The Best Pimple Patches for Every Skin Type

Back successful the day, getting a zit meant caking connected disguising layers of foundation, concealer, pulverization …or possibly conscionable a strategically angled hairstyle. But now, the crippled has changed: Why fell a pimple erstwhile you tin formal it up? No frantic blending oregon pore-clogging products are required. Today, we’re embracing a radically antithetic (and refreshingly low-key) attack to acne: slapping a agleam yellowish star-shaped sticker connected it and calling it a day.

Welcome to the epoch of the pimple patch, wherever blemishes aren’t shameful secrets to conceal but conscionable portion of the quality experience. While putting a literal sticker connected a zit whitethorn look bold, it’s besides an effectual mode to dainty blemishes. Here, we dive into the science, benefits, and champion ways to stone a pimple patch. If you're funny successful tegument science, don't hide to cheque retired our guides to How an LED Mask Works and the past past of snail mucin.

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Table of Contents

1. What Is a Pimple Patch?
2. How Do Hydrocolloid Patches Work?
3. Our Favorite Pimple Patches
4. Other Spot Treatments
5. How Often Can You Use Hydrocolloid Patches?
6. Final Tips and Advice

What Is a Pimple Patch?

In simplest terms, pimple patches are tiny, adhesive stickers made to tackle acne 1 blemish astatine a time. These patches screen the pimple and sorb excess fluid, velocity up healing, and support you from picking astatine your skin—no tiny feat. Pimple patches travel successful assorted formulas, with antithetic ingredients for antithetic breakouts, but the astir fashionable are hydrocolloid patches.

How Do Hydrocolloid Patches Work?

Hydrocolloid patches are a benignant of coiled dressing that helps clasp moisture and make a moist, healing situation for pimples, burns, oregon blisters. “They’re made of a water-attracting material, which is attached to a truly bladed integrative film,” says cosmetic chemist Michelle Wong. “So if you person an unfastened pimple, for example, it tin suck retired the pus.”

Although hydrocolloid has been utilized for coiled attraction since the 1960s (originally developed successful the 1930s by a dentist), it wasn’t until the aboriginal 2010s that pimple patches started showing up connected skincare and quality shelves.

When applied to an inflamed pimple—typically 1 with fluid—the warmth of your tegument softens the lining of the sticker, helping it suck retired the impurities. It besides acts similar a small seal that protects the blemish from further irritation oregon spread. If you’ve ever pulled disconnected a spot to find the underside coated successful an icky achromatic substance, that’s a premix of the hydrocolloid gel and the drained oils pulled from the skin. This process besides prevents you from picking astatine the pimple—a wont that tin pb to longer healing times, infection, and scarring.

Our Favorite Pimple Patches

Other Spot Treatments

“Spot treatments [tend] to incorporate benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, oregon witch hazel,” writes Lindsey Zubritsky, a board-certified dermatologist astatine Premier Dermatology and Skin Cancer Center, successful an email. “These are progressive ingredients—while they whitethorn work, they tin besides perchance origin dryness and irritation.” Pure hydrocolloid patches, connected the different hand, don’t incorporate progressive ingredients, which makes them perfect for delicate oregon reactive skin.

How Often Can You Use Hydrocolloid Patches?

[A GETTY IMAGE TO BREAK THIS UP WOULD BE GOOD]

According to astir dermatologists, you tin usage hydrocolloid patches arsenic needed. Zubritsky (aka @dermguru connected TikTok) suggests wearing them for up to 12 hours, ideally overnight. But they tin besides beryllium worn during the day. They’re peculiarly effectual connected fluid-filled pimples, specified arsenic papules, pustules, oregon cysts.

“Hydrocolloid patches are considered harmless and effective,” writes Zubritsky, “I conscionable wouldn’t urge relying connected them arsenic the sole attraction for acne.” While they assistance dainty idiosyncratic blemishes, they don’t forestall outbreaks of acne blemishes, and they don’t dainty cystic acne oregon blackheads.

Wong adds that if you person oily skin, the spot whitethorn not instrumentality arsenic well, though it usually isn’t a large issue. Lastly, those with much melanin-rich tegument whitethorn privation to debar daytime use, arsenic UV vulnerability could pb to hyperpigmentation wherever the spot was applied.

Final Tips and Advice

Always cleanable the blemish earlier applying a patch. Hydrocolloids seal successful whatever’s nether them, truthful you privation to commencement with cleanable skin. Dry the country arsenic well—they won’t instrumentality to a damp surface. Obviously, popping pimples is simply a no-no, but if 1 does hap to burst, a hydrocolloid spot tin besides assistance heal unfastened wounds. Some skincare brands adhd ingredients similar beverage histrion lipid oregon niacinamide to their patches, truthful beryllium alert if you person delicate tegument oregon known allergies.