My Obagi experience
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Mon Apr 22, 2013 11:08 am

ok. that is a lot of money and i do not know whether there are side effects.

free skin care · Tue Apr 23, 2013 4:07 am

i tried three times, but gave up in the middle for each time. how could u manage to go through?

Tue Apr 23, 2013 7:56 am

Chauberry wrote:

I did 24 weeks, and am in 6 weeks maintenance. Lightening continues, and I read that even more effects are seen in the next full round.

Chauberry, what made u do the 24 weeks instead of 18 as suggested by most dermatologists. were you able to get rid of all the pigmentation, if pigmentation is your issue, at the end of the 24-weeks regime.

Thanks

Tue Apr 30, 2013 6:16 am

merged from http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewthread.php?p=6498802#6498802

obagi_first1time wrote:

Hi,

I'm trying Obagi for the first time, and I have quite a thick beard. I was wondering if anyone could tell me whether the beard will get in the way of the treatment or whether I could get away with just rubbing it into the beard-covered area?

Thank you!!

free skin care · Thu May 02, 2013 12:13 pm

I did three times for nuderm regime already and did maintenance. But I stopped using Obagi for 2 month now. My freckles came back . OMG, how long do I have to use this obagi Nuderm. I don't know what causes this? How can people can manage Obagi maintenance. First it is expensive and it is not good for your health eventually. Someone help me. When I did Nuderm regime, my face got lighter and my freckles are gone. but everytime I don't use Nuderm my freckles came back right away. That is why I did it three time and in between I did use Nuderm as maintenance three times per week. My face got so dry and I stopped using Nuderm about two month ago. I am so frustrating

free skin care · Thu May 02, 2013 1:03 pm

I feel the same way, azumma! I did 24 weeks and all the melasma was gone; maintenance 4 x a week for 3 months; then another 6 weeks full NuDerm to shock the skin. Now I am on maintenance 3 x a week using 1 gram Clear twice a day and 1/2 g tretinoin 0.1% with Blender on NuDerm days.

The melasma is slowly coming back - I can see it appearing like a Polaroid developing. My skin is so dry, wrinkly, red and peeling still (though not sloughing off like on full-time Nuderm). I am caked in sunscreen and reapply every few hours.

I want to make a change but don't know what to do. I've incorporated rosehip oil, azaleic acid, peptides, etc. to try to get the melasma under control and the skin in good condition.

I am thinking about lasers but worry about the PIH lasers can cause on Asian skin.

Before Obagi, I had melasma but still good glowing skin. I could cover any patches with foundation and look like I was in my 20s with perfect skin. Now my skin is firmer but looks so much worse (especially the wrinkles when I smile and people always commenting on the redness). I can't even think of wearing any foundation or blush on the flaking, peeling skin. Maybe Obagi just isn't for dry skin people.

Just the other day, someone said they had the name of a good doctor to help me with my skin disease! (Because I had been exercising so was extra red and apparently the flakes were looking especially attractive.)

Oh, I will try Chinese medicine as the doctor believes melasma is caused by a kidney or liver imbalance. My friend said it works but is absolutely disgusting to drink so probably can't complete the treatment. I said, at this point I'll choke down anything...I just want some success so it was all worth it.

free skin care · Thu May 02, 2013 2:04 pm

OMG I totally agree with you, denisiel Sad

With all three times nuderm, they make my skin leathery and dry. it feels like my skin is cracking - draught land.... But there was no freckles during Nuderm regime. Now my freckles are back and I don't look good at all. So depressing..................as you said Nuderm might not work with dry skin person. I need to get rid of my freckles...I don't want to redo Nuderm again..so terrible Mad

Sun May 05, 2013 11:40 am

azumma wrote:

I did three times for nuderm regime already and did maintenance. But I stopped using Obagi for 2 month now. My freckles came back . OMG, how long do I have to use this obagi Nuderm. I don't know what causes this? How can people can manage Obagi maintenance. First it is expensive and it is not good for your health eventually. Someone help me. When I did Nuderm regime, my face got lighter and my freckles are gone. but everytime I don't use Nuderm my freckles came back right away. That is why I did it three time and in between I did use Nuderm as maintenance three times per week. My face got so dry and I stopped using Nuderm about two month ago. I am so frustrating

Hi azumma

is your freckles due to hereditary reasons ? i.e., do your parents have it ? If they are due to hereditary reasons. I think they are likely t come back no matter how long you use obagi for. but using obagi does suppress the causes of the freckles and make them harder to come back.

Good Luck Smile

Mon May 06, 2013 8:37 pm

I am having post inflammatory hyperpigmentation from the obagi nu derm. I have been on the system for 11 weeks now and my freckles almost disappeared at the 8-weeks mark. However, some of them have now came back even though I had very little sun exposure over the past month or so. I think this is a sign of post inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Has anyone experienced the same thing as me ?

Trent

Tue May 07, 2013 8:29 am

another question. how long does the dryness on the skin last when one is on obagi. I am in my 11th week and skin is still very dry and wrinkled.

free skin care · Fri May 10, 2013 12:50 am

It's really help for me to choose the right products.Thanks a lot.

free skin care · Fri May 10, 2013 12:30 pm

trenttong wrote:

azumma wrote:

I did three times for nuderm regime already and did maintenance. But I stopped using Obagi for 2 month now. My freckles came back . OMG, how long do I have to use this obagi Nuderm. I don't know what causes this? How can people can manage Obagi maintenance. First it is expensive and it is not good for your health eventually. Someone help me. When I did Nuderm regime, my face got lighter and my freckles are gone. but everytime I don't use Nuderm my freckles came back right away. That is why I did it three time and in between I did use Nuderm as maintenance three times per week. My face got so dry and I stopped using Nuderm about two month ago. I am so frustrating

Hi azumma

is your freckles due to hereditary reasons ? i.e., do your parents have it ? If they are due to hereditary reasons. I think they are likely t come back no matter how long you use obagi for. but using obagi does suppress the causes of the freckles and make them harder to come back.

Good Luck Smile

I am not sure my freckles from hereditary or not. I am very pale and I am the only one who have freckles in my family. My freckles started to develop from junior high about 14 or 15 years old. But my anunt has freckles. My father and mother and my sisteres and brother don't have freckles. That is why I am not sure. You point out interesting view, I didn't think about that--

free skin care · Fri May 10, 2013 12:37 pm

trenttong wrote:

another question. how long does the dryness on the skin last when one is on obagi. I am in my 11th week and skin is still very dry and wrinkled.

For my case, the driness lasted 24 weeks. Some days are a little bit better and some days were worse kind of in and out. Since my skin is originally dry skin, I had a hard time. My face wrinkled up like a prune.
But it is kind of case by case. Everybody is different

Sun May 12, 2013 1:59 pm

Hi azumma

I am using obagi to get rid of the freckle on the left side of my face. I am having amazing progress and hope obagi will be able to get rid of them completely in the end of the regimen. but I think my freckle is hereditary, i.e., my father has it.

I think for people like me, having freckles as a result of imperfect genes. it is important to strengthen ones health, in hope that the freckles do not come back or come back as slow as possible.

In addition to using obagi, i am also adjusting (somewhat experimenting with) my diet to eat as much vitamin C as much as possible. vitamin C inhibits the enzyme that is primarily responsible for the production of melanin (freckles). There are a slew of articles on the web which give one suggestions on what kind of food reduces the production of pigmentation.

Thu May 16, 2013 10:59 pm

Hi! I am new here. I've come across an info from the internet that using Obagi Nu derm system for so long can be unsafe. I honestly never knew this, and as my title read, I've been using the whole system for 2 years. Except for the C serum because any product with Vit C doesn't work well on my skin and I get red bumps/acne from using it.

I don't have severe acne to start with, but I usually get a cystic acne on my forehead and blind pimple on my nose and chin once in a while. I wouldn't stop using the system if they were safe to use forever because when I started using the system, I never got acne anymore. Not even a single pimple in the last 2 years.

But then I found out about it being unsafe if used for a long time and read about others using it for 6 mos only. Now I am worried. I feel like I've used it way too long.

I've read Obagi maintenance posts from this forum, so I started minimizing the use of the system, and alternately used it with basic moisturizer. Unfortunately, seems like every moisturizer I use breaks me out (oil free, lightweight, non comedogenic, even the ones for sensitive skin broke me out)... I've had 2 blind pimple on my nose and chin. So I stopped using moisturizers and went back to the system for now. *sigh* I'm a bit scared to keep looking and try new ones again cos I'm afraid my acne would get worse.

Nobody from my local Obagi warned me about the negative effect so I kept buying. A few days ago after reading so much on the internet, one of the dermatologist was in the clinic, so I asked about it. She said I should switch to ClearFX already. I asked if it's safe to continue the rest of system and just change to clearfx, she said yes.

What do you guys think? Is it really safe to continue using exfoderm, blender+tretinoin and clearfx? Or do you think I should still keep looking for a moisturizer or skin care that I can alternate the system with?

Thu May 16, 2013 11:01 pm

Wait a minute.. I was just checking on the Obagi website and saw two skin care lines which seem to be similar..

-Nu derm
-Condition & Enhance

Are these two lines different? Like with the ingredients? I just checked the products that I have. Exfoderm, Blender, Clear and Cleanser are all from the Condition & Enhance line. But the toner that I currently have is from the Nu Derm line.

I just bought a new bottle of my Cleanser and Toner a few weeks ago, and that's why they gave me. Didn't really notice that they came from different lines.

I don't really remember if my previous bottles of blender and clear were Nuderm or Condition&Enhance. :/

I am wondering though if the Condition&Enhance line is safe to use continously or is it just like the Nu Derm system?

Also found that they have Blender Fx. The dermatologist from Obagi didnt mention that to me. I asked her if I use Clear FX, if it's safe to use blender and exfoderm continously she said yes! I am confused.

Fri May 17, 2013 6:05 am

as far as i understand, one of obagi's ingredient is hydroquinone acid, which unfortunately is a carcinogen. that is why it is bad for your health if used long term

free skin care · Fri May 17, 2013 8:55 am

tinycat wrote:

-Nu derm
-Condition & Enhance

Are these two lines different?

Hi tinycat, They are the same product but with different names for marketing reasons.

tinycat wrote:

Also found that they have Blender Fx. The dermatologist from Obagi didnt mention that to me. I asked her if I use Clear FX, if it's safe to use blender and exfoderm continously she said yes! I am confused.

After your 18 or 24 weeks of continuous use, you are supposed to take a break and go on maintenance. You maintenance regime depends on why you were on Nu Derm in the first place - rejuvenation, pigmentation, etc. Do a search for Obagi maintenance and you will find many members who share their routines and products used.

Dr. Obagi now says to go off hydroquinone (which is in Clear and Blender) after three or four months. This should be replaced with an alternative lightening agent, such as those found in Clear FX and Blender FX. The other issue is tretinoin, which Dr. Obagi also says patients should take a break from after three or four months due to the inflammation and other aggressions that can damage age the skin from continuous use. He replaces this with a retinol product.

I don't believe Nu Derm is unsafe for most people. If you have dark skin then it may cause problems. The issue is more that you have a reaction to hydroquinone where the skin starts to develop more pigmentation. If you read my post above you will see I have this rebound pigmentation so am also looking to get off Nu Derm.

And why do you need a moisturizer? Many people don't need one on Nu Derm as the system balances the skin. I still need moisturizer but not as badly as before Nu Derm in some areas.

Lastly, are you on Exfoderm or Exfoderm Forte - usually Exfoderm is for dry skin and it seems you many have oily skin?

Sat May 18, 2013 9:34 am

Hi denisiel, thank you for clarifying these for me.

I've used Obagi to get clearer skin. I'm 27 when I started using Obagi. I have sunspots and melasma. And I think it's hereditary. I've had good results since I used it. But my other dermatologist (the one that isn't from Obagi) noticed that I'm starting to develop melasma, so it kind of scared me that it might be because I've been using the Nu derm system for so long. Although, it's not really that bad. My dermatologist just told me to apply sunscreen (which I already do). So I can't really be sure if it's Nu derm or if it's just in my genes or from sun exposure..

I mentioned on my above post that I've been wanting to decrease my use of Obagi Nu derm (since I read that it isn't safe to use it indefinitely). That is why I started looking for moisturizer that I could use alternately. Sort of like a maintenance. I don't even know if I'm doing the right thing. But I'm getting ideas from other people's posts here on how they alternate their products for maintenance.

How did you guys figure out your maintenance regime? Did the Dermatologist from Obagi guide you?.. IDK but the Dermatologist from my local Obagi just told me to continuously use it. *sigh* If I hadn't read about your posts here about the possible side effects of Clear and Blender then I would still be clueless until now.

I am using Exfoderm. My skin is combination. I have dry skin on my cheeks and sometimes the area around my mouth is flaky. But my t zone area is oily. Am I using the right one?

Oh, and thank you for letting me know about Tretinoin. I didn't know about that either. If I switch to Retinol, can I get that from Obagi as well and do I mix that with the Blender too?

Wed May 22, 2013 8:07 am

Hi Tinycat,

Tretinoin (Retin A) is a very safe product to use as long as it agrees with your skin. It will not further damage your skin and it is one of the very few ingredients that have been scientifically proven as safe for skin and also helps improve skin. If you already use your tretinoin every day without any issues, then continue to use it only at night time and make sure you use sunscreen. In the summer time I only use it about 3 times a week because I am in the sun a lot more. The tretinoin is the product responsible for keeping your acne at bay.

The hydroquinone is what assists with removing dark spots, sunspots, pigmentation, melasma, etc. The Blender and the Clear are the products that contain hydroquinone. When you continue to use hydroquinone, your skin becomes too used to the product and over time it will stop working. This is why it is stated to take breaks from the product and use something else in the interim. Hydroquinone has only been found to cause cancer in mice that are fed orally large doses of hydroquinone, it is not linked to cancer in humans. It can possibly cause ochrinosis, a darkening of the skin (not the same thing as melasma), but this is probably only through long term continual use and not using sunscreen.

So basically, you can use your exfoderm or exfoderm forte and retin A continuously. It is a good idea to break from the blender and the clear and switch to a natural product containing kojic acid, aleazic (sp?) acid, licorice extract, etc.

Hope that helps!

Fri May 24, 2013 6:10 pm

I've been using the Obagi system for a few weeks, started peeling and could deal with that but then I started breaking out, red bumps.Seems to happen whenever I use the hydroquinone products, goes away when I stop using them. No peeling either, when I stop the hydroquinone. Don't know if its an allergy or acne. Also, if I'm not peeling then I'm not getting the best results. Anything I can use instead of the hydroquinone?

free skin care · Fri May 24, 2013 9:26 pm

I do not agree that if you are not peeling then you are not getting the best results. I did not peel at all yet I feel like I did benefit from the program. I'm a long time retin-a user- I never expected to peel.

Tue May 28, 2013 6:07 am

Hi IWantFlawlessSkin,

Thanks for clearing that up for me. So I guess I'll be okay if I continuously use my Nuderm system as long as I stop using Clear and blender for a while, right? Aside from the other natural products you mentioned like kojic acid, etc. Are BlendFX and ClearFX safe to use in case those other products do not work for my skin? I seem to have really sensitive skin that I'm having a difficult time hunting for the right product. Even the most basic oil free moisturizer sometimes breaks me out and cause me blind acne. I don't even use the Vitamin C serum from obagi because it breaks me out too. I do hope though that the FX version of Clear and Blender won't break me out.

free skin care · Sun Jun 09, 2013 4:04 pm

I started Obagi almost 2 weeks ago. I am not doing an aggressive regimen as I cannot hide for 2 months and I'm too vain to be in public looking red and scaly. I don't care if it takes longer, the only bummer for me would be the expense if it doesn't work at all. I am using the C-RX system, but only Clear and Blender. I am using a different cleanser, toner, glycolic and sunscreen. I am using ReGenica as a means to avoid the red peeling skin...and sometimes Cerave moisturizer too. I have used retina-a on and off for years so I think my skin already tolerates that pretty well. At this point I do not have any redness or peeling...only minor flaking. However, I realized I should be applying Clear at night too, and I thought it was just mornings. But does anyone know if I can us the C-RX one at night with Blender? I am very curious if anyone has used Obagi for their chest area. I am using it there too because of all the sun damage and I am NOT using moisturizer there and nothing is happening. No redness, peeling, itching...nothing. Oh, I should say that my goal with Obagi is lightening sun spots. I battle cystic acne here and there but I haven't started the system for acne, I want the ugly spots gone!

Tue Jun 18, 2013 8:31 am

ruined my skin........used it for the full time then maintenance my skin never look or felt so terrible after the weeks were up it was devoid of any color I looked like a ghost and the maintenance did nothing.....after I stopped the slight sun damage came right back....I now use (don't laugh) Chanel or Erno Laszlo and get compliments on my skin all the time I was under the direction of a dr for this and all they kept saying was switch this dont use this and I was a raw mess

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