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 cover a pimple when you’ll be able to gown it up? No frantic mixing or pore-clogging merchandise are required. As we speak, we’re embracing a radically completely different (and refreshingly low-key) strategy 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 option 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 excited by pores and skin science, remember to take a look at our guides to red light therapy masks and LED devices, exosome treatments, 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 Zits 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 deal with several types of pimples, one blemish at a time. These patches unclog pores and take in extra fluid, velocity up wound therapeutic, and hold you from selecting at your pores and skin—no small feat. Pimple patches are available in numerous formulation, with completely 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 setting for pimples, burns, or lesions. “They’re product of a water-attracting materials, which is connected to a extremely skinny plastic movie,” says cosmetic chemist Michelle Wong. “So you probably have an open pimple, for instance, it could suck out the pus.”
Though hydrocolloid dressings has been used for wound care because the Sixties (the dressings have been initially developed within the 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 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 search 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 selecting 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 e-mail. “These are lively elements—whereas they could work, they will additionally probably trigger dryness and irritation.” Pure hydrocolloid patches, however, don’t include lively elements, which makes them very best for delicate or reactive pores and skin varieties.
How Typically Can You Use Hydrocolloid Patches?
{Photograph}: Yuliya Sheynina/Getty Photos
Based on most dermatologists, you should utilize pimple 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 through the day. They’re significantly efficient on fluid-filled pimples, corresponding to papules, pustules, or cysts.
