Obagi: Week 3

Hallo!

I'm at week 3 and 1 day to be exact. It's been a tough week for me. In the middle of this week I've experienced the following:

- purging (two tiny zits popped but they're gone in 2 days, thank God)

- dry and tight skin (the corners of my mouth still hurts, i can barely smile, and i had to exert extra effort to wink/close my eyes!)

- shiny tomato.

The skin didn't come off until day 5. I used my Hello Kitty AHA apple gommage to safely rub the skin off. It did a great job! I love it! Also, I've had a little chit chat with Ms Sha of Paula's Choice Philippines and I got something new to add to my daily routine :)

Yay! So this works like Nu Derm's Exfoderm Forte because it's a glycolic based product. I am going to do a separate review on this one after four weeks. So far, I'm loving it. No sting, no irritation, no drama. I was about to purchase the BHA lotion but then I realized that I no longer have pimples. Besides, Obagi and Retin A does the same job of deep skin treatment so I don't really need too much of that. Another thing is, I suspect that I have allergic reaction to salicylic based products but I'm not really sure of that...maybe I just had chicken and tuna at the same time that day, I dunno. Anyway, I am happy with this new addition and I can't wait to see the result after 4 weeks! 

That is all for this week. If you are an Obagi user or if you have questions, please feel free to share your experience or comment below! 

Have a great week ahead! ❤️

Obagi: Week 2

Hola!

Week 2 has been very calm. There is not much peeling going on but there's redness, especially on my neck. The best part is after washing my face, the redness goes away for a few minutes and all I see is a lighter, glowing skin. I can't wait to look better. I went out twice and only applied a pinch of my JewelPOP mineral foundation with Dermalogica SPF 30 to conceal redness, it looked dewy, smooth and flawless and it stayed for hours! 

Ugh. I wish I could tell you more that's all for this week. 

Obagi Week 1

Hello! It's me again. :)

It's officially my first week using the Nu Derm System. As I have previously mentioned, I've used different products to achieve a clear complexion but unfortunately, they didn't work for me. I can swear by the effectiveness of Differin + Duac combination, it cleared up my worst breakout but didn't do anything to lighten my scars. Then there's this much raved about M2 malic + mandelic acid serum which brightened my face but isn't good enough to prevent me from breaking out nor did lighten my skin.  So, to cut the story short, I wanted a product that works both ways. In this case, Obagi is the best pick.

After a week using the system here's what I've gone through so far:

- larger pores, blackheads are visible. 

- minor purging, didn't annoy me that much since I know that Retin A is doing its job.

- tightened skin on forehead, cheekbones and my delicate skin under the eye. 

- skin is bright, glowing, and much lighter after washing up (now I know how my skin would look like after the redness has gone! Eggzoiting! :D)

- micro peeling (or should I say, scaly snakeskin-like) on some parts of the cheeks and around the corners of my mouth on day 6

- some dark spots have lightened

- pink face the entire week. Can't wait for some major peeling to occur.

I am not expecting much drastic results on my second week. I'm actually nervous about what's gonna take place on the 3rd and 4th. According to other users, thats when most people give up, because thats where the pain starts. I'm not giving up though, I've been burned a lot of times...lol. Those users who survived those weeks are also encouraging others not to give up, as there is no smooth journey to beauty. 

See you again next week! Hope to hear from you! 

Finally Obagi!

After more than a decade of trying to combat acne and acne scars, I've finally decided to join the Obagi bandwagon. I was very hesitant at first because I am very sensitive to any peeling products. In fact, I did burn my skin a lot of times with glycolic and hydroquinone. However, before I jump into this Obagi thing, I did an extensive research and found out that yes, it's going to be a rough journey but the failure rate is very low. I have very dull skin with acne scars on my cheeks and chin. A few months ago, I've used glycolic creams and this very much raved about Skinmate Shark Oil (which does nothing but burn my skin). So, without further blah-blah's lemme show you what I've got:

I was advised to use 1% Tretinoin but I was like, NO WAY! I know my skin won't tolerate such aggressive approach, so I bought .5% to start with, and will gradually increase the dosage later on. 

No, this is not going to be just a product review. I will keep you posted on any updates, observation, and of course, rants during this journey. I will also not recommend any sellers on this site since most of these products are RX and I suggest you consult your dermatologist before investing on these.

Here's my routine:

AM

Foaming gel

Toner

C serum

clear

Spf 30 (only when I need to go out)

PM

Foaming gel

Toner

Clear

Blender + tret

If you would notice, I do not use any moisturizers because it will just slow down the peeling process. I apply sunblock 30 mins before going out to make sure it's fully absorbed by the skin. The sunblock I'm using stings like hell. Blender doesnt do that to me! Ugh. I also apply lipbalm on my lips before I start the regimen to avoid getting the product into it. 

I am on my day 5 and I am patrick starfish. Skin feels tight. Peeling on my chin and corners of my mouth. Cheeks are slightly wrinkled. I haven't seen my pores this big in my entire life. The barely visible spots are now for everyone to notice. I am now getting weird stares from my neighbors. 

I don't have the guts yet to post my baseline picture. Thanks for not asking. 😊

They say that this process takes 18 weeks before you get satisfactory results. Oh well, I still got 17 to go.

See ya later!