Remember fretting over the right shade of concealer to match your pores and skin tone and canopy your blemishes? These days are over: now, there’s a brand new era of blemish bandages which can be virtually vogue statements. You possibly can placed on a shiny yellow star-shaped patch, a purple butterfly, or one other whimsical form to cowl your pimples.
It’s common to see folks strolling round with colourful zits stickers on their faces in broad daylight. Alternatively, some subtler designs do hearken again to the times on the make-up counter, coming in a spread of shades that present a greater match on your pores and skin tone.
What’s up with these zit stickers, anyway? Do they actually work?
Anatomy of a pimple patch
The know-how behind pimple patches isn’t new. These patches depend on a gel-forming materials known as hydrocolloid that’s been a staple for wound care relationship again to the Eighties, says Dr. Danilo C. Del Campo, a dermatologist on the Chicago Pores and skin Clinic. In addition to offering a protecting protecting for the wound (a zit, on this case), hydrocolloid patches “pull extreme fluid out of the wound with out sticking to the wound,” Del Campo explains. “Similar to with wound therapeutic, with zits you wish to permit the pores and skin to heal itself with out including to an infection.”
Other than the fanciful design parts, the brand new era of pimple patches “have been formulated with superior know-how and focused elements that transcend merely protecting a pimple,” says Dr. Hope Mitchell, a founder and CEO of Mitchell Dermatology in Perrysburg, Ohio. “Newer patches usually incorporate lively elements like salicylic acid, niacinamide, or tea tree oil. These additions actively deal with the pimple whereas the patch protects it from exterior irritants like filth and micro organism.”
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Among the latest ones comprise tiny micro-darts that push lively elements deeper into the pores and skin to boost their absorption, explains Dr. Joshua Zeichner, an affiliate professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York Metropolis. (Don’t fear: These micro-darts don’t trigger ache, they usually dissolve naturally.)
How they may also help
In addition to the aesthetic perks, by protecting pimples, these patches make it much less seemingly that individuals will push, squeeze, decide at, or attempt to pop their blemishes; avoiding these actions can cut back the possibilities of additional an infection or scarring, says Zeichner. Plus, the hydrocolloid movie attracts fluid and pus out of the pimple, and the patch absorbs it, thereby lowering irritation and serving to the blemish shrink and heal.
There’s not quite a lot of unbiased analysis on zit stickers. However in a 2024 examine within the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (sponsored by Johnson & Johnson, which sells zits patches), researchers in contrast using hydrocolloid patches and mild pores and skin washing to only mild washing (the management group). They discovered that when teenagers and adults with facial zits used hydrocolloid patches, the scale, texture, and redness of their pimples improved considerably inside one to 4 days—quicker than the management group.
Relying on different elements which can be included, there could also be further advantages. If the patch comprises salicylic acid, that may assist open and unclog the pore and cut back redness, says Dr. Pooja Rambhia, a beauty dermatologist at UnionDerm in New York Metropolis and Greenwich, Conn.
Niacinamide, in the meantime, can cut back redness and strengthen the pores and skin barrier, Mitchell says, and tea tree oil has antibacterial properties. “Some formulations add brightening brokers like vitamin C to assist restore the pores and skin after a pimple has healed,” she provides.
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However patches are usually not equally efficient for all types of pimples. “They’re nice for pus pimples or purple, offended pimples,” Zeichner says. And “they work on early-stage pimples by stopping their development,” Mitchell says.
They aren’t as efficient for blackheads or deep, cystic pimples. “It’s onerous for one thing that sits on the floor of the pores and skin to make a lot of a distinction for deep, cystic zits,” Del Campo says.
Whereas they’re helpful as spot remedies, pimple patches don’t tackle the underlying reason for zits. “They positively play a job in providing help, however they don’t get to the basis of the issue,” Zeichner says. Should you battle with breakouts, “it’s nonetheless essential to make use of benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, topical retinoids, or prescription medicines from a dermatologist.”
Pimple patches are “like a recreation of Whac-A-Mole—they’re extra reactive than proactive,” Rambhia agrees. “They’re a very good factor to make use of in tandem with focused medical remedy for the kind of zits you’ve got.”
Easy methods to use them successfully
Earlier than you slap on a patch, ensure your pores and skin is clear and utterly dry, Rambhia says. As soon as positioned, you possibly can put on it for six to 12 hours or in a single day.
Some dermatologists advocate taking a break between pimple patches so that you just don’t have a barrier over the pores and skin for twenty-four hours. “You wish to give the pores and skin some respiratory time,” Zeichner says.
How shortly you possibly can anticipate enhancements varies extensively, from individual to individual and pimple to pimple. “Some folks get results quick—inside a few hours,” Del Campo says. “Others use them in a single day and by morning, the pimple is healthier. And different folks use the patches for an extended time.”
To hasten therapeutic, you could possibly double up by carrying a pimple patch on prime of an zits remedy like benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid, which can improve absorption, Zeichner says. However be mindful: The extra elements you employ, the higher the potential for irritation. “If in case you have delicate pores and skin, it’s possible you’ll wish to stick to a straight hydrocolloid patch,” he provides.
And whereas they could be enjoyable to put on, if pimple patches don’t sufficiently enhance your zits, it’s time to maneuver on, Del Campo says. “Generally more practical remedies are so as.”
