I am so not believing you if you tell me you’re not even slightly tempted to pop that pimple on your [insert spotty prone skin area].
Problem is, if you give in, that pop (as satisfying as it is), leads to a myriad of problems. Scarring, infection, cross-infection, sooo much looonger to heal… it’s a nightmare! But what is the alternative? Even if you put on make-up to cover up the colour, it’ll still look like a teeny-tiny volcano under your skin. And if there’s anything a good make-up day doesn’t involve, it’s texture. -_-
So? What to do? Well, let me tell you that even this skin tip was new to me. I had no idea pimple patches were even a thing until recently. Now I regret somebody didn’t tell me about them sooner!
If you feel a spot brewing under your skin, pimple patch it. Woke up to a whitehead; pimple patch it! If you have popped it (tut-tut, but understandable), pimple patch it now! It’ll help you heal so much faster.
Of course, these aren’t actual miracle workers in the sense they will cure your spots or acne. That comes from a healthy lifestyle and fixing fundamental skincare. But on your journey to clear, glowy and texture free skin, these patches will be your best friend.
So, what are they exactly?
Blemish patches are like small “stickers” that can be placed on any active skin spot , pimple or blemish. They’re typically made out of a gel-based hydrocolloid inner layer (more on that to follow) with a flexible but waterproof outer layer.
They come in many different sizes, from small patches designed for individual blemishes to bigger sheets made to target larger problem areas.
How can pimple patches help?
Hydrocolloid bandages don’t usually have any active ingredients which fight against acne causing bacteria, so they don’t help the spot heal by actively fighting what’s causing it in the first place. This is why we say what we say when we mention about healthy lifestyle choices and skincare being your best longterm solution.
However, when actually applied to a spot or pimple, the patch does two things. Firstly (and so importantly), it helps shield the spot, providing a moist (and clean) environment. This gives your skin the best opportunity to repair itself without adding any other external stress factors (picking, bacteria, make-up etc). The patch’s outer layer is in effective preventing harmful microbes from making things worse, which they often do when left to their own devices.
Secondly, hydrocolloid pimple patches help absorb oil and bacteria from within the pimple. The patch itself doesn’t necessarily “suck” anything out of your whiteheads. So, you need to prepare your skin before you stick them on. But once placed on an active skin blemish, they promote healing and help your inflamed bump flatten overnight.
A couple of other benefits I personally enjoy from using pimple patches time to time are that they protect any of my spots of blemishes from my pillowcase at night.
Very often, as much as we like to think our bed as being clean, our pillowcases contain a shocking amount of sweat and dirt. According to a cleaning professional, Bailey Carson, she says: “Pillowcases are actually one of the dirtiest items in your house”.
She added that the fabric covers can accumulate roughly 3 million bacteria colonies per square inch after just one week of sleep. That’s millions of bacteria touching your face as you toss and turn in your sleep, potentially more than what’s on your toilet seat. Shivers anyone? Yergh.
This is in-part because your body sheds about 15 million skin cells every night, and those can build up if you don’t wash your bedding often. Even washing your pillows once a week is leaving open wounds, spots, pimples and blemishes open to further infection, in turn spreading their own nasty bacteria to untouched skin each night.
Besides washing your bedding regularly, pimple patches help keep things more hygienic for longer. When we have an open breakout, the last thing on our mind is keeping the bedding spotless. So having pimple patches handy can help keep everything a little more under control.
Anything to keep in mind when patching up?
Yes, there’s a couple of things. One thing is, don’t keep them on too long. Your skin is a delicate organ that needs to breath, pimply skin included. So, aiming for roughly 8hrs being the maximum amount of time treated or until the patch swells up and turns white is a good amount of time.
You can apply a patch straight after a previous one if you think it’s needed, but generally one application should be enough to calm and flatten things out.
You should apply a pimple patch after cleansing and 100% before the rest of your skincare.
Pimple patches are strongly occlusive, and putting on toners, essences, serums, ampoules or medications under occlusion increases their potency. If any skincare step you’ve added doesn’t fully wash-off or fully absorb underneath a pimple patch, it can cause irritation and even chemical burns in extreme cases.
Apply the patch to your pimple after you’re done cleansing with clean hands and fingernails (you’d be surprised how easy it is to skip this crucial step). Pimples should be clean and dry before applying a patch. Treat it like a wound that needs a band aid. Plus, applying it to clean, dry skin will make sure it sticks better too!
Some excellent patches include:
My personal favourite I use is:
An in-depth review of these patches is covered by A Broke Beauty Blogger, and has excellent before and after pictures of her experience.
Keep in mind that pimple patches, as useful as they are, aren’t the long-term solution for perfect skin nor something we would want to have to be using too regularly. They are just super helpful for that important business meeting in a few days or seeing your crush at school..?