Although Dr. Obagi conceived and brought to market the original Obagi Nu-Derm and ZO Skin Health, the two companies that make these brands are separate; therefore I am unable to give you advice about Obagi Nu-Derm. Depending on the severity of the acne, you may want to consider ZO Skin Health’s acne products–namely:

Exfoliating Cleanser. Are you using a cleanser for oily skin? It will help reduce sebum production, but be sure to use if for all face and body parts that are affected by acne. Avoid hot showers, which only increase your skin’s oil production, and try to keep your showers short.

Exfoliating Polish. This is great to deep cleanse the pores and remove the dead skin cells that harbor bacteria. It is fairly abrasive, so you may want to be gentle until such time as you establish your skin tolerance. Use it as little as twice a week, or as frequently as daily.

TE Pads. Use one pad over acne-prone areas, twice a day. It will dry your skin, reduce sebum (and the problems associated with it) and relieve congested pores.

As for tretinoin, Dr. Obagi recommends cream (instead of gel) and always prefers the .1% concentration. Try that, and let us know how you do! Thanks.

Donna Queen

I am a 19 years old male who lives in the Caribbean and have suffered acne since I was 11. I have noticed that the major problem on my face is clogged pores. Most of my acne seems to be deep under the skin; squeezing just causes harm to the skin and nothing comes out. Mostly on my cheeks, I have developed some kind of deep whiteheads without “an exit conduct” that affects the smoothness of the skin. I have been using Clindamycin Phosphate Gel USP, 1% and a Sulfur based wash (Plexion Cleanser), they have worked great for the most superficial acne, but still have those whiteheads described. What do you recommend me? I was wondering if the Obagi Nu-Derm System in combination with the Tretinoin Gel (what percent would you recommend?) is a better regimen for my problem as it would “peel” or resurface the skin. I also suffer from very bad body acne (back, arms and chest); all of these areas show serious hyperpigmentation problems caused by acne and acne scars. What would you recommend to fade out all that marks and skin spots on my back and arms? I am anxious to hear your recommendations, thanks for taking the time to read my concerns.

Best Regards,
Alejandro

Thanks for asking, but we at ZO Skin Health are separate from the company that makes Obagi Nu-Derm (Obagi Medical Products), and therefore do not represent their products or regimen. Dr. Obagi was a founder of both companies, but no longer is associated with Obagi Medical Products. I therefore suggest that you speak with a physician or other skincare professional for medical advice.

Thanks for asking; I am sorry that I cannot be of more assistance.

Donna Queen

Donna Queen

Thanks for asking, but unfortunately, we at ZO Skin Health are separate from the company that makes Obagi Nu-Derm (Obagi Medical Products), and therefore do not represent their products or regimen. Dr. Obagi was a founder of both companies, but no longer is associated with Obagi Medical Products. I therefore suggest that you speak with a physician or other skincare professional for medical advice.

Thanks for asking; I wish I could be of more assistance.

Donna Queen

As a patient, thanks to the resources Dr. Obagi, yourself, Donna and the rest of the staff have made available to us we can educate ourselves with your help, for those of us unable to be treated at your clinics.

Thank you for the wonderful products, nothing else has gone on my face but Obagi products for over three years now and many applause to you all!

Fondly, Anne

I have been on Nu-Derm system for about two months. It totally cleared my face but because of stress and changing my birth control I have started to break out with huge pimples on my chin. Now my skin looks worse then before I started the system. Would it help if I take a week off and restart the system from the beginning? Please advise, I’d like my skin to be perfect again.

Thank you!

Mintra

I’m looking at an instruction sheet that Dr. Obagi gives to his patients, which indicates that during the first six weeks of skin conditioning with Nu-Derm, you should expect to see redness, dryness, exfoliation, sensitivity and occasional burning and itching.

During the second six week cycle, expect that the severity of these symptoms will subside, and you’ll experience less redness and less exfoliation.

During the third six weeks you’ll have minimal skin reaction.

You can continue to use the products indefinitely, but daily use is discouraged. It’s better to begin using the Nu-Derm products just three days a week, and introducing ZO Skin Health products on alternate days/nights. you don’t indicate what ZO Skin Health products you are using, but you can substitute the Daily Power Defense for the Clear, and the Radical Night Repair Plus for the Retin-A and Blender.

Hope that helps! Keep up the good work.

ZO is great at brightening the skin–reducing lines and wrinkles, making skin more radiant and even-toned. But if you’re looking for skin whitening, you may prefer Obagi® Nu-Derm products, which contain a bleaching agent called hydroquinone. It’s the most popular (and effective) bleaching agent–if it’s in a sufficiently high concentration. Be sure to look for at least 4% concentration. And always use a sunscreen!!

Thanks.

I disagree with your friend; Retin A cream does work without Blender; it just works better with Blender.

Here are a few recommendations for your regimen.

Dr. Obagi generally recommends that for maintenance, reduce Clear and Retin A/Blender to 3x/week.
On alternate days and nights use other products that will benefit your skin–his favorite is ZO’s Daily Power
Defense (use it in the morning–it’s a great anti-oxidant) and use ZO’s Radical Night Repair Plus in the evenings that you are not using the Retin A/Blender.

As for the shock treatment–yes, he does recommend reverting to the original Nu-Derm regimen once or twice a year for a week. You don’t need to do it for 18 weeks–just one week should suffice. That’s all that he does–and he’s the consummate skin perfectionist!

Let us know how you’re doing!