don't realize it's there and people don't tell me. Still, I can't wait to have even toned, beautiful skin at the end of this journey!

free skin care · Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:03 pm

thanks for the great detailed post. I am still doing every 2nd day with the retin a/blender, but in about a week i will try every day and see how that goes.

free skin care · Sat Apr 19, 2008 6:52 am

I keep hearing about Obaji, but get more confused.

Are there different regimens you can use to do this, or is it generally one way with all the same products you are supposed to do it?

I guess what I'm asking is, are there variations to a "course" of using it?

Sat Apr 19, 2008 11:16 am

Thanks so much for the detailed diary VegasObagi. There are several of us here who are in the 2nd/3rd week of NuDerm and your comments are much appreciated!

I discovered an added benefit last night. I have a sun spot on the top of my left hand, slightly larger than a pencil eraser. I always put the products on top of that hand, then apply to my face. Last night, the skin peeled off part of that spot and this morning, the part that peeled is noticably lighter! Progress is being made! I also put a tube of sunscreen that I bought for my face but don't like (Neutrogena 55) in my purse and use that on my hands and forearms several times a day.

If you are just starting the NuDerm and are going through the uglies (redness and "face dandruff", my term for the dreaded flaking and peeling Very Happy

), just let us know and we'll help you through it because we are going through the same thing. Mely09 has been particularly supportive and it really does help.

And Gayle, you can go to Obagi's website to see what their different lines do. If you don't have sun spots or melasma, you don't need anything which contains HQ.

Sat Jun 21, 2008 10:06 am

Does anyone know the difference between the c and Nuderm systems? Question

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