I’d do virtually anything to get rid of my stubborn, post-acne dark spots. Test every skin-brightening formula under the sun? Yep. Pray to a higher power? Been there (multiple times). Take a seven-hour flight to the biggest skin aesthetics conference in the world? I’m game, especially when I can attend the lecture of one of the most decorated (and chic, might I add) derms in the biz.
Suzan Obagi, MD, is quite literally the definition of “a wealth of knowledge.” She’s not only the chief medical director at Obagi (the eponymous medical-grade skincare brand) but also an associate professor of dermatology and plastic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine with over 50 (yes, 50!) publications in peer-reviewed dermatologic journals. So when I received the opportunity to follow her to Paris for this year’s IMCAS conference, suffice it to say I was stoked. What made me even giddier was finding out Obagi would lead an entire presentation on the exact skin issue I’ve been struggling with: hyperpigmentation. “Evening out skin tone [is] the most common reason people see the dermatologist,” she told me over coffee a couple days before the event. Given the complexity of different types of discoloration—post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, melasma, sunspots—this makes total sense. Still, it’s good to know I’m not alone!
It’s been over a month since the conference, and I’m still thinking about Obagi’s tailored advice (which included some piping-hot takes). No need to travel over 3000 miles for the main takeaways—here, all the skin-transforming tips I learned from the lecture and my personal chat with the sought-after derm herself.
1. Apply Antioxidants Twice a Day
When it comes to skin-brightening, antioxidant-infused serums (think vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin B3, pomegranate, etc.) are the crown royals. These supercharged formulas help neutralize free radicals that come from sun damage, pollution, and general inflammation. I’m likely not telling you groundbreaking information here. However! According to Obagi, you should be slathering on antioxidants twice a day—if you’re not, you’re doing your skin a major disservice.
“The biggest mistake people do [is] limit their antioxidants to the morning,” she tells me. For context, the general skincare advice is to apply a vitamin C serum in the a.m. and a retinol or acid-infused serum at night. That’s all well and good, but if dark spots are your main gripe, you’ll want to make sure you double up on those skin-brighteners. “Any antioxidant you put on in the morning is going to be depleted within a few hours of being outdoors or throughout the course of the day,” Obagi explains. (Antioxidants do their work rather quickly, she adds.) “You should reapply it again at night because nighttime is when our body repairs itself. … When you go into deep sleep, your cells are [renewing]. The mitochondria is replenishing itself and getting rid of damaged proteins, and that’s the powerhouse of the cells. You can help that by putting on an antioxidant.”
For those that also use retinol, don’t fret. As long as you have a super-gentle, high-quality antioxidant serum (more on that in just a moment), Obagi says you can technically use them in the same routine. “Put the serum on first and your retinoid on over that,” she advises. If you have hypersensitive skin, you could even wait a few minutes in between steps to ensure the active ingredients fully absorb.
2. Commit to Gentle Acids
Glycolic acid is a dermatology darling for fading dark spots, so I was quite surprised when Obagi told me to personally steer clear for the time being. Because my skin is sensitive (I even have early signs of rosacea—fun!), she says it’s important to maintain a balance between sloughing pigmented cells and keeping the skin calm—more inflammation might thwart all my even-toned progress.
“Glycolic acids, by nature, are inflammatory. That’s why in my office, I don’t do glycolic acid peels,” she says. “It’s a wild horse; you can’t really control it. In some people it’s going to penetrate very quickly, and it may give an unintended deeper peel, or it’s inflammatory and can trigger pigmentation in some patients.” For sensitive skin types like me, she recommends more soothing players like gluconolactone and lactobionic acid. If you read those words and immediately thought, “Gesundheit!” I hear you. Just know them as popular polyhydroxy-acids (PHAs) that buff dead skin without causing irritation. “They’ll gently exfoliat but at a higher pH, so they’re less acidic on your skin. So that’s going to be more tolerable,” Obagi notes.
3. Pre-Condition the Skin Before Procedures
This is arguably the most important tip of all. Obagi is a fan of lasers and peels (she actually just had one herself before making the trip!), but for patients struggling with hyperpigmentation, she doesn’t immediately resort to treatments. This may sound strange coming from someone so renowned in the cosmetic dermatology space, but as Obagi shared at the conference, procedures work better (and have far fewer complications) when you ensure the skin barrier is actually strong enough to receive them. “Don’t give in—educate” is her golden rule.
That said, she preps her patients for at least six weeks (12 to 18 weeks for those with deeper skin tones) before any skin-brightening procedures—a concept she calls “pre-conditioning the skin.” After committing to gentle yet effective antioxidant serums, retinoids, and lightly exfoliating formulas, the skin should be primed and ready to finally receive those laser zaps. Plus, there will likely be fewer spots to treat after weeks of dedicated skincare. (Obagi has the clinical before-and-after photos to prove it!)
“[People] don’t realize that if you take good care of your skin, you need far fewer procedures,” she tells me. “If you have a limited budget, I would much prefer that you’re using a good skin care regimen rather than coming to my office to do procedures. I want to set [you] up for success.”
4. Treat the Full Face, Every Time
It’s common to spot-treat patches of hyperpigmentation, especially if they tend to be concentrated in a specific area, but do your skin a favor and commit to treating the whole face. “Damage is everywhere,” Obagi says. “Even though you’re only seeing hyperpigmentation popping up in one spot, give it time—it’ll start to show in others. That’s an indicator to treat the whole face.”
5. Approach Spots From Multiple Pathways
Here’s the thing about OTC skin-brightening products: A single-ingredient formula can only do so much. If you want to fully fade hyperpigmentation, you’ll want to approach those spots from every angle possible—which, oftentimes, requires multiple actives. “It turns out there are five different pathways that you need to tackle in order to really reduce pigment in the skin,” Obagi shares. Stabilizing melanocytes (aka, pigment-producing cells) are just one of those pathways. In short: You need a robust bouquet of actives to target the root of those dark spots.
Enter the multifaceted formulas below. I’ve specifically been using the Super Antioxidant Serum and Moisture Restore cream for the past six weeks (making sure to follow Obagi’s advice on how to use them), and my dark spots have drastically improved—even the old, deep ones clustered on my chin. My skin barrier is absolutely thriving, so I may have to make the trip down to Obagi’s Pittsburgh office and get the lingering marks (safely) zapped off. I’ve traveled much farther in the name of clear, even-toned skin—what’s 300 more miles?
Shop the Dark Spot–Fading Routine
Obagi
SuzanObagiMD Super Antioxidant Serum
Let me start by saying that I don’t typically tolerate vitamin C. I’ve been faced with so many irritating formulas that I decided to swear off the ingredient for good, brightening benefits be damned. Leave it to Obagi to convince me to give it a whirl again—and I’m so glad I did.
It contains a very gentle, stabilized form of vitamin C called tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate (THD) encapsulated in a soothing base, so it never burns or stings my sensitive skin. It also features an amino acid called ergothioneine, which Obagi says functions similar to a peptide. “It’s a very strong antioxidant, but it works differently [than vitamin C],” she notes. Again, approaching dark spots from multiple channels is paramount! For smoothing properties, the blend features hydrogenated lecithin, a natural moisturizing agent, and argireline, a wrinkle-smoothing peptide Obagi says “is kind of similar to topical Botox.” It really is a “super” serum, targeting everything from dark spots to fine lines to dryness.
I’ve been using the supercharged serum twice a day—morning and night—as Obagi directed, and my skin has been lapping it up. It even fits in seamlessly on my retinol nights without any burning or stinging; for my sensitive skin, that’s a very good sign.
Obagi
SuzanObagiMD Moisture Restore Hydration Replenishing Cream
Okay, I know it’s only March, but I just might crown this my favorite moisturizer of 2025. It has the airy, lightweight texture of a water cream yet deeply hydrates my skin like a whip-thick barrier butter. And the dewiness lasts all day! It has a noticeable plumping effect upon application, but my skin appears just as bouncy as it does in the early a.m. (Side note: It works wonderfully as a hydrating primer underneath makeup.)
The texture alone is reason enough to snag a jar, but it also comes formulated with sophisticated hydrators and skin-smoothing actives. “I don’t want to just give you a moisturizer that feels good [but isn’t] going to do anything for you,” Obagi explains. “I wanted to mimic the natural moisturizing factor the skin makes. I want to give you a little bit of anti-aging [power] in there as well.” Peptides, low- and high-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid, and lecithin help firm, strengthen, and rejuvenate the skin as they hydrate.
Obagi
ElastiDerm Lift Up & Sculpt Facial Moisturizer
Obagi products are derm-formulated and clinically tested, so when I tell you that this cream results in a visible lift in six weeks, know that it isn’t just marketing. Skin-toning benefits aside, I find it to be a lovely nighttime moisturizer. It’s thicker than the Moisture Restore cream above, so it’s great for colder months or skin that needs an extra hit of hydration. Massaging it in feels like such a treat; it absorbs like a dream.
Obagi
SuzanObagiMD Intensive Daily Repair Exfoliating Hydrating Lotion
Remember those PHAs we talked about? Here they are in a gentle, skin-clarifying lotion. After assessing my skin, Obagi suggested I give this one a try in place of harsher acid-infused solutions. “It was made to be a gentle exfoliant for people with sensitive skin,” she tells me. In addition to gluconolactone and lactobionic acid, it contains peptides and antioxidants to protect and strengthen the skin barrier.
Obagi
SuzanObagiMD Tinted Physical Defense SPF 50
Obagi is generally a fan of mineral sunscreens, especially if you struggle with melasma. (Heat exacerbates the discoloration, and chemical sunscreens work by converting UV rays into heat.) Bonus points if the sunscreen you use is spiked with antioxidants, like this tinted number.
Obagi
ElastiDerm Advanced Filler Concentrate
Obagi and I didn’t chat about this product in particular, but I’d be remiss not to discuss its skin-plumping sorcery. Inspired by needle-based procedures, the peptide-infused formula has been clinically shown to reduce fine lines in a single application. It’s as close as it comes to a magic eraser for wrinkles, and the precision-tip applicator helps target hard-to-reach spots, like crow’s-feet and laugh lines.
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