At eBay, you can get everything from Doritos® that look like the Pope’s Hat, to slightly
used grilled cheese sandwiches. Sometimes you can get great buys. Sometimes you
can get big rip-offs. Sometimes it’s hard to know which is which. So let’s face the facts.
When you’re shopping on eBay, here are a few things to look out for:
• Samples. Lots of skincare companies give away free samples. ZO Skin HealthTM supplied 25,000 free samples of OclipseTM Sunscreen to Nordstrom’s best customers. They were little samples—very little—in fact. Only 4ml—a full size is 30 ml—so only about 13% of the full size. But some people took those free samples, and listed them on eBay. They conveniently failed to mention that they were just free samples. And they sold! Well-intentioned people paid close to $70 for the little, mini-sample (with a market value of all about $5). That’s unscrupulous, of course, but for those of us who can’t make quick conversions between milliliters and ounces, it’s an understandable (albeit costly) mistake. Highest bid price: $67.82 … for a free sample!
• Contaminated Product. I saw one on eBay today. A jar of OssentialTM Growth Factor Serum had been opened to show the contents. The only problem with that is certain kinds of retinol will degrade when exposed to the sunlight. So the active ingredients are deactivated. Current bid price: $56.37. OUCH! That’s the equivalent of paying for a firecracker, and getting a dud.
• Something’s ajar. And it may be the jar. A lot of people take empty skincare jars, and refill them with something entirely different, then hawk them on eBay. If you’re unfamiliar with the product, of course you will be totally unsuspecting. Imagine buying what you think is LaMer®, and then finding out it was Eucerin® that you just paid $200 for. Pumps and tubes are much less likely to be tampered with.
• Only Slightly Used. Some people buy a product, use it a little, then change their mind about it. Retailers aren’t lenient with their return and exchange policies any more. What to do with it? Sell it on eBay!! Generally, there’s no way of knowing if some product has been dispensed from a tube, pump or airless jar. You buy it, never knowing if the product was previously used. Of course, like used car dealers, you can say that it wasn’t really used–it’s just “previously owned”.
• Expired shelf life. The shelf life of many skincare products is about two years. They may well last longer than that, but insufficient testing is done to warrant that the product will remain stable beyond that period. Retailers are generally vigilant to assure that the product that they buy has a long shelf life. So the product you buy in the department store is “fresh”. But eBay of course, doesn’t have those same standards. The product you buy may well have expired.
Of course, you can report unethical business practices on eBay, but most people, I suspect, don’t. And many people never know the difference.
At ZO Skin HealthTM, we have batch code information printed on the bottom of every product—so we can track where it was originally sold. If you have doubts, contact our Customer Service Department at smunz@zoskinhealth.com—we’ll check it out for you.
Enjoy shopping on the world’s largest auction site, but when it comes to skincare, eBayer, beware.
Zein Obagi, MD
Boy can I relate to this! After many successful purchases of my favorite perfume, I finally got one that was not real. Unfortunately, it was given to me by someone else and I didn’t open it right away. How disappointing. I can’t even tell the person who gave it to me because they’ll be embarassed and even worse, I recommended that they get it from e-bay since I’d always had good experiences.
My husband is an internet-shopping nut–he knows the best places to get the prices for just about everything on the ‘net. eBay can be great, but it depends on what you’re shopping for. Lots of times people spend more than they would at retail. For example, for camera-equipment and electronics, it’s not at all unusual to pay more than the market rate.
I don’t like to buy personal products (like cosmetics) from eBay. Maybe something for my feet, but definitely not for my face!
It also really depends on the seller that you’re buying from. With traditional retailers, you know what their reputation is. But with eBay, who knows?
Hello,
I love the obagi nu derm. I have been on the system for 1 year and I am trying to find a maintenance program. I am having a difficult time finding a knowledgeable obagi doctor in my area. I feel that I need the right maintenance plan and I also feel I need an additional moisterizer? what should I do?
Thank you!
I wish you would visit Charleston, SC and give a presentation.
Hi, Angela: Have you checked out obagi.com for a list of physicians in your area that offer NuDerm??
I’m happy to hear that you’ve gotten good results. Now, how to maintain those results!
As you may know if you’ve read the blog, I don’t want to try to give recommendations for you or your skin–that’s the job of your physician or derm nurse. So I will speak genericly.
ZO Skin Health was developed partially to complete what I call the Circle of Health–a continuum of skin care for healthy skin. Sometimes you need medical products (like NuDerm), sometimes you can take a break and move to non-prescription products (like ZO Skin Health). I never recommend, however, that a patient revert to a hodge-podge of skin care; some of the NuDerm products should be continued. It’s important to keep the skin stimulated with active Vitamin A (tretinoin or retinol), or it’s likely that there will be a recurrence of the problems (lines, wrinkles, loss of elasticity, etc.). If Clear was part of the treatment program, it probably should be part of the maintenance program.
As for a moisturizer… Ommerse Daily Renewal Creme or its nighttime equivalent may be a good addition. The daytime product contains encapsulated retinol, because I’m a believer in a slow and steady supply. The nighttime product is more intense/richer. I’m not a fan of products that do nothing more than hydrate–I believe only in functioning moisturizers.
It’s important, though, to apply the products in the right sequence. Lighter weight products should be applied before thicker, creamier ones, which may block absorption. I admit, it can be confusing.
But Angela, while I would like to help, I believe that your local MD may be better able to guide you. If seeing a physician doesn’t work out, call our Customer Service Dept at 858-794-9601. Technical people are available to answer questions about ZO Skin Health; first though, they’ll probably ask you a lot of questions!
Charleston is a great town. I’d like to come there some time!
Zein Obagi, MD
I found myself in the same situation transitioning from the 18 week NuDerm Regimen to Maintenance. Dry skin has always been an issue for me and finding a local MD has been an item for me as well.
I added Ommerse Daily Renewal Creme to my NuDerm Maintenance regimen and later included the Ommerse Night Recovery Creme as well as I’m 58 and found I could use the additional moisture, especially peri-orally.
I just wanted to let you know after reading your question to Dr. Obagi that you are not alone in your pursuit of finding a derm that you feel comfortable and are satisfied with, you would not think it should be so hard.
At 58,my skin’s needs maybe different from yours but so is everyone else on this earth. A close acquaitance who is an aesthetician working for a derm and plastic surgeon told me their office NuDerm Maintenance Protocol. Their standard maintenance protocol does not include a moisturizer and if I followed it to the letter, I would not be a very happy customer…She knows me well and knows that I know my own skin, unfortunately she lives and works in another state or I would see her and the derm she works for.
I hope that you find someone you feel satisfies your own skin’s unique issues and I think THAT is where the key lies. A standard Maintenance
Protocol is just that, a “standard”, a “guide” to follow but we all maynot “fit” that “standard” exactly.
Knowledge is power and I am sure you are into reading ingredients and if you have not already done so, I suggest you read some of the other Blogs written by the rest of us into Dr.Obagi, perhaps in the archives too. Dr. Obagi unfortunately can not see either of us personally (rats!) so as he can’t I have the utmost repect for maintaining the highest standard of ethics that he does as to not exceed boundaries. Reading the blogs you will find that a number of clients use NuDerm and ZO Skin Health as part of their own personal maintenance protocol. The two Obagi skin care lines can work in synergy with one another and quite successfully.
I hope you are successful in finding the right “fit” when it comes to a dermatologist, as I am too. Follow Dr.Obagi’s recommendations and I wish you beautiful, supple, moisturized skin health! Hope that you are not offended by my chiming in, it is only that I found your circumstamces identical to mine such a coincidence.
From down in Louisiana,
Anne
Dr. Obagi, I have a concern – I recently purchased the ZO Skin Health Skincare Starter Kit (Nordstrom Exclusive) and got a little too excited looking at all the products that I (foolishly) opened the jar of Growth Factor Serum. Apparently, the top had not been screwed on carefully enough so the product was exposed to a few seconds of sunlight. Has this brief exposure to sunlight completely deactivated the ingredients in the Growth Factor Serum? Would I be better off to just repurchase another jar?
Dear Saku,
The brief exposure to the sunlight of the Growth Factor Serum should not significantly affect the efficacy of the product. Prolonged exposure (like mentioned in the blog above setting the open jar out in lighting to get an appropriate photograph) could lead to a significant decrease in the activity of the ingredients in the Ossential Growth Factor Serum (not to mention possible contamination even though the product has been tested against some of the most stringent anti-microbial challenge tests).
I hope this helps answer your question. Enjoy the product.
Best regards,
Justin Morgan
VP – R&D
ZO Skin Health, Inc.
Hi, i bought the Hydrating Cleanser and started using it last night. I am experience some tingling/itchy sensation on some parts of the face and neck. Is this common? I have combination skin (dry on cheeks and oily on T-Zone) with uneven/pigmentation skin tone. Hope to get a reply soon. Thanks.
Hello June,
The Hydrating Cleanser is pH balanced and doesn’t strip skin of its natural pH (thus will not induce dryness or itching). The active ingredients Allantoin and Panthenol hydrate and effectively cleanse skin without disturbing skin’s natural barrier. I can give you a personal recommendation to make sure your skin is wet before applying the cleanser to your skin. Applying it directly to dry skin and cleansing with it, can cause some itching and irritation to occur (as with any cleanser). Rinse your skin a few times if using at your sink (or wet skin first in the shower) then apply to a wet surface. This will allow the cleanser to “slip” a lot better and for skin to absorb these great ingredients without irritating your skin. Don’t forget Dr. Obagi, believes in stimulation and has added lipopeptides to promote collagen at even the most basic step such as, cleansing. There is always an adjustment period with certain products or more sensitive skin types. I would give it another week with the recommendations above. Also, remember to cleanse your skin for a minimum of 1 minute. The average person only spends 20 seconds washing their face, and that is not sufficient. Thanks
Best,
Sandra Obagi, MBA
Medical Aesthetician
WOW! Obagi really worked for me! I am now much more confident that I can go out of the house and become more social. I have been using the Te-Pads for medicated pore treatment for a few months now. And I realized that it was the solution for me! It left my skin feeling fresh in the morning and clearer than ever. Also my skin didn’t peel like it did with other face products. Instead it was perfectly hydrated.