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Why I glow? I've been transformed by the miracle system: ObagiOct 05 '06 Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in Personal Care
The Bottom Line Obagi has transformed my skin!
I see a medical aesthetician. Once and for all I decided to just buy what she suggested. I was tired of trying product after product – some great; some not. I wanted a system. She suggested that I start out with the Obagi–C Rx Complete System. Although you may read that you can only get this through a doctor’s office everything is available online. I paid $299 for this system. You’ll find it for less online. In addition you can buy products individually but now that I’ve been using this for over a month I would recommend that you buy the system. However it is good to know I can buy one product online for less. Since I didn’t know anyone who used this I was glad I went through Robin because I e-mailed and spoke to her on the phone several times over this month. If you are reading this you should get enough information to know what to expect. Although I am aware that many people would want to review each product separately I feel so strongly that this should be used as a system I am not though I will review each product in this essay. What is Obagi and what does the C RX System do? Obagi has various lines. This is a good starting point. My skin was dry, sensitive, red and prone to rashes. From the literature I have “As the first and only prescription-strength Vitamin C skin care system, the Obagi-C Rx System delivers brighter skin. Designed for people with mild to moderate sun damage, this simple prescription-strength System helps your skin to look more radiant and even toned. How it works: The Obagi-C Rx System combines the proven benefits of 4% prescription strength Hydroquinone and physician-strength Vitamin C with a patented formula of prescription-strength ingredients. This specially formulated combination works to correct freckles and age spots caused by sun damage; regulate the production of melanin-producing cells, resulting in even skin tone and radiant skin; enhance collagen production, promoting smoother, brighter skin with fewer fine lines and wrinkles; promote radiance, resulting in skin that emits light you can actually see and measure." This product was developed by Zein E. Obagi, M.D, a Board-Certified Diplomat of the American Board of Dermatology and a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology. The company uses the term “Photolumines Skin” to describe the more radiant, luminescent skin that results from the combination of the ingredients. Also from the literature is information that I think is helpful to know about the ingredients. Vitamin C and E are thought of as "healing" antioxidants because they help the skin recover from injuries such as ultraviolet radiation, smoking, pollution, stress, alcohol consumption, diets, and other environmental toxins. Topical Vitamin C is absorbed through the skin providing significant protection against photo damage (ultraviolet radiation). Vitamin C absorbs both UVA and UVB rays, improves collagen synthesis and is anti-inflammatory. (Whether you believe this or not is another matter!) Physician-strength 4% hydroquinone is considered the product for treating uneven skin tone. Hydroquinone slows the production of melanin, causing dark spots to gradually fade and return to normal skin color. I used Philosophy’s A Pigment of Your Imagination which is 1/2 the strength of what is in Obagi and did nothing for me. Hyaluronidase enhances the hydration of the skin and improves the penetration of products. Glycolics enhance exfoliation, resulting in more rapid cellular turnover, which helps remove injured and dead cells and also improves the penetration of products. Sunscreens help protect your skin from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. The System: I got, which is the system, C-Cleansing Gel; C-Clarifying Serum; C-Exfoliating Day Lotion; C-SunGuard SPF 30; C-Cleansing Gel; and C-Therapy Night Cream. My morning routine: C-Cleansing Gel The purpose of the cleansing gel is to clean my skin. When I first started using this pink gel like lotion that smells pleasant, sort of like a nice smelling soap, I wondered why I was paying $31.00 for a 6-ounce container. I knew it was supposed to condition and prepare my skin for better penetration of the next product I was putting on but still it seemed like a lot of money to clean my skin. It did remove my make up. In addition I felt no tightness after washing my face with it. Putting on a moisturizer immediately didn’t feel like something I had to do. It goes on easily. It doesn’t lather rather it is more like soap. In fact it starts absorbing into my skin quickly if I rub it in too long. I start with my skin wet and gently rub the gel into my face and neck. I then rinse it with warm water and pat dry. I only need a dime size squirt for my entire face so that was one relief when I thought of how much I was paying. It contains Purified Water, Sodium Lauroyl Oat Amino Acids, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, L-Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Medicago Sativa (Alfalfa) Extract, Borago Officinalis (Borage) Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Sodium Chloride, Saponins, Xantham Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Butylparaben, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Glycerin, Fragrance, Yellow 5, Red 33. C-Clarifying Serum This serum is a formula combining 10% Vitamin C with 4% hydroquinone. It comes in a.1 fluid ounce glass bottle with a squeeze dropper. The purpose we are told is that “We are told that this serum penetrates deep into the skin's dermal layers where it enhances collagen production thereby reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Hydroquinone decreases the formation of melanin in the skin. Melanin is the pigment in the skin that gives it a brown color. Therefore, hydroquinone applied topically is used to gradually lighten areas of darkened skin such as freckles, age spots, chloasma, and melasma. This results in more radiant, luminescent skin.” I read that I might feel a tingling initially and I did but that went away after several days. Be careful not to get this in your eyes. Robin, my aesthetician told me to squeeze a drop into the palm of my hand and apply it to my face. She suggested I rub it to warm it up a bit so I do that as well. Also rather than rubbing it in which is what the directions say I just put my hands on each part of my face. At $84 I was really worried about how quickly this was going to be used up. Really two to four drops is all I need. I spoke to Robin today and she told me that once or twice a week I could use the serum as long as it wasn’t too drying on my face. Each gram of Obagi-C Rx Clarifying Serum contains Hydroquinone 4% USP mg/gm in a base of Propylene Glycol, Propylene Carbonate, L-Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Purified Water and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. C-Exfoliating Day Lotion This pleasant smelling white lotion comes in a 2 ounce plastic bottle. Squeezing the lotion out is my only complain. At the beginning too much was coming out. I’ve gotten the technique down but at $39.00 I wanted to use every speck. The purpose is to gently exfoliate and accelerates skin cell turnover, while hydrating and protecting the skin. I put a drop or two on my finger and start with my forehead. A little goes a long way. That drop or two could go all the way down to my temples. I continue to gently rub it in until it disappears. I noticed when I was in the office that this comes with a sunscreen in it as well though mine does not have sunscreen. It contains 7% Glycolic Acid Ascorbyl Glucoside Hyaluronic Acid Vitamin E SPF 12 pH 3.5 - 4.0 Octinoxate Octisalate Oxybenzone. C-Sunguard SPF 30 Broad –Spectrum UVA/UVB Sunscreen This is recommended by the Skin Cancer Society though probably many are. Truly I have no idea and I am not going to compare product to product to figure out why I’m spending $34 on 3 ounces of sunscreen. I’ve decided to use this system so I try not to think about the price. This is also a white lotion. It is light and absorbs quickly. It has what Obagi calls a Z-Cote formula that “provides a superior measure of sun protection from UVA/UVB damage and against long UVA rays linked to premature aging of the skin.” I use this every day even if I am in the house! I have a lot of windows and face the ocean. I’m sure that the sun can get to my face. During the summer or when we go to California in December I will have to talk to Robin to see if I can use something less expensive because I’ll go through a tube every week! It contains Octinoxate 7.5%, Zinc Oxide 9.0%, which is traditional in a lot of sun products. The inactive ingredients are Butylparaben, Cetearyl Alcohol, Citric Acid, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Diethanolamine Cetyl Phosphate, Disodium Edetate, Ethylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Isopropyl Palmitate, Laureth-7, Methylparaben, Octyl Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Polyacrylamide, Polyether-1, Polysorbate 60, Propylparaben, Purified Water, Sodium Hydroxide, Triethoxycaprylyisilane. My night routine: I wash my face with the Gel as I do in the morning. I then apply: C-Therapy Night Cream On the bottle it says PM and “skin lightening cream with vitamins C and E, hydroquinone USP 4%." It also says RX only however as I started I will say again this is all readily available at dozens of sites online. This comes in the same bottle as the C-Exfoliating Day Lotion but this white non-greasy cream doesn’t smell as nice. This 2-ounce bottle costs $75 and I apply it just as I do the AM lotion. Each gram of Obagi-C Rx C-Therapy Night Cream contains Hydroquinone 40 mg/gm in a base of Purified Water, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, PPG-2 Myristyl Ether Propionate, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, L-Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), TEA-Salicylate, Lactic Acid, Saponins, Methylparaben, Edetate Disodium, Propylparaben, BHT, Phenyl Trimethicone, Sodium Metabisulfite. I then go to sleep. Warning: ”Products containing hydroquinone should not be used when contemplating pregnancy or when pregnant or nursing. This product also contains sodium metabisulfite, a sulfite that may cause serious allergic type reactions (e.g., hives, itching, wheezing, anaphylaxis severe asthma attacks) in certain susceptible persons.“ My experience: First a comment about the warning. I have often talked about Sodium Laureth Sulfate as being a product that could have adverse affects and I have provided some research. I have never seen a product that warns of potential allergic reactions. Other than the normal process my skin was supposed to go through I had no adverse reactions. I was really very leery. I have used too many moisturizers to mention but my skin was still dry and flaky. It was red and blotchy. Robin told me to give it 2 weeks preferably a month before I judged it. She warned me that I might not want to go out for a couple of days so you might want to use this over a weekend if you work outside the home. Why? Because the dead skin literally comes off. They don't come off in layers or chunks! The skin comes off in the form of very, very dry feeling skin. I couldn’t put on makeup. I called Robin and told her I needed a moisturizer. I was so used to putting moisturizer on my face several times a day. She comforted me and told me that Obagi has moisturizers and just to get over this period and give it a bit more time since it had only been a few days into this process. One month later my skin looks like it never has. I’ll give you an example. I have a couple of types of foundations. One which is by Sephora I used with a gel under the foundation. The gel allowed me to put on the foundation in the past. I had better luck with Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil. I put on the Sephora gel and then the foundation. My skin was so clear and free of flakiness that it looked oily! I have since bought a whole new line of makeup but those are other reviews. I am now totally free of any dryness. If you’ve read any of my makeup reviews you will note that I often talked about dryness around my nose, chin and between my eyebrows –gone! My skin glows. I told Robin today I could be a walking advertisement for Obagi. After my morning routine I don’t need any moisturizer during the day at all – ever. At some point I may try the next stronger system but that will be down the road. For now I am just enjoying my new skin. My skin tone is even. I can't remember any of the awful red patches I would get. Thanks for reading. I hope this has helped. Please feel free to leave me a question or comment. jo  |
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