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 technology of blemish bandages which can be virtually trend statements. You possibly can placed on a vivid 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 pimples 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 in your pores and skin tone.
What’s up with these zit stickers, anyway? Do they actually work?
Anatomy of a pimple patch
The expertise behind pimple patches isn’t new. These patches depend on a gel-forming materials referred to 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 masking 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 pimples you need to permit the pores and skin to heal itself with out including to an infection.”
Apart from the fanciful design parts, the brand new technology of pimple patches “have been formulated with superior expertise and focused elements that transcend merely masking a pimple,” says Dr. Hope Mitchell, a founder and CEO of Mitchell Dermatology in Perrysburg, Ohio. “Newer patches typically 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 dust and micro organism.”
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Among the latest ones include tiny micro-darts that push lively elements deeper into the pores and skin to reinforce 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 masking pimples, these patches make it much less possible that individuals will push, squeeze, choose at, or attempt to pop their blemishes; avoiding these actions can scale back the probabilities 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 plenty 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 pimples patches), researchers in contrast the usage of hydrocolloid patches and delicate pores and skin washing to simply mild washing (the management group). They discovered that when teenagers and adults with facial pimples used hydrocolloid patches, the dimensions, texture, and redness of their pimples improved considerably inside one to 4 days—sooner than the management group.
Relying on different elements which can be included, there could also be extra advantages. If the patch accommodates salicylic acid, that may assist open and unclog the pore and scale back redness, says Dr. Pooja Rambhia, a beauty dermatologist at UnionDerm in New York Metropolis and Greenwich, Conn.
Niacinamide, in the meantime, can scale 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 should not equally efficient for all types of pimples. “They’re nice for pus pimples or purple, indignant 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 exhausting for one thing that sits on the floor of the pores and skin to make a lot of a distinction for deep, cystic pimples,” Del Campo says.
Whereas they’re helpful as spot remedies, pimple patches don’t tackle the underlying explanation for pimples. “They positively play a task in providing assist, however they don’t get to the foundation of the issue,” Zeichner says. In case you battle with breakouts, “it’s nonetheless vital 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 therapy for the kind of pimples you have got.”
The right way to use them successfully
Earlier than you slap on a patch, ensure that your pores and skin is clear and fully dry, Rambhia says. As soon as positioned, you may put on it for six to 12 hours or in a single day.
Some dermatologists suggest taking a break between pimple patches so that you simply don’t have a barrier over the pores and skin for twenty-four hours. “You need to give the pores and skin some respiration time,” Zeichner says.
How rapidly you may count on 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 sporting a pimple patch on prime of an pimples therapy like benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid, which can enhance absorption, Zeichner says. However consider: The extra elements you employ, the better the potential for irritation. “When you have delicate pores and skin, chances are you’ll need to follow a straight hydrocolloid patch,” he provides.
And whereas they might be enjoyable to put on, if pimple patches don’t sufficiently enhance your pimples, it’s time to maneuver on, Del Campo says. “Typically more practical remedies are so as.”
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