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Last edited by teaze; 09-23-2012 at 01:31 PM.





I used Obagi about 2 years ago, their Acne system. Dried my skin out sooooooo bad. It hurt like the worst sunburn ever. And sadly, it didn't clear up my acne very well at all, my dark spots barely faded, and it didn't touch my little wrinkles. I was very disappointed in the product and felt like I wasted a ton of money for very little return.![]()
"You can close your eyes to reality but not to memories -Stainslaw J. Lec
Confuscius say: "Man who pull bra stap get bust in face"
OBAGI USER HERE!!!
Ok so I started with the full system . Obagi Nu Derm . I religiously used the face wash every day then I changed it to the deep cleansing wash and use that with my clarisonic face brush.
I originally went to a few spas that sold the mini kit which was around $300 and the time full kit was around $600. First because of the Rentin A or Tretonin you will look like hell for a good 6 months. I don't ever suggest anyone to do it when they need their face to make cash. The peeling , discoloration etc it just makes you look like Halloween came early. I remember wearing so much make up because my face looked horrible.
I remember I tried to do some at home crystal microderm to go along with it and speed up that peeling but my face was horribly bruised. Then after that I decided I shouldn't do that so soon after I started peeling so I stuck with diamond tip microderms at spas a week after I started the Retin-A. That was good. Got rid of the dead skin and left the lower layer ready for more sloughing. I would just use the #1 wash and #2 toner for a week before using the other harsher #3 #4,#5. Seriously I was on a mission so I had to gauge how my skin would react to how fast I wanted to speed things along.
Once your face gets used to it by month 6 you are glowing. No breakout etc. Your skin is pretty much perfect well mine looked that way. I don't use the Retin A that much now even though I could go for another run with the whole kit and caboodle. I just use the face wash and maybe #3 and #4. If I feel like my skin is acting out again then I will go for the #5 blender and ad a dash of Retin-a. With the clarisonic face brush and maybe the "normal brush" you can slough off that dead skin faster. Usually by the end of the day you're peeling again but it's not as bad.
Still this kit made me cry for weeks because the breakouts were so bad, I mean acne that was noticeable from 3 city blocks away. The only reason this is happening is because your sloughing off dead skin and a few layers so fast , all the crap underneath gets pushed to the surface faster. So it's not creating acne it's getting whatever would have shown up in maybe 6 months to appear in a few weeks to a month.
I swear by the stuff, no other wash touches my face unless it's a spa's specific line and of course also if it's not the dermalogica crap. Really dermalogica did nothing good for my skin that's why I moved up to Obagi.
Ohh another thing... Best place to purchase items at a fraction of the cost.. Ebay.
I originally bought everything through the spas and then I started thinking " there has to be a better way" then I found ebay and that was the end of thatThere are also some online skin mall stores that have really great specials on it but they don't seem to compare to ebay. Still the online stores have specials where you'll be able to try out and sample other goodies so I kind enjoyed trying different masks or different make up as a gift with purchase.
Also your skin will lighten up... and you need to stay out of the sun as much as possible or have a good SPF on... I choose Colorscience for it's brush-make up-all-in-one-combo and the fact that it's SPF level is about 45. The brush with makeup is so easy to take around that you rarely ever have to worry about it opening up and spilling in a purse. To add when you start getting a really washed out tone to your skin, the colorscience has some great shades even ones that make you look like you were sun bathing. Another reason why I use this makeup specifically is because it's safe for people with skin conditions, like cancer , rosacea so it will not aggravate skin problems but helps to protect.
So yeah love the Obaji line I mean I looked like hell for a while but wow when it was all said and done I had picture perfect skin.
They also have the Obaji Blue Peel but for $500-$900 It's too much for your face to handle in one sitting. I mean people peel horribly because it's one of those in spa intensive peels that seems too painful to go through. Most spas will still have you start on the Nu Derm line to prepare your skin for the Blue Peel. It really depends on how far deep into the layers of skin you want or feel you need to go.





Cherry, That same stuff happened to me. For like two months there it was worse than normal, and my acne has always been bad.So that sucked. But after that, like six months down the road to a year after-Same old skin. No lightening, still had acne. It just didn't work. What a waste for me.
So when I went to a dermatologist, he put me on an oral antibiotic for acne. Not Accutane though. This is the only thing that has helped with my acne. I still get some breakouts, but they are pretty minor compared to what I used to have.
As for the Vitamin C serums-I've tried a few different brands of them, most of them were for specific spot treatments. They did work but the improvement wasn't as drastic as I'd hoped for. I went to a spa and had a lightening treatment done there and that was more of the improvement I was looking for.
"You can close your eyes to reality but not to memories -Stainslaw J. Lec
Confuscius say: "Man who pull bra stap get bust in face"
papillon & JD yeah the C serum I bought too. Actually I think I picked some up last year but I maybe used it twice and forgot about it. lol I've been looking for it and thinking wtf happened to that?
It's the 20% professional level (purchased on ebay) which was an incredible steal.
lol just found it. I think the bottle says something about keeping it from direct light so I hid it so well I actually didn't know where it was all this time![]()
For me I like using these products during the day when I'm awake I just hated how hot my face would get at night trying to sleep. Also that burn around the mouth and eyes and it getting all cracked ugg horrible.
I could go for another series run of this stuff because my face has seen better days lol..
Ohh also just wanted to add that Obaji does have an 3 step acne line and of course Clarisonic came out with that new acne head. I bought the new deep cleaning brush but I really don't like it at all. It just doesn't feel like it's getting the job done like the normal head did.


That's not a good thing to do. If you continue to take antibiotics you can become antibiotic resistant. There's better ways of dealing with acne. Diet is the key.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/antibiotics/FL00075
Evil is always devising more corrosive misery through man's restless need to exact revenge out of his hate. Ralph Steadman





I've done the diet thing before, and it didn't work for me. I'm telling you, I've tried it all. I've had acne since I was 10, and I'm 27 now. If 17 years of trial and error hasn't done anything I'm sticking with what finally works.
The thing that worked for my sis was accutane and blue-light facials from a dermatologist. However, even with my insurance I can't afford that.
"You can close your eyes to reality but not to memories -Stainslaw J. Lec
Confuscius say: "Man who pull bra stap get bust in face"





It dried my face out horribly.
If
You do use it during the day, make sure to wear a good SPF creme.
"You can close your eyes to reality but not to memories -Stainslaw J. Lec
Confuscius say: "Man who pull bra stap get bust in face"
^ I purchased #6 for the Obaji which is I think an SPF 35 that I use. + The colorscience SPF 45 . Thanks to this post I decided to start up a round of Obaji myself a day ago. My favorite part in the system is #4 exfoderm forte. It tingles and burns but it really makes your skin slough off so much faster.
Ohh I forgot to add obaji has a product called ACTION It doesn't have a number because it's not really part of the series but it's a Moisturizing Lotion that temporarily relieves dryness. It's formulated to bring quick relief to overly dry skin. Also to avoid the corners of your mouth from cracking I suggest to use lip balm over your lips and in the corners of your mouth. It serves as great protection.





Ditto about the lip gloss/balm thing. My mouth peeled soooo bad at first, I couldn't hardly eat. owowowow.... I started using Vaseline and Aquaphor (yucky) but it healed and protected my mouth after that.
"You can close your eyes to reality but not to memories -Stainslaw J. Lec
Confuscius say: "Man who pull bra stap get bust in face"
There are a lot of threads on essentialdayspa.com, makemeheal, skincaretalk.com, etc. about DIY vitamin C serums - particularly recipes that ensure a usable pH and enhance stability. Ive been reading their threads over the past month really carefully and cross-referencing, some are more intricate than others, but if you have a basic grasp of pH, measurements, math, and dont mind the upfront costs of the raw materials & basic equipment (scale, pH meter) - it appears to be doable.
A few vendors sell C+E acid kits to DIY in case the recipes and formulas are too much:
http://stores.skinessentialactives.c...DIY/Detail.bok
http://www.lotioncrafter.com/c-e-wit...-acid-kit.html
I used to buy C+E ferulic serums regularly but am just making them myself because the results are so fab that I started to apply it over my body as well (and under 1-2oz of product goes very quickly). You can use less filler ingredients if you just make it over and over again in small batches before the vitamin c starts to breakdown and oxidize.
Some of the DIYers are too hardcore for my layperson grasp of chemistry and derm science but if you spend a lot on serums, lotions, toners, and esp arent a fan of sometimes getting yellowish(!) vitamin c serums from otherwise reputable vendors (Im looking at you skinceuticals) - it may help and save a lot more in the long run? I seriously only just started so I cant give rave reviews of the process yet but feel comfortable enough in what Ive learned to start.
If you're a fan of more of a naturalskincare (but still effective) approach, Garden of Wisdom has a bunch of recipes that dont use ureas, propylene glycol, or animal products

I liked their retin a and also their sun fader.
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