Obagi Update Part III

So I came back to the United States, went to the Open House at the local medical spa, got tons more information and encouragement from the Obagi rep (Nota Bene: Do not take what a sales representative says about his/her product as gospel. Ever. Do your own research, or proceed at your own peril.)

Anyhoo, so I thought, what the heck, I'll try it. I paid a lot of money for it, might as well check it out. Plus, I had a more stable schedule and could devote the time necessary to do the whole procedure, both A.M. and P.M. Also, my work schedule is limited to 1 day a week, and while my freelancing requires me some out-of-the-house time for interviews, those are fairly minimal, so I could schedule those at more convenient times when my face wasn't so sensitive. Easy peasy, right?

Whatever.

I did the P.M. routine the night after I returned home from the Open House, a Thursday. It took about fifteen minutes to do the whole routine:

• Foaming Gel cleanser for Normal/Oily Skin
• Toner
• 1/2 gm of Clear
• 1/2 gm of Blender mixed with 1/2 gm Age Defying Cream (the .1% Tretinoin)
• Triseryl Eye serum
  

I waited about 5 minutes between the Clear step and the Blender/Tretinoin step. Also, my Belo derm had prescribed 1 gm of Clear and Blender, but I cut it in half not only to save on the product (did I mention that this was super-expensive) but also because the sales rep and the aesthetician at the local medi-spa had suggested to use it sparingly. If this kit is gonna last me 4-6 months (as the sales rep said it should), I'll have to be conservative with dispensing the stuff.

The next morning, I went through the A.M. routine:

• Foaming Gel Cleanser
• 1/2 gm Clear
  
• 1/2 gm Exfoderm
• Triseryl Eye serum
• Healthy Skin Protection SPF 35

Again, I cut the original prescribed "dose" of 1 gram for both the Clear and Exfoderm in half, dispensing only half a gram for each. Also, I was pretty liberal with the sunblock, slathering it on my face. I only got a small tube of it, but sunblock is something you should never ever ever skimp on, especially when your skincare regimen involves products that will increase your skin's sun sensitivity.

I did the treatment through Saturday evening, faithfully following each step and making sure that I had plenty of sunblock each day.

As early as Friday afternoon, I noticed that my skin had become noticeably drier, and the familiar redness had returned. I knew that I was going to be at work on Monday, but I figured I could just apply makeup to cover up the ruddiness if it hadn't dissipated yet. By Saturday, however, the flaking and peeling had increased considerably, and the redness had only intensified. The flaking was concentrated on my chin and around my mouth, but the redness was all over my face.

By Sunday morning, the flaking had migrated to the lower part of my cheeks. In the meantime, I had done more research on the Internet, searching out message boards on skincare and finding posters who shared their own experiences with Obagi. One had written that he (? she?) had experienced severe flaking and drying in cycles -- every six weeks, I think -- the whole time they were on Obagi. Most of the posters had similar experiences to mine -- some not as severe -- but just about everyone said that they had to endure the intense exfoliation for weeks during the initial phase.

I had to make a decision and realized that, no matter what the result, there was no way that I could go through even one more week of what was going on on my face, much less 6-8 (as the brochure said). So on Sunday morning, I stopped cold turkey and started washing my face with Cetaphil cleanser. I followed that up with the Obagi sunblock, really slathering it on like there's no tomorrow. On Sunday evening, I did the same, only skipping the sunblock and letting my skin breathe and recover. I went to bed praying that I would wake up on Monday morning -- the one day I would actually have to be at work -- with my face calmer and the irritation eased.

No such luck. It looked like I was going to have to go to work with my face not just beet-red, but with the entire bottom half of it -- my nose, upper lip, chin, and cheeks up to my cheekbones -- flaking in sheets.

I tried applying makeup, but it only made the flaking more obvious. I realized I would have to go to work with my face in such a state, or call in sick. Since I only go to the office once a week, it seemed a ridiculous move to skip work, so I desperately tried to arrange my short bob so that it would cover as much of my face as I could get away with, and marched off to work.

As it turned out, very few people asked me about my face, but their politeness only increased my self-consciousness. I mean, you know what they're thinking, right? What the hell happened to your face, girl? I was able to get through the day only because I forced myself to rarely look in the mirror. The two times I did, I was horrified by how much worse it had gotten. At one point, I had to peel off a five-inch sheet of flaking skin off my right cheek. Fortunately, my hair had covered it up nicely.

Monday night was more of the same, but at least I was at home. My skin continued to flake and peel, shedding in layers on my clothes, sheets, on my husband's dark scrubs. It was disgusting, to say the least, and I vowed to stay indoors the rest of the week until my skin healed.

It took several days, but it finally calmed down and returned to normal. In the meantime, I had to be extremely careful with sun exposure, making sure that I applied sunblock even though I was indoors (we have a lot of windows). Nearly a week after I stopped using the Obagi products, my skin was finally back to normal.

My theory is that, if I had switched to a lower-dose Tretinoin (i.e., .05% instead of .1%), my skin might have tolerated it better. But the sales rep and aesthetician weren't kidding when they said that I would need to "push through" the initial phase, because the side effects can be dramatic, not to mention traumatic. My skin, however, isn't so bad that it needed such powerful ammunition, and my lifestyle just cannot accommodate such a high-maintenance regimen, particularly given the side effects and their duration.

I'm back to doing my normal wash-moisturize-sunblock routine, although I continue to use Cetaphil and will do so for another week or so, until I can be sure that the inflammation has really died down. Also, I had Dermasweep done yesterday, which I'll write about another time. That requires a mild skincare routine a day or two after treatment as well.

If you do decide that Obagi is for you, my advice is to proceed with caution, and make sure your dermatologist is aware of every medication you're currently on. Ask lots of questions, and make sure you schedule a follow-up a week or two after you begin so that he/she can evaluate its progress on your skin condition. And don't forget to use tons of sunscreen while you're on this regimen. As you can see, it exfoliates your skin like mad, and that means that the very sensitive new skin that's created will be very vulnerable to any sun exposure. Especially if you're a person of color, you're going to want to head off any hyper- or hypopigmentation by being vigilant with the sunblock.

It's a very expensive regimen (about $400 or so for the entire full-sized kit, which supposedly will last 4-6 months). You'll also need to get a Tretinoin prescription (such as Retin-A or Renova), and will likely need to refill your sunblock tube several times. Because of its high price tag, complicated steps and significant side effects, make sure that this is the right regimen for you before you commit to it. The good news is that, according to the aesthetician, Obagi will give you a refund if you decide to return it. But make sure that you confirm that information with your own dermatologist so that you can make a well-informed decision.

I've heard lots of great things about Obagi, and I'm sure that it's helped plenty of people with various skin conditions develop the smooth skin they've always wanted. But it's definitely not for everyone, and if your skin problems are relatively minor, you might want to seek other options before opting for this one. If you think that it could benefit you, however, I highly recommend talking to your doctor at length about it, and then doing your own research. It could save you lots of money and, more importantly, lots of frustration.

Jolie on NBC Today

Finally! Nadine Haobsh, aka Jolie in NYC, was on this morning's Today show at ~9:40. If you didn't get a chance to see it "live," here's a link to the video on the Today show Web site:


Look flawless in five minutes

Nadine looked fabulous, of course, and her makeup was flawless! I loved how they took one of the Today staffers (I assume) and timed her while she applied makeup using Nadine's tips on how to look flawless in 5 minutes. She made it look and sound so easy, and having a model demonstrate the process step-by-step (albeit in the abbreviated time frame of a morning show segment) helps in seeing how it all comes together. My own morning routine can be even shorter -- i.e., just barely enough time to brush my hair and swipe lip gloss -- but even someone like me who is sometimes afraid of makeup can do this routine! And seeing how gorgeous the Bare Escentuals foundation looks on her face (and that of the model -- I assumed she was using Bare Escentuals), I'm definitely going to have to try it out.

Thanks, Nadine! And thanks for letting us know how to pronounce your last name! (Note: Natalie Morales needs to pay better attention to her guests, or at least get some listening skills. Even after Nadine gave her the proper pronunciation of her last name, Morales still screwed it up, then laughed about it as if she were thinking, Good grief, why do you have to have such a difficult name? You'd be a better reporter if you had decent listening skills, Natalie. Seriously.)

Wherefore art thou, Jolie?

Is it just me, or was Nadine Haobsh (beauty blogger Jolie in NYC) not on the Today show this morning? Granted, I didn't watch the whole 3-hour marathon. I mean, c'mon, people, I may blog a wee bit too much sometimes but I do have some semblance of a life.

Anyway, if she was on the show and I just missed her, how was it? Do you have something you could put on YouTube? Pretty please?

And if she wasn't on the show, well then, Jolie, when are you going to grace 30 Rockefeller with your presence to plug Beauty Confidential?

My favorite comfort "food:" BOOKS!!!

Did it! Went to Borders this morning and bought Beauty Confidential by Nadine Haobsh, All You Need To Be Impossibly French by Helena Frith Powell, and Kimora Lee Simmons' Fabulosity: What It is & How to Get It. Yippee!!! Had a horrible weekend (the details of which I will not bore anyone with, so I indulged in quite possibly the best way to soothe rattled nerves and tight muscles: book shopping! Yes, despite my obsession with all things beauty, my favorite possession of all is still my ginormous personal library.

I'll review these treasures on this site as I read them. (I'll review Powell's book on my other blog, My Inner French Girl, natch.) In the meantime, if you've already read either one (especially Kimora's, which has been out for months. Nadine's was released today.), please do let me know what you think!

Spa Open House

As I mentioned last week, I attended the Open House at the biggest medical spa in town last Thursday night. A bunch of my co-workers had promised to go as well, but as usually happens, only 3 others showed up, including my supervisor, L. who is quite possibly as vain as I am. :-)

Anyhoo, very interesting evening. I expected at the most perhaps fifty attendees, given the conservative, North Face-wearing kind of crowd here in my little town. So imagine my surprise when I turned the corner at exactly 6 pm (when the invitation indicated that the party would begin) and was confronted with at least fifty women already sipping champagne, hovering over the free samples and lined up at the free massage station. By the end of the evening (two hours later), over 200 people had come through the entrance. I even saw quite a few women of color, another surprise considering the very whiteness of this town. The aesthetician had mentioned the day before during my consultation with her that at least 30% of the practice's patients are people of color, but as she's actually a staff member I'm less inclined to believe her and would prefer to see for myself.

Almost two dozen tables offered information on everything from reflexology, aromatherapy, Jane Iredale mineral cosmetics (with free makeover), Fraxel, Obagi, La Roche Posay, Dermasweep, Nia 24, Radiesse, and a host of other dermatological services and products. I spent most of my time at the Obagi and Fraxel tables, grilling the reps about their product, checking out the brochures, and swiping whatever samples I could get away with. I got enough information from the Obagi rep -- a perky, tall, thin blonde who was just nice enough to be not-very-annoying -- to feel comfortable about starting the kit I bought while in the Philippines a few weeks ago.

The Fraxel rep, on the other hand, was a smooth-talking guy in a suit and sporting a Mediterranean-like tan. He was thorough with my questions, but I hated that, in answer to my question about potential risks and/or problems, he sort of screwed up his face and said, "You know, I've never actually heard of any problems with these. You'll have the downtime, but otherwise, these are practically risk-free."

Uh, dude, you haven't been doing your research. Are you telling me that a high-powered laser burning off layers of your skin poses no risks at all? Later that evening, a cursory search through some forums on the Internet unearthed quite a few posters who weren't very happy with the treatment. Some were pleased, while others were adamant that the minimal results they ultimately got weren't worth the downtime and considerable expense. I also found one whose downtime lasted considerably longer than the "5-7 days" that the rep claimed.

Anyway, that pretty much clinched the deal for me. As appealing as the rep and the aesthetician and the brochures all make it sound, the risk-benefit analysis just didn't work out for me. The cost for me -- 4 partial treatments -- would have been about US$1440 (or US$1100 had I been willing to pay in full the night of the Open House), quite a big amount for a freelance writer with some credit card debt left to pay. I decided that a series of microdermabrasion and chemical peels (which I've had done before, in the Philippines, and am comfortable with) would be better for me and my wallet.

But I did enjoy one consolation: I won -- Yes, I won! I, who almost never wins anything! -- a gift bag with full-sized bottles of an Obagi cleanser and day eye gel. Woooooo hoo!!! They gave away quite a few door prizes, but most of the numbers they called belonged to people who had already left. Anyway, I also did a quick makeover at the Jane Iredale table and found what appeared to be the perfect shade of mineral foundation for my skin.

In between the table-hopping I visited the food table and ate more than enough hors d'oeuvres to make a very satisfying dinner. Skipped the wine and champagne, though, as I don't drink and drive. Besides, being surrounded by all these awesome beauty products and high-tech skincare equipment gave me enough of a high!

A Favorite Blog

JolieinNYC is the blog of twentysomething (?) former beauty editor Nadine Haobsh, who was summarily fired from her job at a major women's glossy after it was revealed that she was Jolie. She's since reinvented herself as an author, blogger and image consultant working with global companies. You go, girl!

Anyhoo, her blog is just fun to read (she has MySpace and Facebook accounts) and gives lots of tips on the latest beauty products. She also harbors a curious fascination with Jessica Simpson.

Her new book, Beauty Confidential, comes out on October 30th. I think she'll be appearing on NBC's Today Show on November 1st, for those of you living in North America. Should be fun to watch. In the meantime, I'm going to try and grab a copy so that I can review it here ASAP.

Erasing Ethnicity

I know I've written before about using a lightening/whitening cream, but I use it primarily to even out skin tone from years of sporadic acne and hyperpigmentation. I happen to really like being Mahogany, hence the name of this blog, despite the insatiable hunger among women in Asia to be super-white.

Please please please, for the love of all women of color, don't succumb to this. Or this. With regard to the latter, I saw an episode of some evening program when I was in Manila whereby this attractive young woman had bought an over-the-counter glutathione product (I think they were pills). The reporter said that it was the "2nd leading brand" in the country for glutathione products, so the woman was confident that they were safe. Not too long after she ingested them, however, her skin -- which had been otherwise been clear and fair, judging from the Before photos the report showed -- began to turn red and develop what looked to be severe acne and/or blisters. Her entire face erupted in these horrible red lesions, and it was obvious that she would never look quite the same way again.

It's just way too risky to be taking anything that's not only unnecessary, but unproven for long-term use. (Yes, I know that the doctor quoted in the above article said that glutathione is "relatively safe" and that "there have been no reports of adverse reactions even with long-term use," however, she then goes on to say that in her own practice, she "personally advises her patients to choose non-invasive options if the same results can be achieved." In addition, she is quoted in a previous paragraph that "not all doctors are convinced of the safety profile of [the intravenous administration of glutathione]," a popular method in Manila for quickly achieving the whitening results patients are looking for.

I would strongly suggest anyone considering the numerous skin lightening options on the market (whether its active ingredient is hydroquinone, glutathione, kojic acid, etc.) to talk to their dermatologist first. Ask about all the risks involved, and if they're not forthcoming about it, find another doctor. As the woman in the report mentioned above found out too late, your skin is just too delicate an organ to mess around with. Not to mention that you could end up making worse what you had originally set out to "fix."

And did I mention that Mahogany is Beautiful?

Cate Blanchett & SK-II

Fans of Cate Blanchett's ethereal beauty will love seeing her as the new spokesmodel for SK-II, a brand you may have seen advertised in Vogue and New Beauty. It's definitely a pricey line, but I've also read good reviews of it from various celebrities.

One of these days I want to try that moisturizing mask Blanchett is so passionate about. I've seen it in their ads and in reviews in InStyle (I think) and wonder if it would be good for air travel. I find myself traveling internationally at least once a year and know how much havoc the dry, stale cabin air wreaks on one's complexion. The masks come in these little silver packets, I believe, so they would be easy to carry on-board in those little Ziploc bags we've all come to know and love

Kerry Washington Chic

I only "saw" Save The Last Dance once, and I use that term literally because at the time I was on a long-distance bus from Dar es Salaam to Moshi, a town at the foothills of Kilimanjaro and the jumping off point for many wanting to climb the volcano. The sound was off, although I think there were [English] subtitles. Not that it mattered -- I and my then-best friend (now husband) were sitting halfway down the bus, so we were just a wee bit too far to really see much.

Anyway, I finally caught it again this morning on the TBS cable channel, and the only reason I saw it was because I was absolutely captivated by Kerry Washington's character Chenille. Did you guys catch the girl's wardrobe??? Devastating! Check out the above still from the film. She's the fly girl 2nd from left with the red headscarf.

I've noticed her Washington a lot lately because of her work as spokesmodel for a cosmetics company (I think it's L'Oreal Paris). She has that unusual beauty that's remarkable precisely because it doesn't conform to the conventional look of so many other models out there. Sure, she has the flawless skin and prominent cheekbones the fashion and beauty industries absolutely covet, but there's something else about her -- perhaps a keen intelligence, a great sense of humor -- a certain quelque chose that's just brilliant.

Here's another photo of her. This emerald green is gorgeous on her, and the unique and eye-catching neckpiece just enhances her delicate beauty. (And I've no idea about the ice cream "cameo." I think it has something to do with an answer she gave during an interview regardign her favorite ice cream treat.)

Why "Beauty in Mahogany?"

When I was a little girl growing up in the Philippines, my parents gave me two vintage (they were vintage then as well) Barbie dolls: a traditional one with deep blue eyes and jet-black, bubble-cut hair, and another with molded plastic hair in chestnut brown and hazel eyes. I had a preference for the former, and sometimes neglected the latter, whom my cousin and I referred to as Mahogany for her darker, Mediterranean-like looks. Not sure why we favored Traditional Barbie, but likely it had to do with the "real" hair as well as the fact that, unfortunately, Filipinas still equate fairness and mestizo looks with beauty, while the native kayumanggi look was (and still is) more often than not, disdained.

In any case, having grown up and learned to appreciate my glorious, golden skin color, I look back on Mahogany with fondness and am grateful to my parents for giving me a doll that better reflected my own look. Hence, Beauty in Mahogany.