K-Beauty has given us a lot of things that our skin loves, particularly sheet masks. Now that everybody, as well as their moms, are using sheet masks, there’s another explosion in the glorious world of beauty – acne patches. These zit bashers will be your new fairy godmothers when those pesky pimples pop up overnight, particularly before a big event (as they love to do!).
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Don’t want to rush to your dermat? No problem, just whip out one of these best pimple patches and let it work its magic. But before you try out one of these babies, we tell you everything you need to know about these zit zappers.
What Are Pimple Patches?
These small, circular stickers help treat acne in a gentle manner. Think of them as a bandaid for your zit. These patches are infused with acne-treating ingredients, most commonly hydrocolloid, which draws out the fluid and sebum in a pimple or clogged pore over a period of a few hours. As you’re enclosing your blemish with a medicated patch, it heals faster than with a topical spot treatment. Plus, the patch protects the spot from further infection and irritation. They’re most effective when worn for 6 hours or more. You can wear them overnight as well.
Advantages of Pimple Patches:
- They soothe redness and irritation of a painful bump.
- They vacuum out the sebum from a zit and help it heal and appear flat.
- Most of them are transparent, so you can treat your pimples as you go about your day – go to work, grocery shop, meet friends and no one would know.
- They don’t dry out your skin like most spot-treating creams and ointments.
- They prevent you from popping zits and picking at them which leads to scarring and the infection spreading on your face.
- Where can I buy Pimple Patches? You can buy different pimple or acne patches with specific ingredients like tea tree, salicylic acid, etc to help treat different types of acne. The regular hydrocolloid ones are great for whiteheads, blackheads and smaller zits, while patches that contain tea tree, salicylic acid, Vitamin E, hyaluronic acid, etc are great for bigger bumps and cystic acne.
These are great for when a zit has already appeared as they need to zap up the fluid and infection from it – that’s what they’re great at. These then, won’t help acne that is under the surface or isn’t fully formed yet as they primarily help dry them out and flatten them, but yes, they can prevent them from growing bigger and angrier.
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When And How To Use Pimple Patch
It’s a really good idea to have a box of pimple patches lying around because you never know when the acne gods are going to strike. The best time to take one out and pop it on your skin is:
- Just before the pimple hits peak whitehead stage and you want to drain it out.
- When a zit has just popped, to help it heal and stop the infection from spreading on your skin.
- When you want to stop yourself from touching and picking at a whitehead or blemish.
Be sure to cleanse your skin, wash your hands and then stick your pimple patch on to dry skin. Do not apply any moisturisers or serums before using the patch as you want it to absorb the bacteria and infection from a zit, not the products.
You can leave a pimple patch on your skin for up to 12 hours or when it turns opaque. If it turns opaque, it’s a sign that it has drawn out all the liquid from the spot.
Difference In Acne And Pimples
Best Pimple Patches In India
There’s something immensely satisfying about peeling off a sticker and seeing all the gunk that was extracted from an annoying zit. It’s time you tried these tiny stickers of awesomeness if you haven’t already! Here are the best acne patches that are available in India and the type of acne that they will work best on.
- The Face Shop Dr.Belmeur Clarifying Spot Patch Kit
- Cosrx Acne Pimple Master Patch
- PETER THOMAS ROTH Acne-Clear Invisible Dots
- Avarelle Acne Care Pimple Patch Absorbing Cover with Tea Tree and Calendula Oil
- Hero Cosmetics Mighty Patch Hydrocolloid Acne Absorbing Spot Dot
- Nexcare Acne Absorbing Cover
This kit comes with 2 different types of patches – hydrocolloid patches that help zap and heal zits and whiteheads as well as salicylic acid patches that also contain tea tree and willow herb to help soothe the area as well as prevent smaller bumps into developing into full-blown pimples. The patches come in different sizes to help you treat spots of varying sizes. There are eighty patches that come in this kit, making it worth the price.
Pros: Help reduce redness, heals pimples overnight, won’t cause irritation, absorbs discharge from pimples effectively.
Cons: Works slowly for pimples that aren’t fully developed as yet.
This one is the original Korean Beauty pimple patch so you know that it’s good! They’re made from hydrocolloid and are great at drawing out all the gunk. Use them to flatten out a zit in no time or on whiteheads to prevent them from growing into a full-sized pimple. The sticking-on power of these patches is unbelievable, they’ll stay on through anything!
Pros: Waterproof, FDA approved, reduces inflammation and redness and provides quick healing.
Cons: The patches are a bit thick.
These targeted blemish treatment stickers can penetrate and unclog pores like a boss. They’re made with salicylic acid and tea tree oil to help heal and prevent pimples and blackheads and refresh the skin. The stickers also contain hyaluronic acid that helps keep the area hydrated and volcanic ash which is a natural absorbent. These stickers are so thin, they’re practically invisible!
Pros: Non-drying, won’t irritate the skin, active acne-fighting ingredients and is a natural toner.
Cons: Very expensive, not available easily in India.
This product has converted a lot of people who have tried it and swear by it. It has zit zapping ingredients that seriously show results overnight, as well as soothing ingredients that help calm the skin under the breakout at the same time. These babies are paper thin and colourless so you won’t feel self-conscious wearing them anywhere.
Pros: Waterproof, contains natural ingredients, easy to remove, helps reduce stubborn, cystic acne as well.
Cons: Slightly expensive.
This pack has thirty-six patches that are specially formulated with a non-drying formula designed to suck up pus and sebum from those pesky pimples. They give quick results (it’s best to use them overnight) and turn white so you know that your zit has been zapped successfully.
Pros: 100% Vegan, quick results, good for stubborn acne.
Cons: Expensive and not easily available in India.
These tiny but mighty clinical patches act like sponges to absorb oil, dirt and sebum from a zit and are pretty efficient. This pack of thirty-six has patches in 2 different sizes, depending on the size of your pimple – how cool is that? You’ll definitely know they’re working as the patches turn white once they’ve sapped up all the fluid in the zit, making it easy to know when you can take them off.
Pros: Available in 2 sizes, non-drying, not made from latex.
Cons: None.
Now that we have given you a list of best pimple patches available in India, let’s have a look at some frequently asked questions.
FAQs
1. For how long can you leave a pimple patch on your skin?
Because of its effective results, you may feel over-enthusiastic and leave your patch on for twenty-four hours, or maybe even more! Even if there isn’t a time limit mentioned on the packaging, it’s best to avoid leaving it on for more than twelve hours. You want the sticker to heal your pimple without harming your skin, plus the adhesive can start irritating the skin after some time. Limit the usage to up till twelve hours and your skin will be clear and happy.
2. How often can you use a pimple patch?
Remember, that an acne patch is a quick fix and not a long-term solution. They’re great for the day before a big event or when you want to flatten an angry pimple so it’s easier to conceal but they won’t treat chronic acne problems or hormonal acne in the long run. While you may need to strategically apply salicylic acid or other ingredients to fully remove blackheads or limit excessive breakouts, these definitely do fulfil the promise of reducing the size of a spot and healing it.
3. Can they be used on sensitive skin?
Yes, pimple patches that don’t contain harsh chemicals like the Mighty Patch can be used to fight angry blemishes on your skin. It will suck up the spot fluid, which will help minimise scarring and prevent further irritation.
4. Do pimple patches work on cystic acne?
Cysts are large, angry and painful breakouts that are deep in your skin and can linger for years. To treat severe cystic acne, it’s definitely best to see a doctor/dermatologist for professional treatments. The pus cannot be buried under the skin for a patch to work, so it might not be too effective. But for a ripe cyst, you can try an acne patch to help shrink it for sure.
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