Serene Obagi, the daughter of the world-renowned dermatologist Dr. Zein Obagi, is making her own mark in the beauty industry with world-class training by her father, and her own attention to detail. With a Pre-Med degree from UCLA and a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the American University in Paris, Obagi is well on her way over the skin health empire that her father built. eniGma’s Founder and CEO, Yasmine Shihata, sat down with Obagi in Beverly Hills to find out more about her career path and her aspirations.
Growing up with Middle Eastern parents, Serene Obagi was always told that she would grow up to “become a doctor”. While she found herself resisting at times, she still went on to study Pre-Med at UCLA, after which she eventually decided, “I can’t do this anymore, no way I’m becoming a doctor!” she says. Instead, she went to Paris to study Philosophy and Anthropology, and when she returned to the U.S., she decided that she wanted to take over the clinic. Nonetheless, she insisted that she did not want to do so from a medical standpoint, but rather as an executive. After working at ZO’s clinics for a few years, however, she realised that to fully understand patients’ concerns, she needed better medical proficiency. So, she decided to go to nursing school while working at the clinics.
Obagi says that her father is very happy with her decision to be present at the clinic. “I’ve never seen him more chill and proud!” she says, adding, “They don’t even let him see patients without me now. He needs people working beside him, and being family gives him a sense that I’ve got his back more than any one else.”
Having grown up watching her father do these injections and peels, which some other doctors find to be agressive, Obagi is convinced that his way is the only way of doing these things, and that, in fact, it is the reason why people fly from across the country to see him.
Now that Obagi is studying to be a nurse practitioner, she does many of the procedures that her father does. “It’s funny because you don’t normally find a nurse who’s going to deliver the same results as Dr. Obagi,” she says. “But when people find me, they realise it’s more affordable, they feel that they can talk to me, and they get outstanding results. Next thing I know, I’m fully booked, and I’m constantly busy!”
When asked about where the line between dermatology and surgery stands nowadays, Obagi says that the line no longer exists. “I have ladies that come for filler, and then come for a face lift the next week,” she says, adding that “initially I would think, ‘you can’t do both!’ But then they say, ‘we’re only doing this area though, and doing this other area next time.’” In fact, Obagi thinks that we are getting to a point where most procedures can be done without surgery, except for a few things, like the eyes. There are other times, however, when people want so much filler that she thinks it would be better to just get a face lift. Obagi exclaims, “there is no point spending thousands of dollars, only to end up looking weird.” She also stresses the importance of keeping the skin healthy. Oftentimes, she notices that all that some patients need is to fix their skin.
After working with peels, creams, and lasers, Obagi decided that she was going to have her father teach her how to do botox and filler. He did not hesitate and made her dive right in, working on her mom and brother! “There was no room for error,” she says, “even from the beginning! I feel so proud now that I know that I’ve made him proud of me.” Obagi says that her dad even lets her take charge with most patients now. “We even hired a new nurse practitioner because I’m just so busy! I go to all four clinics!” she says.
Asked why some people who get procedures done on them end up with a “fake” look, Obagi replies, “It’s body dysmorphia. Some patients who love what I do come back the next week,” she says. “If they come back the third week, I must have a coversation with them about why they feel they need it.” One thing that she has also noticed with a few patients, which she believes is “a massive red flag,” is when they give her a picture of a public figure, or a model, and tell her that this is what they want to look like. “I can make your own features better and enhance them, but I can’t make you work like someone else,” she tells them. In contrast, she is extremely happy when patients ask her what she thinks would look best for them. As a professional, she does not think that people should trust her to inject their face if they don’t trust her with her opinion on what would look good.
Obagi says that being young, a woman, and Middle Eastern, has much to do with the trust her patients have in her, because this is the demographic that most of her patients come from. She even gets comments like, “you have no idea what a difference it makes having a Middle Eastern woman do this.” She adds, “You need a woman for the more feminine touches, like a fox eye or an arch. With Middle Eastern women, you need extra attention to these sorts of things; it’s a whole new world of picky,” adding that an aesthetician needs to know exactly what it is the person wants. Luckily, Obagi does her part brilliantly because she grew up listening to the conversations Middle Eastern women have had with her father. “So, I just know,” she says.
Turning to current trends in the beauty industry, Obagi says that the most sought-after procedures are the thread lifts and Morpheus. “It’s funny because I love Morpheus and hate the threads. I really don’t think that there’s anything worse that you can do to your face. I’ve heard horror stories of thread lifts going wrong!” she says. She explains, “With thread lifts, they use strings or threads, put them in the face and pull the face back, then tie the threads; whereas the Morpheus, aka radiofrequency micro needling, which is extremely popular, is needles with heat that go in the skin to tighten and build collagen.”
Looking to the future, Obagi excitedly says, “I would love to become the best injector. I already have people who want to come and train with me. I would also love to do some deep peels with laser like my dad.”
As for her advice on how to keep your skin healthy and prevent aging, Obagi says, “You need to stimulate your skin,” adding that the biggest scam in the skincare industry is moisturisers. “Look at the average 40-year-old woman versus the average 40-year-old man,” she explains. “You’ll see that the women always look older, and it’s because of all the moisturiser that they’re using, which is what my dad discovered.” She explains that the moment you start using moisturiser, you cannot stop. Your skin is extra dry without it because you’ve been signalling to your skin that you’re getting sufficient moisture from the outside, that you don’t need to produce it from the inside. To counter that, at ZO Skin Centre, they stimulate the skin by making it peel, then the skin creates its own collagen and moisture, which creates long-term results.
Correction: At the time the article was published Serene Obagi was studying to become a nurse practitioner. In 2024, Serene graduated and is now a nurse practitioner.