Again within the day, getting a zit meant caking on disguising layers of basis, concealer, powder …or possibly only a strategically angled coiffure. However now, the sport has modified: Why conceal a pimple when you possibly can costume it up? No frantic mixing or pore-clogging merchandise are required. Immediately, we’re embracing a radically totally different (and refreshingly low-key) method to pimples: slapping a shiny yellow star-shaped sticker on it and calling it a day.
Welcome to the period of the pimple patch, the place blemishes aren’t shameful secrets and techniques to hide however simply a part of the human expertise. Whereas placing a literal sticker on a zit could seem daring, it’s additionally an efficient option to deal with blemishes. Right here, we dive into the science, advantages, and finest methods to rock a pimple patch. Should you’re taken with pores and skin science, remember to take a look at our guides to How an LED Masks Works and the traditional historical past of snail mucin.
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Desk of Contents
- What Is a Pimple Patch?
- How Do Hydrocolloid Patches Work?
- Our Favourite Pimple Patches
- Different Spot Remedies
- How Usually Can You Use Hydrocolloid Patches?
- Remaining Ideas and Recommendation
What Is a Pimple Patch?
In easiest phrases, pimple patches are tiny, adhesive stickers made to deal with pimples one blemish at a time. These patches cowl the pimple and soak up extra fluid, velocity up therapeutic, and maintain you from selecting at your pores and skin—no small feat. Pimple patches are available varied formulation, with totally different substances for various breakouts, however the most well-liked are hydrocolloid patches.
How Do Hydrocolloid Patches Work?
{Photograph}: Andrew Youngberg
Hydrocolloid patches are a kind of wound dressing that helps retain moisture and create a moist, therapeutic surroundings for pimples, burns, or blisters. “They’re made of a water-attracting material, which is attached to a really thin plastic film,” says beauty chemist Michelle Wong. “So if you have an open pimple, for example, it can suck out the pus.”
Though hydrocolloid has been used for wound care because the Nineteen Sixties (initially developed within the Nineteen Thirties by a dentist), it wasn’t till the early 2010s that pimple patches began displaying up on skincare and wonder cabinets.
When utilized to an infected pimple—usually one with fluid—the heat of your pores and skin softens the liner of the sticker, serving to it suck out the impurities. It additionally acts like slightly seal that protects the blemish from additional irritation or unfold. Should you’ve ever pulled off a patch to seek out the underside coated in an icky white substance, that’s a mixture of the hydrocolloid gel and the drained oils pulled from the pores and skin. This course of additionally prevents you from selecting on the pimple—a behavior that may result in longer therapeutic instances, an infection, and scarring.
Our Favourite Pimple Patches
Different Spot Remedies
“Spot treatments [tend] to contain benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, or witch hazel,” writes Lindsey Zubritsky, a board-certified dermatologist at Premier Dermatology and Pores and skin Most cancers Heart, in an e-mail. “These are active ingredients—while they may work, they can also potentially cause dryness and irritation.” Pure hydrocolloid patches, alternatively, don’t comprise energetic substances, which makes them perfect for delicate or reactive pores and skin.
How Usually Can You Use Hydrocolloid Patches?
[A GETTY IMAGE TO BREAK THIS UP WOULD BE GOOD]
In keeping with most dermatologists, you should utilize hydrocolloid patches as wanted. Zubritsky (aka @dermguru on TikTok) suggests sporting them for as much as 12 hours, ideally in a single day. However they may also be worn throughout the day. They’re notably efficient on fluid-filled pimples, equivalent to papules, pustules, or cysts.
“Hydrocolloid patches are considered safe and effective,” writes Zubritsky, “I just wouldn’t recommend relying on them as the sole treatment for acne.” Whereas they assist deal with particular person blemishes, they don’t forestall outbreaks of pimples blemishes, and so they don’t deal with cystic pimples or blackheads.
Wong provides that when you’ve got oily pores and skin, the patch could not stick as effectively, although it normally isn’t a significant problem. Lastly, these with extra melanin-rich pores and skin could need to keep away from daytime use, as UV publicity may result in hyperpigmentation the place the patch was utilized.
Remaining Ideas and Recommendation
At all times clear the blemish earlier than making use of a patch. Hydrocolloids seal in no matter’s below them, so that you need to begin with clear pores and skin. Dry the world as effectively—they gained’t persist with a humid floor. Clearly, popping pimples is a no-no, but when one does occur to burst, a hydrocolloid patch also can assist heal open wounds. Some skincare manufacturers add substances like tea tree oil or niacinamide to their patches, so remember when you’ve got delicate pores and skin or identified allergic reactions.
