These patches aim to promote skin healing. Amy Kassouf, MD, says that pimple patches absorb the liquid from the pimple and cover the wound adequately. This prevents further swelling or inflammation of the affected area.
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.
“Pimple patches work by absorbing any drainage from the pimple and covering the wound to prevent further trauma to the site, such as picking,” Dr. Kassouf explains. “They work best on open, draining, healing pustules, papules and cysts.”
No, they won't get rid of your un-popped pimple overnight, and no, they also won't completely undo all the damage you inflicted during your skin-picking session.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
You can cause a blood-filled pimple by damaging blood vessels around an existing pimple. This often happens when you pop, squeeze, pick or over-exfoliate a pimple. Blood-filled pimples usually heal on their own if you prevent further damage and keep the area clean.
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.
Clean up. After you've popped the pimple, wash your face and hands a second time with antibacterial soap, and then apply a small amount of alcohol to the remains of the blemish—this will help keep bacteria from repopulating it.
Patches for active acne
The patches enhance the absorption of the active ingredients into the skin. They help to reduce bumps, pain, and redness and can be effective when treating inflamed acne, like papules. They may also help to reduce the size of lesions caused by nodular or cystic acne.
Post-inflammatory erythema (PIE) is the residual red, pink, or purple spots left behind by acne breakouts. PIE goes away on its own, but it can be resolved more speedily when dermatological treatments are used. At-home treatments may also help reduce or eliminate PIE.
Blind pimples are pimples (zits) that form under your skin. They may stay under your skin's surface, causing pain and inflammation. Or they may erupt through the surface in the form of a whitehead, blackhead or red bump. Treatment includes warm compresses and acne-fighting creams.
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.
While pimple patches are effective on open whiteheads and existing breakouts, they are not very useful on closed lesions or deeper pimples such as blackheads. They work best as spot treatments on active pimples but cannot help prevent breakouts. They are also unable to prevent scarring, sadly.
While trying to squeeze out a pimple you may actually push some of the pus and the bacteria into the deeper layers of your skin. This can not only cause inflammation, pain and swelling, but may also result in a more severe breakout.
All pimples result from clogged pores, but only inflammatory pimples emit the most noticeable pus. Pus is a result of oil, bacteria, and other materials that get clogged deep within your pores and your body's natural defense response to these substances.
Products that contain salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, or a retinoid are the key, our experts tell us. In particular, Dr. Elbuluk recommends trying over-the-counter salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide products.
After you remove a blackhead, your pore will appear smaller. That's because the dirt and oil have been removed. Swipe a toner, such as witch hazel, over the area to kill any bacteria you may have spread and to condition your pores. You may want to avoid directly touching the area while your skin heals.
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.
Blackheads break the surface of the skin, which is why they are called open comedones. Their black appearance is not because of dirt but because of air reacting to the inside of a pimple. Papules. These form when an infected skin pore or follicle is near the skin surface.
As a pimple heals, your body sometimes produces cells with too much melanin in them to replace the damaged skin. This results in post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, which we sometimes just call a dark spot.