“We as skin therapists see this more and more often,” warns the expert.
June is Acne Awareness Month, which is why Glamial spoke to skin therapist Jacqueline Bijlmakers, owner of huid.th, about skin myths, golden tips, and the products of ZO Skin Health.
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A pimple here or there – who doesn’t have to deal with it now and then? One such spot can cause a lot of irritation, but severe acne can be downright disastrous for your self-esteem. That’s why Acne Awareness Month was created.
Especially for the occasion, we asked skin therapist Jacqueline Bijlmakers all the proverbial shirt off her back. She has been working as an expert in the field of skin for many years now – first with a number of medical clinics, but during the pandemic she changed course. This is how huid.th was created, a central location for skin therapy in Echt, Limburg. “What we do here is combine the expertise and strength of skin therapists with the experience and luxury of beauty care,” she reveals.
ZO Skin Health
The products of ZO Skin Health, the leading brand founded by Dr. Zein Obagi, are absolutely indispensable. “We started around 2010, when ZO Skin Health was still relatively unknown in the Netherlands,” Jacqueline shares. Although she was initially skeptical about the brand as an enthusiastic expert, she decided to put it to the test after receiving rave reviews from her colleagues. And in no time, ZO Skin Health convinced her!
“A good friend of mine suffered a lot from acne, and she had tried everything. Sometimes it got better, sometimes it got worse, but there was never any real progress. So then I asked her if she wanted to test ZO Skin Health with me – that way I could immediately see what the brand had to offer. And that gave such great results, which improved her skin so much, that that was really the trigger for me to start working with ZO Skin Health.”
Nowadays, ZO Skin Health products are an indispensable part of the skin-improving treatments of huid.th. “We really see home use as the basis. We can of course do very nice treatments, and if you consistently apply the right care at home, then that really delivers beautiful results,” Jacqueline explains.
Facts and fables
As a certified expert who has been in the business for years, we also ask Jacqueline about the most common myths about acne. After all, there are quite a few stories going around on the internet from self-proclaimed specialists, each with their own tips for combating acne. “Most people know by now that the story about toothpaste is a myth, right?”, she laughs.
“But unfortunately, what I see a lot is that the marketing stories of influencers, especially among young people, are attracting more and more people. They often unintentionally promote products that worsen skin problems or cause permanent hypersensitivities. As skin therapists, we see this more and more, that skin complaints arise from using the wrong products.” That is why Jacqueline strongly recommends that you really have an expert look at your skin, instead of following the latest influencer trends yourself.
Complexion Clarifying Serum
Of course, ZO Skin Health has several protocols that provide for specific skin improvement needs from A to Z. A new addition to their line of skin improvement products is the Complexion Clarifying Serum.
“Of course, with ZO Skin Health you work very much from protocols, so you also have a protocol for acne – from cleansing to additional products. And within that, the Complexion Clarifying Serum is a very nice addition, to which we receive many enthusiastic responses,” says the practice owner and skin therapist.
This serum contains salicylic acid, a substance that is key to keeping sebum production under control. Excess sebum is the biggest cause of acne, which is why salicylic acid can make a big difference. The special thing about the Complexion Clarifying Serum is that the salicylic acid in it is water-soluble. “That is a lot milder for your skin than traditional serums with salicylic acid.” These often cause the skin to feel dry or irritated. The formulations of ZO Skin Health are therefore truly unique!
In addition to the Complexion Clarifying Serum, Jacqueline also believes that the Oil Control Pads from ZO Skin Health are essential for improving acne-prone skin. These pads with 2% salicylic acid help prevent acne, minimize the presence of sebum on the skin’s surface, and help reduce visible pores.
Personal favorites
Of course, we are also curious about the products that Jacqueline herself swears by. She doesn’t have to think twice about that: “I mainly go for the anti-aging products, and the Growth Factor Serum, the Firming Serum and the Daily Power Defense are really my favorites.”
Jacqueline can also recommend the latter for clients with acne. “The Daily Power Defense is very suitable to strengthen your skin barrier and maintain the balance within an acne treatment. With that combination you can achieve very nice results!”
Visible improvement
All in all, at huid.th they have not regretted their decision to start using ZO Skin Health products for a moment. Jacqueline: “We work a lot with a skin analysis device from Observe. That is where we start. You can really look deeper into the skin and see multiple skin layers. Then you can see very well what the underlying problem is and that is what we base a treatment plan on with ZO products; a protocol from A to Z.”
This equipment is also very suitable for monitoring the skin’s progress and visualizing the results. And this shows time and again that the treatment protocols of ZO Skin Health make a world of difference. In short: a golden combination!
