The face is a delicate
canvas and ZEIN OBAGI, MD
is the master artist.
Zein Obagi, MD, is world-renowned for his work in cosmetic dermatology
as an innovator, thought leader, inventor, educator, and author.
Before he was any of those things, though, he was a dermatologist in
private practice—a tradition that he continues today at his clinics in
Beverly Hills, Laguna Beach and San Gabriel, California.
Zein Obagi, MD
He specializes in skin health restoration and rejuvenation, the science that he invented in the 1980’s. His expertise includes chemical peels, dermal fillers, neurotoxins and aesthetic laser surgery. For thousands of doctors from all over the world, Dr. Obagi was a role model. They embraced his thinking, adopted his treatment protocols and recommended the products that he developed. His ideas and accomplishments have forever changed skin care.
Credentials at a Glance
For skin that displays little or no signs of chronological or pHe earned his medical degree at the Damascus Medical School and completed his
internship at the Deaconess Hospital in Detroit.
He did his residency in pathology at the William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan and then did a one year residency in obstetrics at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. He served as a Naval Medical Officer, Resident in Dermatology and Staff Dermatologist for the United States Navy in Honolulu, San Diego and Long Beach.
Today he is a board certified dermatologist; Diplomate of the American Academy of Dermatology; a member of the American Medical Association; the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery; the American Society of Dermatologic Surgery; the International Society of Dermatology; the Society of Investigative Dermatology and the American Academy of Aesthetic and Restorative Surgery.hoto-aging, the ZO® Daily Skincare Program provides essential tools for maintaining healthy skin that include retinol, specialized enzymes and antioxidants.
Maybe the most remarkable thing about Dr. Obagi is his ability to accomplish things that others thought were impossible. Here are some of his contributions that qualify him as a prodigious force of change:
The concept of “skin health” was unheard of when Dr. Obagi began to change the paradigms of skin care. He changed traditional philosophy from superficial skin treatments to modalities that addressed problems at the cellular level. Along with a few other doctors and game-changers, that put him at the forefront of the anti-aging revolution.
Some conditions, such as melasma, are especially difficult and unresponsive to conventional treatments. Dr. Obagi gained national attention by successfully treating cases that seemed impossible. Because of his success treating advanced skin damage, Dr. Obagi became the “go to” doctor for problem skin.
Some skin conditions occur more often in Asian, African American or Latino skin, and when they do occur, they are more difficult to treat. Dr. Obagi was the first doctor to develop treatment protocols for different ethnicities.
He introduced a Skin Classification System that enables physicians to determine the best treatments and predict patient response based on ethnicity and skin type.
He established the definition of Skin Health—a concept that was unknown in the 1980’s. That enabled physicians to achieve better results, because they could determine the solution instead of just the problem.
He was the first dermatologist to develop physician-dispensed skincare products, Obagi Nu-Derm®. Being first is good. But what’s even more important is being best. For more than 20 years Obagi Nu-Derm was considered the most effective topical products for treating acne, skin aging, sun damage and hyperpigmentation.
He one-upped his own Obagi® Nu-Derm® formulations when he introduced ZO® Skin Health and ZO® Medical products, which feature new ingredients and more effective formulations. This new treatment philosophy raises the standard for the treatment and maintenance of healthy skin.
He created the Blue Peel®, a medium-depth peel that dramatically reduces wrinkles, improves skin tone and texture, reduces pore size and tightens skin. Even today, the procedure is unsurpassed in medical aesthetics.
He has been awarded five U.S. patents for devices and methods for treating skin damage.
He has trained thousands of physicians on products and treatments for skin rejuvenation and restoration, both at his clinic in Beverly Hills as well as at seminars and workshops worldwide.
He has lectured at the American Academy of Dermatology, the American Society of Plastic Surgery, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the European Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery, the FACE Conference, and professional conferences and symposia in 28 different countries.
He wrote and updated “The Art of Skin Health Restoration and Rejuvenation: The Science of Clinical Practice”—the definitive medical textbook on the subject of skin health.
For more than 30 years Dr. Obagi has challenged himself, his staff, his products and his patients to achieve the best possible skin health. That’s why he goes beyond the laboratory and the classroom and continues to practice at his three clinics. For him, that is what is most gratifying—living proof that the best philosophies, the best products and the best procedures deliver the best patient results.
