In Conversation With Obagi's Senior Clinical Educator

Monday, 15 June 2026 – 3 min read

Obagi is known for clinical skincare that supports long-term skin health. We speak to Laura Polo, nurse prescriber and senior clinical educator at Obagi, to explore what makes the brand different, where...

Georgia Rhodes Content Editor

Obagi is a renowned name in clinical skincare, with over three decades behind its physician roots. They focus on improving skin health over short-term fixes. Today, we sit down with one of their experts to give you all the answers behind the brand and how to get started with their clinical skincare.

Laura Polo has amounted over 15 years of medical aesthetic industry experience and is now a nurse prescriber and senior clinical educator at Obagi. She educates her industry peers in Obagi Medical and has used it with her own patients for over a decade. With a passion for clinically backed products and treatments, she likes to help her patients achieve optimal skin longevity.

For anyone new to Obagi, how would you describe the brand and what makes it different?

"Obagi Medical is more like a treatment plan, focusing on long-term transformation. It is designed to change how skin functions, focusing on correcting, strengthening, and future‑proofing skin health.

Multi-award winning, over 36 years of clinical data, globally renowned, over 345 studies conducted, Obagi is tested on every skin type, and is dermatologist approved."

For someone interested in Obagi but unsure where to start, what would you recommend?

"Every patient’s regime should be individualised. To start, ensure your barrier function is in a healthy state, which may involve using barrier-supportive ingredients to match your skin type for a short period.

Think Obagi Daily Hydro-Drops® and Obagi Hydrate®, as well as daily SPF. Then identify one primary concern (pigmentation, ageing, acne, texture) to help identify which Obagi portfolio will work best."

Which ingredients or technologies should Face the Future customers know about first?

"Obagi is known for using prescription-strength or near‑prescription-strength actives. This makes the brand extremely effective, but also means it should be used correctly, often with professional guidance.

Obagi became first known in 1988 for the widely recognised NuDerm System, a game changer in skin transformation, cited continuously as the gold standard in correcting more stubborn skin conditions."

What mistakes do people commonly make when starting a more active skincare routine?

"Best results come from patience, correct sequencing, and respecting your skin’s adjustment phase, particularly for those with more sensitive or mature skin, as it naturally takes longer to regenerate, and cell turnover is slower.

While sensitive skin may become overwhelmed with the introduction of many new ingredients at once. Going low and slow initially helps mitigate many avoidable side effects."

Which Obagi product do you find yourself recommending again and again, and why?

"Obagi Professional Vitamin- C. This contains pure L-ascorbic acid – the most active form for topical vitamin C to maximise stability and skin penetration.

Clinically backed to reduce the effects of free radicals on our skin, this serum helps to reduce inflammation, discolouration, and dull skin, as well as help improve collagen synthesis, and nutrient delivery to the skin’s surface."

What is the one piece of advice you would give to someone starting their Obagi Journey?

"Slow down and respect the process. Obagi works by resetting how your skin functions, not by giving surface‑level, overnight results. If you start slowly, use products as directed, protect your skin barrier (especially with moisturiser and SPF), and commit to consistency, you’ll get far better results than trying to rush or overcorrect."

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