Obagi is a line I believe in. I still sell the Nuderm line, and I do blue peels (a TCA deep facial peel) frequently.
Dr. Zein Obagi started the line in Southern California years ago. As this article in Plastic
Surgery Practice states “For 25 years … he has written and rewritten the book on healthy skin.” He does not judge skin based solely on the Fitzpatrick System (looking at white to black skin, and judging it on how it responds to UV light).
He instead wants to base classification of skin based on a more “clinical classification” looking at five things:
- color
- thickness
- oiliness
- laxity
- fragility
He describes life stages of the skin:
- Under age 10. Properly clean and hydrate your skin. Apply sunscreen. He recommends antioxidants to prevent early damage from free radicals (**I am not sure how I feel about this. I don’t know any research has been done on safety of antioxidants in young children. Remember whatever you put on the skin can be absorbed through the skin. But I think it is an interesting concept and makes sense.)
- Age 10, the skin needs to be cleansed properly. If there are issues with sebum production (ie acne), you need to cleanse with a specific cleanser for oily skin and do a nonirritating scrub to prevent whitehead formation. He recommends an astringent to decrease the sebum deep in the pores. If needed, he also recommends hormone balancing. The best you can do with acne scarring is to PREVENT it.
- After age 25: He calls this the “inactive phase.” Most cells making collagen and elastin become lazy. This leads to aging. So we should stimulate these cells. The most effective agent to do this is Vitamin A- Retin A and retinol. I agree with this statement. Retin A products are well studied, their positive effects on the skin are well known, and it has been the workhorse of skin care for 20+ years. I carry both Retin A and retinol in my office. ***These products are NOT safe during pregnancy or breast feeding. So if you are starting to think of babymaking, stop these 6 months before you start trying for your baby.
Other interesting pearls…
97% of the public gets skin care products from department stores and not physician offices. This number surprised me. The cost is usually similar (and for my personal line, my products are sometimes less). Don’t pay for advertising and packaging. Get a medical grade product.
Guidelines and safety in our industry: He had an entire page dedicated to “unqualified doctors doing procedures. We have board certified doctors who have worked hard in their training and worked hard to get the best results. And we have a lot of other doctors who are not as well trained, who are doing it just for the money. The dilemma is very big. I think the future is not in creating more devices. It is to create guidelines, to create standards. … I think the consumers really need to do their homework and go to board certified specialists and ask for a second opinion on a procedure.” I agree.