Causes and Effects of Severe Skin Problems
Obagi skin care products and treatments are designed to address serious skin issues such as uneven skin color, severe wrinkles, dark blemishes and acne scarring. Some of these skin ailments can be traced to excessive sun exposure, age, diet or genetics and sometimes the cause is unknown.
Regardless of cause, skin problems, especially those appearing on the face, cause people a lot stress and anxiety and as a result billions of dollars are spent each year in the skin care cream and cosmetics market.
Obagi Systems for Skin Rejuvenation
Over the last 20 years, Obagi products have gained a reputation as an effective treatment for extreme cases and as a result have become a popular choice for people with severe skin discoloration and scarring for whom other products have not worked. In addition, Obagi products are perceived to work so well that people without major skin problems seek them out for tighter, younger-looking skin.
Developed by dermatologist Zein Obagi M.D. in the 1990s, Obagi treatments often consist of several steps with multiple products per step which are applied over a period of days or weeks. Because some of the products contain prescription-strength ingredients Obagi products are sold at doctors’ and medical offices such as dermatologists and plastic surgeons.
About Tretinion
Tretinoin is an acidic form of Vitamin A that changes how skin cells develop. Specifically, it suppresses the creation of cell types that produce pigment and it increases the speed of skin cell production. The resulting newer skin cells are more evenly colored, look younger and are less wrinkled. It is available as a cream or gel in 0.025%, 0.50% and 0.10% strengths.
Application and Use of Tretinoin
Redness and flaking of the skin are common effects when using tretinoin and indicate that the product is working by creating new skin cells and shedding the old ones. Normally these symptoms subside after a week to ten days of using the product. Use of tretinoin increases skin sensitivity to sunlight. Sunscreen should be used on area where tretinoin is being applied and exposure to direct sunlight should be avoided.
Typically it is recommended that the product be applied at night about 30 minutes after clean the area where it will be applied. Visible results can take between 9 to 12 weeks to appear and improvements to the area where applied can continue to be seen for several months after the start of treatment. Tretinoin does not reverse skin sun damage or eliminate wrinkles or repair skin. The FDA has not approved use of the tretinoin in pregnant women and tretinoin should not be used by women who are pregnant or wish to become pregnant.
Obagi Use of Tretinoin Cream and Gel
Obagi systems utilize a series of steps to prepare, improve and rejuvenate layers of skin to provide effective treatment and long-lasting results. Therefore, under the Obagi method use of Tretinoin is usually prescribed as part of a multi-product treatment.
For example the Obagi ELASTIderm Décolletage System is used to treat skin on the chest and neck, an area commonly mottled and wrinkled over time by sun exposure. The system is made up of two Obagi products, the Obagi ELASTIderm Décolletage Wrinkle Reducing Lotion and the Obagi ELASTIderm Décolletage Skin Lightening Complex.
In some cases physicians overseeing the treatment will recommend tretinoin 0.025% or tretinoin 0.05% to enhance results.
Another Obagi treatment that uses tretinoin is the Obagi Nu-Derm system, a five-step, sixteen-product procedure designed to reduces blemishes, wrinkles and discolored skin by cleaning, rejuvenating and protecting affected areas. Depending on initial condition and desired results tretinoin might be prescribed as part of the process. Ogabi through its physician resellers sells the Obagi branded tretinoin gel and cream, as well as the Refissa Tretinoin Emollient Cream brand. tretinoin cream