How do pimple patches work? 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 disguise a pimple when you possibly can costume it up? No frantic mixing or pore-clogging merchandise are required. In the present day, we’re embracing a radically totally different (and refreshingly low-key) method to clogged pores: slapping a vivid 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 method to deal with blemishes. Right here, we dive into the science, advantages, and greatest methods to rock a hydrocolloid pimple patch.
In the event you’re all in favour of pores and skin science, remember to take a look at our guides to pink gentle remedy masks and LED units, exosome remedies, and the traditional historical past of snail mucin.
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Up to date July 2025: I’ve added Dearcloud Hydrocolloid Blemish Patches, CeraVe Hydrocolloid Blemish Patches, and Peach Slices Pimples Spot Dots as new picks. I’ve additionally up to date info, costs, and hyperlinks.
What Is a Pimple Patch?
In easiest phrases, pimple patches are tiny, adhesive stickers made to sort out various kinds of pimples, one blemish at a time. These patches unclog pores and soak up extra fluid, pace up wound therapeutic, and maintain you from choosing at your pores and skin—no small feat. Pimple patches are available in varied formulation, with totally different elements for various breakouts, however the preferred are hydrocolloid pimples patches.
How Do Pimple Patches Work?
{Photograph}: Andrew Youngberg
Hydrocolloid patches are a kind of wound dressing that helps retain moisture and create a moist, therapeutic atmosphere for pimples, burns, or lesions. “They’re made from a water-attracting materials, which is connected to a very skinny plastic movie,” says beauty chemist Michelle Wong. “So when you have an open pimple, for instance, it could possibly suck out the pus.”
Though hydrocolloid dressings has been used for wound care because the Sixties (the dressings had been 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—sometimes one with fluid—the heat of your pores and skin softens the liner of the sticker, serving to it suck out the impurities and gunk. It additionally acts as a protecting barrier that shields the blemish from additional irritation or unfold. In the event 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 surplus oils pulled from the pores and skin. This therapeutic course of additionally prevents you from choosing on the pimple—a behavior that may result in longer therapeutic occasions, an infection, and scarring.
Our Favourite Pimple Patches
Different Spot Remedies
“Spot remedies [tend] to include benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, or witch hazel,” writes Lindsey Zubritsky, a board-certified dermatologist at Premier Dermatology and Pores and skin Most cancers Middle, in an electronic mail. “These are energetic elements—whereas they might work, they will additionally doubtlessly trigger dryness and irritation.” Pure hydrocolloid patches, however, don’t include energetic elements, which makes them excellent for delicate or reactive pores and skin varieties.
How Typically Can You Use Hydrocolloid Patches?
{Photograph}: Yuliya Sheynina/Getty Photographs
In keeping with most dermatologists, you should utilize pimple patches as wanted. Zubritsky (aka @dermguru on TikTok) suggests carrying them for as much as 12 hours, ideally in a single day. However they may also be worn throughout the day. They’re significantly efficient on fluid-filled pimples, comparable to papules, pustules, or cysts.
