Obagi Nu Derm - doing it yourself
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Thu Feb 24, 2011 2:04 pm

I was wondering if it was possible to carry out the Obagi Nu Derm system without supervision from a dermatologist? I have some mild acne and general oily, uneven skin tone which I am hoping to correct using Obagi. I already use obagi retin-a 0.05% nightly. When I saw my dermatologist last year she said if my acne got out of control again she would put me on Obagi Nu-Derm system for it. But seeing her would of been expensive. Just wondering if I can buy the products and do it myself?

free skin care · Thu Feb 24, 2011 7:32 pm

I did not use Obagi under the care of a physician, although I did buy the starter kit from a derm and asked the aesthetician questions about the regimen. It is advised that you use the system under some sort of medical supervision though not necessary. However, I would not go this route if you have any sort of skin condition such as rosacea, acne, etc. as this regimen is not to be taken lightly and can be harsh. At the first sign of any abnormal side effects you should stop and seek medical advice.

Fri Feb 25, 2011 9:08 am

its_kristy wrote:

I did not use Obagi under the care of a physician, although I did buy the starter kit from a derm and asked the aesthetician questions about the regimen. It is advised that you use the system under some sort of medical supervision though not necessary. However, I would not go this route if you have any sort of skin condition such as rosacea, acne, etc. as this regimen is not to be taken lightly and can be harsh. At the first sign of any abnormal side effects you should stop and seek medical advice.

I agree!! Most Derms work with Estheticians, and they do packages of services and treatments. Usually package prices are a good deal.

free skin care · Tue Mar 01, 2011 11:41 am

I'm also an Obagi virgin, & D-I-Y-er, currently only on day 2.

As I forgot (oops) to do a patch test with the hydroquinone, I missed the blender & tretinoin step last night, so as not to confuse the issue if my skin reacted - so can anyone tell me if it's normal to get redness, mild itching etc just from a day of using clear, exfoderm forte, & sunfader?

It's not major, just feels like mild sunburn, but I was surprised to get it so fast, & without the retin-A added in

Can anyone help?

Tue Mar 01, 2011 7:14 pm

dianew wrote:

I'm also an Obagi virgin, & D-I-Y-er, currently only on day 2.

As I forgot (oops) to do a patch test with the hydroquinone, I missed the blender & tretinoin step last night, so as not to confuse the issue if my skin reacted - so can anyone tell me if it's normal to get redness, mild itching etc just from a day of using clear, exfoderm forte, & sunfader?

It's not major, just feels like mild sunburn, but I was surprised to get it so fast, & without the retin-A added in

Can anyone help?

Active products such as obagi can give you redness, mild itching(where is the itching)...I want to know more about your skin and what your previous regimen was. I used Obagi before. Smile

free skin care · Wed Mar 02, 2011 5:44 am

I'm also an Obagi DIY, currently on day 16...

In my opinion, anyone with skin issues (as mentioned before) should really consult a derm prior to using NuDerm as not to exacerbate the issue you're trying to deal with...also, I think anyone that is rather new to skin care (in other words, anyone who has not dealt with how harsh products really can be on your skin "the worse before it gets better theory") should as well as Obagi can be scary as hell to the newbie.

In my case, I've done at home TCA's, used retin-a for a few years, glycolics, you name it and realize that you're going to look like hell for a bit before things get better...so I wasn't too worried starting out with Obagi. Thus far I've experienced an allergic reaction to the Exfoderm on the morning of day 5 which was not pretty at all let me tell you...but with support from someone here on EDS and my own knowledge of some products I was able to figure out what the problem was without much worry and continued on with NuDerm minus the Exfo without any problems since.

I also have lots of peeling in certain areas as of now and mild redness, mainly around the mouth area, which I already experienced with starting out on retin-a a few years back.

To someone "new" this would be extremely scary and is one of the reasons why most stop the program all together...they just weren't "expecting" it...

free skin care · Wed Mar 02, 2011 6:18 am

thanks for the replies Smile

Mrs Clearskin - my regime was... uh, non-existent really - I'd cleanse & moisturise am and pm, with whatever brand I had that week - over the counter stuff.

I think it's the sunfader I'm reacting to - I left big gaps this am between steps, & was fine til the Sunfader went on, then major redness & burning (think the itching last time was actually mild burning)

bren21 - you're right, it is alarming going it alone, despite the reading I've been doing on what to expect. I was recommended it by a derm initially tho, after a consultation, but as I'd never heard of it I wanted to do some research first, & decided to halve the cost by purchasing privately...

free skin care · Wed Mar 02, 2011 6:37 am

The key is figuring out what it is that is causing that reaction...to be honest, I was told the Sunfader is not tolerated by many very well...hence the reason I didn't even buy it. Now, I can't even use the Exfoderm which is fine as I was told you can still get great results without Sunfader or the Exfo...just using the Clear and Blender. So far my results are great...my skin looks so much smoother and clear since I started 16 days ago! I just wish I could get over this damn peeling stage... Laughing

I figured with me being a regular retin-a .05% user, it isn't as bad though as it may be for someone who has never used it.

Wed Mar 02, 2011 10:16 am

I agree with bren21 regarding the sunfader. I never used the sunfader. I would start out slow since you haven't used an active ingredient regimen before. You can do the blender and tretinoin every other night for a week and then go to every night. Try doing this to see how your skin reacts. If its fine then try adding the sun fader after you have been using blender/tretinoin every night for a week. Obagi is an intense process and you will peel and quite possibly have some irritation. The famous obagi line is "It will get worse before it gets better"...thats what I was told. Not to comforting but it does get better and I think you will be happy with the result but you have to be patient. There is a product called Action by Obagi its a moisturizer you can use up to 2 times per week for dry flakey skin. Keep me posted Smile

free skin care · Wed Mar 02, 2011 12:07 pm

thanks to you both! I'll take your advice & see how it goes with a slow start Very Happy

free skin care · Wed Mar 02, 2011 12:24 pm

Dianew....keep in mind too that allergic reactions can happen at any moment. I used the Exfoderm for 4 days without a hitch and then on day 5 had a reaction...I was red, itchy with red bumps all over. I looked pretty nasty...haha...but recouped pretty fast with the help of some Emu oil...and wouldn't you know this happened at work!! Lol...
Apparently the exfoliating agent in the regular Exfoderm is plant based from what I hear, probably the reason it caused a reaction. The Exfoderm Forte is glycolic based, which is what I should have used in the first place because I know I can tolerate glycolics. But hindsight is 20/20 and instead of pressing my luck, I decided to omit the Exfo all together...I'm taking a trip in about 7 weeks for 18 days...I'm certainly not going to press my luck messing with my face at this period in time Laughing

I'm sure you'll do just fine with the NuDerm system! Very Happy

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