Traditional moisturiser, that you buy over the counter is a barrier cream. It sits on the surface of the skin, creating a dependency that results in acquired dryness and increasing the rate of aging.
“My skin feels dry, I couldn’t live with-out it” you cry!
For the last half a century, we have been lied to by the cosmetic industry for their financial gain. For 30 years Dr Obagi has been shouting out that we must stop using moisturiser, the message is finally getting through, and many of us are now enjoying good skin health.

So, what is the problem…?

To understand why moisturiser is a problem, you need to understand how skin works.
Our skin is made up of 2 main layers, the top layer is called the epidermis, which sits on top of the next layer called the dermis. Between the two layers we have very active cells called Fibroblasts. These are the embryonic cells which give birth to everything in our skin. Our skin is remodelled and renewed every six weeks.

Firstly, the fibroblasts give birth to new skin cells in the epidermis. As the skin cells mature, they migrate up to the surface where they die and flake off. The fibroblast then makes all the moisture your skin needs for hydration, and it makes collagen and elastin to maintain firmness and elasticity.

The skin is covered in tiny hair follicles, each with a sebaceous gland that produces oil. The oil travels up the shaft of the hair follicle which comes out through your pores. Oils should evaporate or wash off your skin.
Now, when we use a traditional moisturiser, it forms a moist layer on the surface which has several effects:

1.The dead surface cells are glued together and stop flaking off, resulting in a dull matt complexion.

2.The moisturiser and the dead cells block our pores; the oil is trapped and can’t go anywhere. This results in the pores enlarging, with the possibility of blackheads, whiteheads, and spots.

3. Oil is very inflammatory and can lead to chronic inflammatory skin conditions. It can also react with sunlight to cause pigmentation.

4. The moisture on the surface will the send negative feedback down to the fibroblast, turning them off. They stop making as much moisture resulting in the epidermis drying out, cracking up and weakening our skin barrier. This causes dry and sensitised skin.
So, not only are our moisturisers increasing the rate of aging, they are enlarging our pores, contributing to pigmentation and worsening chronic inflammatory skin conditions.

Is there hope?
As a dermatologist Dr Obagi has dedicated his life to researching skin health. He created the Obagi and ZO skincare ranges. Using medical grade products that soak through the layers of skin and work on the fibroblast cells, his skincare products will restore skin function and optimising skin health.