I am from India and I had acne (mostly comedones) ever since I was a teenager. I am 30 now, I still keep getting them. I tried all creams given by dermatologists. My skin seemed to improve when I used those creams, but when I kept using them, my skin started to get dry and dark. I stopped using them when I was 22 or so and started chemical peels. That helped too, but it was temporary. I gave up all treatments that promised to fix my acne and pigmentation (dark on forehead and around the mouth). BTW, I tried Proactive too, it just didnt work for me. My skin started getting very dry. One more problem with my skin is pigmentation around my mouth and forehead. No makeup could really hide it.
I was told about Winnie by my cousin. I thought OK, I will give this one a last try and give up if it doesn't work. When I came to Winnie for the first time, I had cystic acne on my jawline. It was painful. She looked at my face and said I needed Photo blue and Obagi. At first, I thought she was trying to sell me everything in her store. I said OK for the Photo blue. OMG, it was soooo painful. But she is a brave and dedicated woman. She cleaned each of my acne inflammation and then did a peel and then the photo blue. Lots of patience and I commend her on the fact that she doesn't feel disgusted with all the cleaning she has to do. After 1.5 hrs long session of photo blue, I was horrified when I looked at my face. It was burnt. I looked terrible, 10 times worse than what I came in with. Then she asked me to buy Obagi. I bought them half heartedly. Day 2 and Day 3 - I had to wrap a scarf around my face at work, it was that horrible. But 10 days from that day, my life literally changed. Obagi helped me a lot with pigmentation. It was really really good. Everybody started noticing the difference in my face. I think the major difference was the reduced pigmentation on my face that made makeup look better on my skin and generally too my skin started to look a little light and healthy and also less acne.
I went back to her after a month and she did photo blue again, and this time it was much less painful and my acne reduced quite a lot. And then I went to her 2 months later and she did microdermabrasion for me as I didnt have any acne. All this while I was using Obagi, and it kept my skin in good condition. But then I stopped using the creams and didnt go to her for 3 - 4 months, and my jawline acne was back. She had to do Photo blue peel again.
With all that said, this is my conclusion. Acne can only be cured from inside. But, going to Winnie is like maintaining the skin externally, and with very less damage (unlike those harmful creams). Do what she says diligently and you will definitely see the results. Obagi creams definitely help you remove pigmentation, control the acne and keep your skin in good condition. About Winnie, I love her. She takes care of your skin as if it's her skin. And she does an amazing job with whatever she does. So much confidence, dedication and perfection with evident results! I totally recommend her. She is the best!
I had to stop using her creams when I was pregnant and breastfeeding. So I went back to her after 2 years with horrible jawline acne, my natural pigmentation and pigmentation from pregnancy. She did photo blue and gave me the creams again. I had to attend a wedding in a month. So I used her creams diligently and my skin was 100 times better in just a month. I am not exaggerating. People really complimented me. I naturally have very bad skin - so receiving compliments for make up and skin is a dream come true for me. One thing about the creams is that, like any other acne creams, Obagi dries up your skin too. You just have to make sure you use your judgment about when to apply them, when to skip a day or two, when to skip around the mouth (this area tends to get very dry if you use them everyday). You can apply #3 everyday. But #4, #5 with triretinon - you may have to use them alternate days if you see your skin in drying up too much. Initial peeling is common. Don't skip days in the beginning, but after your skin gets better, and when you just have to maintain it the way it is, you may have to skip applying the creams for couple of days. read more
