Help! Burning pain from Obagi Nu-derm abnormal?
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » Skin Care and Makeup Forum

Fri Jun 29, 2012 4:40 pm

I started the entire regimen two weeks ago, but stopped about 5 days in because my skin became extremely dry around my chin area that it burned and stung as I applied more cream (even the Vitamin C serum). I don't know if I just have a low pain threshold, but the burning pain was definitely quite intense. Felt like my skin was being fried. My skin became so dry I could hardly open my mouth to eat without feeling my skin pulling around my mouth. Not to mention all the peeling flakes, which I expected. I looked like an old lady, and I'm only 26.

Here are the products in my routine:

Morning
- Foaming Cleanser
- Toner
- SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic
- Clear
- Exfoderm Forte
- Sun Sheild SPF 50
- Elastiderm Eye Treatment Gel & Skinceuticals Antioxidant Lip Repair

Evening
- Foaming Cleanser
- Toner
- Clear
- Blender + Tretinoin (0.05%)
- Elastiderm Eye Treatment Gel & Skinceuticals Antioxidant Lip Repair

Am I piling too much on all at once? What should I do? I've stopped using anything cold turkey, to be safe, but I want to get back on the Nu-derm routine ASAP. I'm trying to pinpoint where I went wrong so I can cut back on whatever it is that's causing the excessive dryness and stinging.

The Exfoderm - First, I have combination skin, so I was following the Nu-Derm Standard-Dry protocol, which said to use Exfoderm rather than Exfoderm FORTE (which is what I own). Could Forte be too strong for me? I don't want to shell out $80 for another bottle of cream unless I really must. Second, I realize the Foaming cleanser may have been too drying for my skin, so I've been using the Gentle cleanser and have noticed it is less drying.

The Trentinoin - The instructions say to "avoid excessive application of Blender and Trentinoin around the corners of the lips and crease around the nose." Could this be the culprit? Incidentally, it says I should be using 0.1% Tretinoin but I bought the 0.05% gel because a) I read cream was recommended for people with dry skin, as opposed to combination or oily skin (I have an oily T-zone but am dry everywhere else), and b) I chose 0.05% to start with because I am new to any Retinoid products and wanted to be safe.

The C-serum - I apply about 5 droplets of the C E Ferulic around the corners of my mouth, the wings of my nose, and around my eyes. To be honest, I don't really know where I'm supposed to apply the little droplets. I don't know if I'm using too little or too much, really! Obagi instructions for the serum read "Dip fingertips into serum and apply to crow's feet area, or face, neck and chest area." (Is it a problem to use both the Elastiderm Eye Gel AND the C-serum on the eyes?)

Other points to note:

- I remember seeing small patches of brown skin once or twice during this time. Could they have been burn marks!?
- I used my Clarisonic Mia along with the foaming cleanser every time I washed my face
- I've had my bottles of Toner, Clear, and Exfoderm Forte, for about two years (bought them in summer of 2010). Could I be applying expired products on my skin?
- It can't be sun exposure either, because I barely stepped outside during the first week.
- I try to follow the protocol as closely as possible, down to the recommended amount of product I should be using each time (1 gram and 1/2 gram of tretinoin).

Could it be the products themselves that are causing my trouble, or the amount I am putting on? Or could all this be solved quite simply by adding a little moisturizer into my routine? I wanted to stay away from any moisturizer as I read it retards the benefits of the Nu-derm products, but I guess at this point I would rather see skin improvement slowly than none at all!

I'm so glad to have a place like this to ask all my questions. I'll admit that I am not doing this under a dermatologist's guidance, as I should be, but due to cost factors and the lack of doctors around here who carry Obagi I have only the internet to turn to. I know I must sound somewhat anal-retentive, but that's only because I want to be clear so someone more knowledgeable can tell me WHAT[b] I was doing wrong and [b]HOW to fix it.

Any help muuuuuch appreciated! Thank you!

free skin care · Sun Jul 01, 2012 10:53 pm

I think you we over exfoliating big time. I use retinoids but am not too farmiliar with the obagi system, but retinoids alone can be too much exfoliation for some.
I would start by exliminating everything but the c serum in the morning and trentinoin. Trentinoin is no joke and that alone causes a lot of irritation in most people starting trentinoin. Both trentinoin and c serum exfoliate and can cause irritation. The clarisonic, exfloiderm, and other products also exfoliate. For now, continue using a gentle face wash and a hydrating moisturizer. As for after your skin relates itself, what are your skincare reasons for wanting to do obagi? Scaring, aging, fine lines, etc?

free skin care · Mon Jul 02, 2012 7:15 am

It would be well worth running a search on Obagi. Unfortunately this is pretty much normal with the system, it is vicious IMO. You are using several different acids as well as other known irritants. Did your dermatologist not warn you of the side effects and give you pointers on how to limit the discomfort?

free skin care · Fri Jul 06, 2012 9:44 am

I agree with the above comment. That is allot of products, and allot of acids. I'm not a fan of Obagi either. The tretinoin alone can cause the skin to be more sensitive and the C serum can cause stinging and possibly some redness at first. This regime is a nightmare for anyone who has sensitive skin.

free skin care · Fri Jul 06, 2012 10:16 am

I have extremely dry and sensitive skin and have been on Nu Derm for 9 weeks. The first few weeks I literally had scraped areas of raw skin, horrible cracking across my cheeks, and peeling over my entire face. I am using the aggressive regime, meaning 1 gram of .1% tretinoin nightly.

Exfoderm: I suggest you switch to Exfoderm, which is a plant acid that is supposed to be milder than the glycolic acid in Exfoderm Forte.

Vitamin C: Stop the Vitamin C serum for a few months as that is an acid too. You are putting the Vit C on the most sensitive areas of your face - usually I would put Vit C everywhere but these areas if my skim is sensitive.

Tretinoin: The Blender is meant to be used with a cream and not a gel.

I think you are having a normal Nu Derm reaction. If you read up on Dr. Obagi and Nu Derm, he says to expect red, peeling, extremely dry, burning skin as that is part of the rejuvenation process. Yes, you can use lesser amounts of the actives (tretinoin and Exfoderm) and rub the products in less, but then you will either have to keep doing the full Nu Derm regime for longer than 18 weeks or you will get less than optimal results. You can also alleviate discomfort with hydrocortisone or moisturizer but, again, you will be retarding the process.

So it is up to you whether you want a more mild and bearable but longer process or if you want to max out the results within 18 weeks.

At my 5th week, my skin totally calmed down and all the cracking literally disappeared overnight. The peeling was under control using the Clarisonic twice a day followed by a gently wiping of the residual flakes with a microfiber cloth. BUT - you are not going to like reading this - at my 7th week it was like week 2 all over again and I am totally peeling and red faced again. The cracking is much less now but still quite noticeable and cannot be hidden with makeup or sunscreen. So that means in this Phase 2 period I am again purging all the damage. So you probably expect that the uglies will come and go for the first 12 weeks and are completely normal. In fact, I was glad to get cracking and peeling again because that means some nice skin is going to come out.

Good luck!

Wed Sep 26, 2012 2:18 am

Hey guys, so it's been a few months since my first post. Since then I've laid off Obagi almost cold turkey. I've just been using the gentle cleanser and that's it.

Someone above asked me what I was doing Obagi for. I'm 26 and have good skin and generally wanted to do it as a preventative aging measure. If preventative aging is my primary concern, should I be doing Obagi or not?

If not, can vitamin C and the tretinoin cream/gel be used alone without the Obagi?

The only real visible signs of aging are my puffy eyes and nasolabial lines (smile lines?) or rather, saggy cheeks. I really want to do something about these, but is it true putting vitamin c serum and tretinoin cream around the eye area and the nasolabial lines not such a great idea?

If I'm not using Obagi, what would be a good moisturizer to use? Do I need moisturizer if I'm using Trentinoin and vitamin C?

As a starting measure, should I go with vitamin c in the morning and then trentinoin w/blender at night?

free skin care · Wed Sep 26, 2012 5:33 am

Since you are young without major issues try something like this:

AM
wash with clarisonic
vit c serum
spf

PM
Wash with clariosnic (or not)
retin-a every other night, use retinol cream on the "off" nights.

Don't forget to include the neck! But use caution with retin a and the neck. Some people can use it there and others can not!

free skin care · Wed Sep 26, 2012 9:59 am

Well, before you use any skin-care, I would suggest to check the expiry dates, esp. with Obagi lines. You normally will see this expiry date on the right-hand side of the plastic bottle, some just a number batch. If the product is expired, do not use. Because most often, it is not effective anymore.

Also, why fix something that is not "broken"? You have good skin and just want to stop the aging process. We all go through this process anyway but for now I think LauraLizzie's suggestion would be good. Just minimum skin-care product is all you need for now....

Automatic Message

If this is your first visit to the EDS Forums please take the time to register. Registration is required for you to post on the forums. Registration will also give you the ability to track messages of interest, send private messages to other users, participate in Gift Certificates draws and enjoy automatic discounts for shopping at our online store. Registration is free and takes just a few seconds to complete.

Click Here to join our community.

If you are already a registered member on the forums, please login to gain full access to the site.