Facial Products

Jill Fike, who has the most gorgeous face of anyone I know, recommends Obagi. I used her regimen one night while staying with her and was mostly impressed that the face wash took of my eye makeup. I then used one of the treatments to lighten a sunspot on my temple and noticed it lighten overnight! So I really wanted to try it for myself. I have been wanting for some time to find something that works for me, that I can begin using now while I am "young" to keep the only face I will have looking lovely and protect it from the sun damaging UV rays that keep my nose pink all summer long. I have noticed that my dermatologist sells it and asked a dermatologist who I got stuck sitting beside one night at dinner at Little St Simon's Island, about it. Basically, it is more or less a 6 step process including a 1. a face wash 2. a toner 3. this stuff called Clear that is Rx only 4. an Exfoderm 5. Retin-A (Rx only) 6. a really good SPF sunscreen. My set also came with an eye cream which I really wanted to try.

Here's the skinny. I think the full set is about $400, but would last you at least 6 months I would assume. But we all know that I don't have $400, so this is how I do it. During my annual visit to the dermatologist I asked for a Rx for Retin-A. I also left with a handful of samples of it. Also know that Retin-A has a generic form! Most dermatologist recommend Retin-A for all general lightening, brightening, and tightening. Acne is really not the issue these days. My concerns are mostly sunspots and getting older and want to take really good care of my face. So I wanted a regimen that would tighten and lighten and protect. The stuff called Clear is one of the Rx items. I am sure there is a very good medical reason why you need it in combination with the Obagi system. However, I have heard (via Jill) that prolonged usage is not good for elasticity issues. So I just cut that out. The dermatologist I got stuck sitting next to at LSSI said that she just puts most all her patients on Retin-A alone and that essentially ALL her patients are on it, from young teens with acne issues, to 30 something over obsessive women. She recommends that alone, with a good face wash, moisturizer and sunscreen. This is the most economical route. However, I wanted to give Obagi a try. I rationalized that after purchasing a "good" face wash, moisturizer and sunscreen that you can wear every day, it would be about $40, so I decided to splurge and get the Obagi set minus the Rx items on Ebay. I got all the steps minus Rx ones of course and the eye cream for $150. It is a lot of money for me, but I can make it last a very, very long time and I am curious to see how the combination of products works. The eye cream alone sells for around $40 and with allergy issues and dark circles, I like to have it. The sunscreen is also more effective than that you could get at the drugstore and contains 9% zinc oxide, so it is very good at protecting your pretty face from the damaging sun. The sunscreen retails for about $40. I had previously purchased a sunscreen (made by SkinCeuticals) recommended by my dermatologist, via Ebay. I have used it practically every day and it has lasted me a very long time. It is almost impossible to find a really good one that you can wear all day, every day. You don't want to walk around all shiny and smelling like coconuts. The Neutrogena SPF 15 at the drugstore just doesn't contain the zinc oxide necessary to be a really effective sunscreen. So I feel like my purchase was justified, as I will make it last all year (I hope) and the products are some of the best on the market. The company promises firmer, more smooth resilient skin and more even color tones. You can visit their site at http://www.obagi.com/ Also, to read more, do a Google search for Obagi Reviews.