Obagi Nu-Derm® is the age defying skin range we’ve been looking for.
What is the Obagi Nu-Derm® range?
Aging skin comes to us all eventually, but there are always things we can do to slow the process. Stay out of the sun, limit the amount you drink and make sure you have a great skin care routine. And in the Obagi Nu-Derm® range, we’ve found our new favourite anti-aging products.
If you didn’t already know, the Obagi Nu-Derm® range is a high quality, medical grade skin care system designed to completely transform your skin by reducing darks spots and revealing younger, healthier-looking skin.
Nu-Derm® is perfect if you have:
Age spots
Rough skin
Erythema (redness)
Sallowness (yellowish complexion)
Hyperpigmentation (discoloration)
In this article we’ll talk you through how the Nu-Derm system works, where to get it and how to get the very best results for your skin.
The 6 Step Obagi Nu-Derm® System – How it Works
The Nu-Derm® system isn’t like the products you can pick up from your local Boots. It is a medical grade skin care system designed by Dermatologists which contains prescription strength and pharmaceutical quality ingredients.
We’re talking next level skin care here people.
Any product you can buy over the counter will contain the same type of ingredient but can’t contain the same percentage that Obagi products do.
Retinol products, for example, can, by law, only contain a certain amount of retinol. Obagi products, on the other hand, can contain pharmaceutical concentrations of the same ingredient.
This means that Obagi skin care products will work better than anything you can get from the high street.
In order to get your hands on the range you’ll need to go through a licensed beauty or skin specialist. Luckily HealthXchange.com has a clinic finder to help you find your nearest Obagi specialist.
So, how do you get started?
The Obagi Nu-Derm® system was designed as a 6 step system to combat the aging process and seriously revamp and renew your skin. Each step contains a different product that you layer on one another for maximum effect.
However, just because it’s a 6 step system that doesn’t mean you have to use the whole system to get results. You can even mix and match the best Obagi products with other high quality skin care products if you like. It’s up to you.
Below we go through the 6 steps in order and the different products involved with their intended results.
Ready? Here we go!
6 steps to younger looking skin with the Obagi Nu-Derm® range
The 6 step system is pretty straightforward but we’ve included some information on what product to use, how to use it and why it works. So, the six steps are as follows:
Step 1 – Cleanse your face
Step 2 – Tone your skin
Step 3 – ‘Clear’ your skin
Step 4 – Exfoliate
Step 5 – Remove age spots
Step 6 – Moisturise
Step 1 – Cleanse your face
Product used – Obagi Nu-Derm® Gentle Cleanser (for normal to dry skin) or Foaming Gel (for normal to oily skin)
Start by cleansing your face with the gentle cleanser or foaming gel, depending on your skin type. This cleanser is designed to remove everyday dirt, grime, and makeup from your skin, leaving you with a clean and fresh complexion.
A cleanser is a necessity for any skin care regimen because it helps exfoliate the skin and prepare it for the next steps. Exfoliation is necessary because it removes the dead cells that make the skin look dull.
Directions – Use the cleanser twice a day, once during your morning routine and again during your nighttime routine.
Why it works:
- Gentle Cleanser and Foaming Gel contain aloe vera, amino acids, apricot kernel oil and panthenol (Vitamin B3) which help to nourish the skin
- Panthenol can increase your skin’s integrity and reduce water loss throughout the day
- They also improve absorption of the next steps by preparing the skin and opening up your pores
Step 2 – Tone your skin
Product used – Obagi Nu-Derm® Toner
After cleansing, apply the toner in order to re-balance your skin’s pH levels and prepare it for the next step.
It does this by opening your pores and restoring the acid mantle to your skin. This mantle acts as a barrier so that only certain nutrients can get in and so that moisture cannot escape.
Regardless of your skin type, you should be using some sort of toner.
Directions – Use the toner twice a day, once during your morning routine and again during your nighttime routine.
Why it works:
- The Obagi Nu-Derm® Toner contains Witch hazel, sage leaf extract, flower extracts, panthenol aloe vera and hyaluronic acid.
- These ingredients help promote moisture while still restoring normal pH balance to the epidermal layers of the skin. They also help to open your pores up and increase absorption of nutrients in the products to follow
Step 3 – ‘Clear’ your skin
Product used – Obagi Nu-Derm® Clear Fx
‘Clear’ is designed to help correct the various discolourations on your skin to leave you with a more even skin tone. It can help reduce the appearance of freckles, skin changes from sun damage (sun spots), age spots and skin hyperpigmentation syndromes like melasma.
It helps to naturally restore an even skin tone to your entire face and neck area, which makes your skin look blended, younger and smooth.
Directions – Use the ‘Clear’ product twice a day, once during your morning routine and again during your nighttime routine.
The same product is used for all skin types.
Step 4 – Exfoliate
Product used – Obagi Nu-Derm® Exfoderm (for dry or sensitive skin) or Exfoderm Forte (for oily skin)
The Exfoderm system simultaneously acts as an exfoliator and a moisturiser. It is designed to remove dead skin cells and reveal new skin cells, giving you a brighter and clearer complexion.
This is obviously important because as you age your skin’s natural ability to exfoliate diminishes greatly, meaning your skin contains more dead skin cells.
However, because there are already other steps designed to exfoliate your skin cells in the system, this particular step may be not necessary unless you have mature skin
Directions – Should be used in the morning and after cleansing, toning and the application of the Clear FX.
Why it works:
- Exforderm products contain a range of ingredients that work together to give you younger looking skin
- This includes alpha hydroxy acids to promote skin regeneration, glycolic acid to exfoliate, lactic acids to remove dead skin cells and caprylic triglycerides (to gently moisturize)
Step 5 – Remove age spots
Product used – Obagi Nu-Derm® Blend Fx
Blend is designed to gradually lighten your skin in order to remove age or sun spots and other types of discolouration that may appear on your face.
The vitamins and nutrients contained in Blend Fx helps smooth out your skin, even skin tones, reduce fine lines and wrinkles and help naturally brighten your skin.
You can also blend the Blend Fx one of the Obagi’s Retinol products for even better results, although this isn’t necessary. You may benefit from using both of these if you have severe hyperpigmentation issues or difficult to treat melasma, age spots or sun damage.
Directions – Use Blend once during your nighttime routine to enhance results and improve absorption.
Why it works:
- The Blend Fx contains Arbutin, which helps to brighten your skin, Lactic acid, to help exfoliate and improve skin texture and pore size, Vitamin C and Vitamin E
Step 6 – Moisturise
Product used – Obagi Nu-Derm® Hydrate
Hydrate is the final step in the system and is designed to help moisturise and hydrate the dry and flaky skin on your face.
One of the main benefits to using Hydrate is that it contains hydromanil. Hydromanil has been proven to maintain hydration in the skin by creating a barrier which prevents moisture from escaping.
This hydration can last for up to 8 hours, making it one of the most effective moisturisers on the market.
Directions – Use Hydrate as needed during your morning or night time routine on all skin types. You’ll only need to use Hydrate on areas of dry skin.
Why it works:
- Hydrate contains Hydromanil, which reduces water loss through the skin, Mango butter, which cleanses and moisturises the skin, Shea and Avocado.
Where can I buy Obagi products?
Due to the pharmaceutical concentrations of some of the Obagi Nu-Derm® products, you can’t get them on the high street. Instead, you can buy direct from the Obagi website or go through a specially certified clinic.
Speaking to a clinician first will give you a better idea of which steps in the Nu-Derm® system are most important for your skin and if there are any that you can skip. It will also give you piece of mind that you are buying the real thing, as there are outlets online that will sell you second hand or even fake products. To find your local Obagi specialist use a clinic finder and contact the clinic directly from there.
The Nu-Derm® System is a fabulous way to keep your skin looking young and healthy. It’s quite a lot of work, and you will need to keep at it, but the results are absolutely worth it.
