Contrary to popular believe that the white stuff is pus pulled out from their blemish by the acne patch, it is actually hydrated hydrocolloid. As mentioned above, hydrocolloid absorbs excess fluids surrounding a pimple to form a soft gel, creating an ideal healing environment.
Hydrocolloid is made of gel forming agents like pectin or gelatin (most commonly used) that create a moist environment with the body to promote healing. It draws out the fluids and pus and then forms a soft gel. If you've used Mighty Patch before, you'll notice this as the white stuff that gets sucked out!
Pimple patches are small stickers made with a slightly gummy wound healing gel called hydrocolloid. Larger versions are marketed as “blister bandages,” but they're all designed to do the same thing — help your skin heal faster.
That's because, if it's done its job, you'll have white specks on the patch where it absorbed everything it pulled out of your pimple. And no, it's not actually white because of the gunk in your whitehead. “The white stuff is just hydrated hydrocolloid.
Librarian Tip: Don't leave your pimple patch on for too long (until it is wet and damp) since the adhesive materials will stick firmly to your skin resulting in a wound when you try to peel the patch off.
Hydrocolloid patches are an inexpensive spot treatment method for active wounds and bumps. But they may not be effective if you have not picked or popped your pimple. She further says that pimple patches can't prevent acne from returning, cleanse clogged pores, or treat acne flares.
DON'T: Leave pimple exposed after removing your pimple patch
After a patch is removed, apply a second one to make sure all the gunk is taken out! This also gives the open pore time to heal.
More to know: Standard hydrocolloid patches are going to work best for formed zits, especially whiteheads, as they will pull out and absorb the pus, oil and more.
Hydrate and Moisturize. Next, apply a nourishing moisturizer to hydrate and moisturize the affected area. Since Mighty Patch absorbed all of the pus and fluids from the pimple, you'll want to replenish some of the lost moisture. Moisturizing will keep the area plump and promote further healing of the pimple.
If you're bleeding, she says to “gently blot the area with a clean tissue or cotton pad and clean the area with alcohol.” Once the blood has stopped, she advises applying a spot treatment containing benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid as mentioned above.
The patch's outer layer helps keep the area clean by preventing microbes, like infection-causing bacteria, from entering the blemish. At the same time, hydrocolloid pimple patches help absorb oil and bacteria from within the pimple.
An acne patch absorbs excess fluids surrounding a pimple, such as pus or oil. This protects your skin from absorbing the bacteria from the pus, oil, or dirt from your fingers. This makes a more sterile environment for your pimple, which can prevent scarring and speed up the healing process.
Apply a warm compress
Applying a warm compress can help to treat a blind pimple. The heat can open up pores, which may draw the pimple closer to the skin's surface and create a head. The formation of a head enables the sebum, cells, and bacteria to exit the skin.
Blackheads - Probably not
While hydrocolloid patches can sometimes help remove a bit of the gunk, they are much gentler than the blackhead nose strips you probably remember from your middle school days. So don't expect to see a used patch covered in little black dots.
While you may not need them daily like an acne wash, acne patches are definitely great to have on hand when you have one or two blemishes that you want gone quickly. But where do they fit into your skincare routine? Since acne patches have to stick to your skin to work, it's best to apply them when your skin is dry.
Pimple patches may work on surface-level acne like pus-filled pimples and blackheads, but aren't effective for cystic acne. They're made with zit-drying hydrocolloid, and many products have additional acne-fighting ingredients.
To prevent this, a person can take steps to prevent getting pimples and should avoid picking at or popping their pimples. If a scab forms, a person should try to keep the area clean and avoid touching it unnecessarily. Topical treatments may help treat acne, but a person should not apply these to pimple scabs.
Although it might feel good to pop a pimple, dermatologists advise against it. Popping a pimple can cause infection and scarring, and it may make the pimple more inflamed and noticeable. It also delays the natural healing process. Due to this, it is usually best to leave pimples alone.
Khetarpal recommends against trying it in real life. “Any manipulation of a pimple can lead to more inflammation, which can increase the risk of scarring,” she explains. “And your hands are dirty, so you're going to introduce more bacteria and potentially make it worse.”
After cleaning your hands and face, Dr. Shah recommends taking a straight pin and sterilizing the needle with a match or lighter. Once it cools, wipe the pin, your pimple, and your fingers down with rubbing alcohol. Then, holding the pin parallel to the skin, gently prick the top of the whitehead.
Apply a second patch over the pore to let it heal and close up before any more bacteria comes in to fill it up. Sometimes it will even extract more gunk that was hidden under the surface! Another reason to apply a second patch on the pimple is that sometimes, one patch is not enough to pull out the gunk.
One reason a pimple keeps popping up in the same place is that the pore it developed in is damaged -- usually the result of too much picking. Prodding at a pimple can loosen the cell lining of the pore and cause the clogged oil to slip deeper into the skin, creating an inflammatory reaction.
Squeezing a pimple forces out a yellow liquid called pus. The trauma caused by the squeezing can also cause blood vessels underneath to burst, causing the pimple to fill with blood.
Hard pimples are caused when dead skin cells, oil, and bacteria get under the skin's surface. Certain types of hard pimples should be treated by a doctor to prevent them from getting worse and leaving scars.
A sebum plug can look like a tiny bump under the surface of the skin or it may stick out through the skin like a grain of sand. When a sebum plug forms, bacteria that normally lives harmlessly on the surface of your skin can start to grow within the follicle. Inflammation follows, causing a breakout.