Q & A With Ms. Anne-Charlotte Jakubczak (PFDC Asia Pacific Training Manager)

It’s not everyday that we get the opportunity to attend a presentation by a skincare expert from overseas like Ms. Anne-Charlotte Jakubczak (PFDC Asia Pacific Training Manager). She can tell you anything and everything you have ever wanted to know about Avene. She was in town two weeks ago for the Avene Skin Heath Beauty Workshop and after it was over, I decided to have a chat with her about acne and the Cleanance range.

Where acne is concerned, would you say the problem is more prevalent among teenagers in Western countries than Asian countries or vice versa?

Skin problems among teenagers is the same around the world. Oily skin is due to the quantity of glands. However there is a difference between acne problems among adults in Western and Asian/Latin American countries due to the humid climate in Asian/Latin American countries which makes their skin more oily.

I have noticed that while acne forms on the T-zone of younger adults and teens, it forms on the lower part of the face among adults. Is there a reason for that?

It’s true that among adults, especially during hormonal cycles and pregnancy, acne is likely to form around the mouth and chin area but there seems to be no explanation for that.

As I have dry skin, I don’t think Cleanance is entirely suitable for me but what Cleanance products can I use to treat the occasional bouts of acne?

Restore your skin by day and treat by night. Use a good combination skin cleanser and a rich moisturizer like Hydrance Optimale Rich. Apply Cleanance K all over skin or on the blemish itself – helps reduce spots, blackheads and blemishes. Based on exfoliating AHAs (glycolic acid and lactic acid) and BHAs (Salicylic acid), Cleanance K has a peeling effect on the surface of the skin. Use the Cleanance mask twice a week as it helps to regulate sebum production, unclogs pores and foliates dead skin cells. It contains kaolin (white clay) to mattify skin. Just 3-4 minutes around the mouth area will do, it contains particles for peeling action. Cleanance K and the mask contain fruit acids for chemical and mechanical peeling, eliminating blackheads and whiteheads.

For those who cannot afford all the products in the Cleanance range yet need a few essentials to treat their acne-prone skin, what must-have products would you recommend?

1. Soapless Gel Cleanser is a good cleansing product which doesn’t aggravate skin. Helps purify skin and regulate sebum production.

2. Lotion which is a day moisturizer, mattifies skin, limits shine and decreases sebum production.

3. For treatment, either Cleanance K or TriAcnéal Treatment Cream. TriAcnéal Treatment Cream is for those with severe acne with inflammation & very red skin (not recommended for pregnant women), lessens appearance of scars and marks. Slight stinging and flaking can occur when TriAcnéal Treatment Cream is first used.