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’ll be able to costume it up? No frantic mixing or pore-clogging merchandise are required. As we speak, we’re embracing a radically totally 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 appear daring, it’s additionally an efficient technique to deal with blemishes. Right here, we dive into the science, advantages, and finest methods to rock a hydrocolloid pimple patch.
When you’re serious about pores and skin science, remember to take a look at our guides to purple mild remedy masks and LED units, exosome therapies, and the traditional historical past of snail mucin.
Desk of Contents
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 sort out several types of pimples, one blemish at a time. These patches unclog pores and take up extra fluid, velocity up wound therapeutic, and hold you from selecting at your pores and skin—no small feat. Pimple patches are available in varied formulation, with totally different substances 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 hooked up to a very skinny plastic movie,” says beauty chemist Michelle Wong. “So when you have an open pimple, for instance, it may 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 exhibiting up on skincare and sweetness 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. When 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 instances, an infection, and scarring.
Our Favourite Pimple Patches
Cosrx
Zits Pimple Grasp Patch
Hero Cosmetics
Mighty Patch Unique Patch
dearcloud
x Miffy Hydrocolloid Blemish Patches Refill Set
CeraVe
Hydrocolloid Blemish Patches
Peach Slices
Zits Spot Dots
Different Spot Remedies
“Spot therapies [tend] to comprise 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 energetic substances—whereas they could work, they’ll additionally probably trigger dryness and irritation.” Pure hydrocolloid patches, however, don’t comprise energetic substances, which makes them excellent for delicate or reactive pores and skin varieties.
How Usually Can You Use Hydrocolloid Patches?
{Photograph}: Yuliya Sheynina/Getty Photos
In response to most dermatologists, you should use 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 may also be worn throughout the day. They’re notably efficient on fluid-filled pimples, akin to papules, pustules, or cysts.
