Again within the day, getting a zit meant caking on disguising layers of basis, concealer, powder …or perhaps only a strategically angled coiffure. However now, the sport has modified: Why conceal a pimple when you may costume it up? No frantic mixing or pore-clogging merchandise are required. At the moment, we’re embracing a radically totally different (and refreshingly low-key) method to pimples: slapping a vibrant 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 technique to deal with blemishes. Right here, we dive into the science, advantages, and greatest methods to rock a pimple patch. In case you’re considering pores and skin science, do not forget to take a look at our guides to How an LED Mask 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 Favorite Pimple Patches
- Other Spot Treatments
- How Often Can You Use Hydrocolloid Patches?
- Final Tips and Advice
What Is a Pimple Patch?
In easiest phrases, pimple patches are tiny, adhesive stickers made to sort out pimples one blemish at a time. These patches cowl the pimple and take in extra fluid, pace up 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 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 atmosphere for pimples, burns, or blisters. “They’re fabricated from a water-attracting materials, which is connected to a very skinny plastic movie,” says cosmetic chemist Michelle Wong. “So in case you have an open pimple, for instance, it might probably suck out the pus.”
Though hydrocolloid has been used for wound care for the reason that Nineteen Sixties (initially developed within the Thirties by a dentist), it wasn’t till the early 2010s that pimple patches began exhibiting up on skincare and sweetness 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. It additionally acts like somewhat seal that protects the blemish from additional irritation or unfold. In case 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 choosing on the pimple—a behavior that may result in longer therapeutic instances, an infection, and scarring.
Our Favourite Pimple Patches
Different Spot Remedies
“Spot therapies [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 probably trigger dryness and irritation.” Pure hydrocolloid patches, alternatively, don’t include energetic elements, which makes them superb for delicate or reactive pores and skin.
How Typically Can You Use Hydrocolloid Patches?
[A GETTY IMAGE TO BREAK THIS UP WOULD BE GOOD]
Based on 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 can be worn throughout the day. They’re significantly efficient on fluid-filled pimples, equivalent to papules, pustules, or cysts.
“Hydrocolloid patches are thought-about protected and efficient,” writes Zubritsky, “I simply wouldn’t advocate counting on them as the only therapy for pimples.” Whereas they assist deal with particular person blemishes, they don’t stop outbreaks of pimples blemishes, and so they don’t deal with cystic pimples or blackheads.
Wong provides that in case you have oily pores and skin, the patch could not stick as nicely, although it often isn’t a significant situation. Lastly, these with extra melanin-rich pores and skin could wish to keep away from daytime use, as UV publicity might result in hyperpigmentation the place the patch was utilized.
Remaining Ideas and Recommendation
All the time clear the blemish earlier than making use of a patch. Hydrocolloids seal in no matter’s beneath them, so that you wish to begin with clear pores and skin. Dry the realm as nicely—they received’t follow a humid floor. Clearly, popping pimples is a no-no, but when one does occur to burst, a hydrocolloid patch can even assist heal open wounds. Some skincare manufacturers add elements like tea tree oil or niacinamide to their patches, so remember in case you have delicate pores and skin or identified allergic reactions.
