Obagi. Anyone used them?

[Wombatinabathhat]

I have booked an appointment for a consultation for Obagi Nu skin, or other Obagi products.

I have read some rave reviews and some advising never to use them.

Does anyone have any experience and can offer some advice prior to my consultation?

Tang I'm hoping to start on Saturday. I will update after a few days. Do you have a thread running?

I know this is a bit late but...
I have been through 2 rounds on the Obagi Nu Derm system, i.e, hydroquinone creams, vitamin C serum, Retin A (known as Tretinoin) and Obagi spf 50 sunblock. I was prescribed these by a dermatologist for melasma. Your program will probably involve a gradual build up to full on usage, which is pretty hardcore as others have said. If you are on the prescription only strength products, expect peeling, redness and to go without makeup for a time (foundation just comes off in beigey flakes). The peeling etc did improve for me but never disappeared entirely whilst I was on the program. One tip: if you do wear foundation, use a decent primer, then a moisturising foundation or a good tinted moisturiser like Nars after the products, moisturiser and sunblock are on your skin. A lot of layering I know, but it worked for me.

I only found out 2 years down the line that my redness and peeling was worse because I reacted to an preserving ingredient in the sunblock, although the Obagi SPF 30 did not bother me at all.
I was advised not to go for lasers as I am of mixed heritage with olive/light brown skin and there was a risk my pigmentation would worsen. My skin did improve after one round, but worsened again after a holiday in the Med, hence I did a second round. I still have a few stubborn marks on one cheek, so it's best to be realistic about what this type of treatment can do. Melasma often reoccurs and you will have to be absolutely diligent about sun protection all year round.

I had another consultation very recently to see what my options were. I was told that I could have IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) treatment (not quite as risky as laser), or I could have a chemical peel. I was told there was a 10% chance IPL could make things worse and darken my hyperpigmentation, not a chance I'm willing to take as it's not that bad. I am considering a chemical peel. The Dr suggested that in order to keep melasma at bay I should probably do a round of Obagi each year (yikes!). Interestingly, his advice was at this current time, to do nothing!

So, Obagi and the like can be very helpful, depending on how widespread and deep the hyperpigmentation is, but there is no permanent solution to melasma, although I'm told it is less likely to cause problems as one gets older, due to less hormone fluctuation. On the plus side, I have now discovered why so many people rave about the anti-aging benefits of Retin A/Tretinoin. Careful use (once you get though the initial hideous peeling phase) does lead to smooth, new skin.
Good luck! Would be interested to hear how you get on.

Hello Love2dance
It's not too late to post. i'm very grateful for your contribution (I too have brown skin)
I have paid £85 extra for the Tretinion (sp)
I think my pigmentation/melasma has been brought on by hormones menopause

I don't have loads of pigmentation but i can see it and foundation doesn't cover it completely. I only wear make up once a week when I go out, so it not a biggie really haven't to do without it.

your post has been very informative, thank you very much.

I have an appointment tomorrow when I hope to pick up the Obagi and receive instruction on use. i will update this thread as to how i am doing.

*having to do without it

The dermatologist did warn me that when I stop the treatment, the pigmentation would likely recur and that after you complete the course (16 weeks) you have to come off it. it can done again the following year.

Ooh dear, the skin in the picture does not look good!

A few years ago I had an allergic reaction to something, never found out what it was, my face was sore and itchy and cracked and weeped in the folds of my face and around my hairline. After the soreness and redness went, my face peeled and looked worse than that so I'm not put off strange me

You're welcome Wombat!
Another thing to mention for those with brown skin is that over the 16 week course of treatment, you may well find that as you have to use the products all over the face, not just on the hyper-pigmented areas, and as these products lighten skin and and inhibit melanocyte (melanin producing cell) activity, your complexion will lighten by a shade or two. This was an unwelcome by-product for me. When I went searching online for how to deal with it I found loads of worrying websites with lengthy threads all about how people with non-white skin were trying to lighten their complexions - some even use lightening products all over the body.

Anyway, having been someone who hardly wore makeup, I felt I needed something to stop me looking a bit odd with a pale face and not so pale body. Fake tan didn't really work as there aren't that many for sensitive skin which are moisturising and which were dark enough, although St Tropez did a reasonable one. I found that I had to change my concealer to a lighter one and got some really good makeup advice, resulting in me getting, not a lighter, but a warmer foundation shade, which made me look myself again, as opposed to a pale white mushroom colour!
On the allergy thing, it was methylisothiazolinone in Obagi SPF 50 which causes a dermatitis-like reaction. The Paula's Choice website has good options for physical sunscreens and has a review of the Obagi ones if you're interested.

There are lots of good non-Obagi sunscreens out there. I am currently using Exuviance and MD Solar Sciences is meant to be good, link: www.paulaschoice.com/beautypedia-skin-care-reviews/?q=mdsolarsciences, but the thing to remember as I'm sure you were told, is that you need a physical sunscreen for it to be really effective (that is, one with titanium and/or zinc dioxide). The downside for brown skinned gals is that the physical sunscreens leave a white cast on the skin, making you look even paler. Putting makeup on top helps, or using a drop or two of the Cover FX (ridiculously expensive) drops, just choose your colour carefully and go a bit darker than you think you need, if you'll be mixing them with a very white sunscreen..

Mineral makeup also works well on top of the sunscreen, but with a gentle hand and a soft brush. With all the peeling skin going on, what used to be normal makeup application methods (and the same goes for applying moisturiser) just end up creating even more skin flakes. Ditto cleansing with cotton wool at the end and beginning of the day. I found my skin couldn't take too much rubbing or wiping and what I could manage before left my face feeling raw.
Not trying to put you off, just hope this helps.
Oh, and carry and emergency/small size moisturiser with you in the first weeks, to be topped up with sunscreen obs. Flaking round the mouth is often the worst in the first few weeks and you may not even notice until someone stops you to tell you (which happened to me in M&S).

Oh my. I have picked the stuff up this afternoon and will begin tonight.
Thanks Love I'll be back next week with an update

So I'm on day 6.
My skin has started to peel around the chin area but not too badly and the hydrate cream and sun screen cover it. I have come out in a few spots but nothing major.
No other changes so far.

Day 10 - no peeling. It stopped about day7 and had only been very mild. The spots have cleared up. No redness, no soreness.
Nothing much else to report

That's great. I think it was the combination of the Obagi Nu Derm products (Blender and Clear) and the highest prescription Retin A, plus the reaction to the sunscreen that did for me. Hopefully you won't have that problem and the flaking will be more gentle.

It's been a bit of an anticlimax really. I was expecting such terrible things - but I'm glad it's not iyswim?
I'm using all the products twice a day but the Tret is quite mild at 0.5.
Not much of a change really but I'll persevere due to the expense

and no flaking at all since day 7

Hmm, no peeling....that's really unusual, and not entirely desirable IMHO tbh; obagi basically works by gradual resurfacing..if you are not peeling, it's unlikely your active ingredients are penetrating sufficiently deeply. How much 0.05% are you applying?

I have been using tretinoin continuously for over 5 years along with vitamin c, sunscreen and occassional treatments of HQ (I dermaneedle this in using the Derminator owndoc machine set to 1.5mm to target the melanocytes directly and minimise bounce back reaction from UV sensitivity whilst kick starting a little bonus collagen production).

I'm on tretinoin 0.1% (maximum strength) and use about 3 times a week. Still peeling slightly but invisible to others .

For melasma, you might want to also look at a DIY Jessners peel. Skin Obsession do an excellent one. I highly recommend it. Dead easy to do yourself at home and much less hassle or risk of post inflammatory hyperpig than the Obagi Blue peel (which is TCA trichloroacetic acid and can be quite a palaver...Also done a few of those myself )

Anyway, good luck!

Thank you. I use a pea sized amount of Tret together with blender on a night and clear and hydra quinine (I think) during the day.
I'm due to go back on Sat for a check to see how I'm getting on and was going to cancel as there is nothing to see, but I will go and ask what I'm doing wrong

I've checked the bottles of the nu Derm system and here's what I have been doing-

am: cleanser, toner, clear, exfoderm, hydrate and sunscreen
pm: cleanser, toner, clear, blender+Tretinoin 0.05, hydrate

I've increase the amount of Tret tonight but it took an age to rub in!

I must have the skin of a rhino but it looks very shiny when I've cleansed

Hello wombat, if you are shiny after cleansing - like cling film- then that is perfect....you sound like you are in cycle like me where you are actually peeling at night, then sloughing it all off in the morning wash!

Honestly, I don't k ow how people cope with "day peeling" for prolonged time. I do cut it a bit fine sometimes (took off too much skin las week and got mini scab on cheek) but personally found that regular maintenance is absolutely the only way to keep results in place. Good luck!

Thank you International
I was at the clinic yesterday. She believes that everything is ok. I should probably get a stronger Tret if I buy it again.

Face is exactly like cling film shiny before I moisturise. On the good side, my melasma has definitely faded.

I'm so pleased to see these posts and will watch with interest as I have been recommended to see somebody about Obagi treatment but have been rather nervous after reading about side effects online so haven't booked it yet.

I am reassured by your experience Wombat and think I will book it in now.

Hello calm
My skin is naturally dry.
There are 2 types of Obagi, one for normal/dry skin and one for normal/oily skin.
I am using normal/dry and the clinic have told me that it is less harsh than the oily skin one.
I can see an improvement in my dark pigmentation and my skin feels smoother.
I don't wear make up very often but i have worn foundation twice whilst using Obagi and it hasn't caused any problems.
Still no peeling.
I'm glad I'm doing it and will report back in a week
Good luck calm

Hi.

I started yesterday so don't have much to report yet!

I am following exact same routine wombat but tret every other night for first two weeks. I was also told to try not to use the hydrate overnight if possible and to just keep it for any bad tightness or peeling during the day.

Hi Tang
That's interesting about the tret. I didn't use the hydrate last night as I was wondering if that was preventing the peel but I wasn't told not to use it overnight.

I'll be interested to see how you get on

Good luck

Well, I'm peeling good and proper now! But I think my skin looks better already. My face feels red hot tonight though.

Did you get that wombat?