The Best Pimple Patches, For Every Type of Breakout
I do not envy the teens of today, except for their access to pimple patches. Do you know how much strife I could have avoided if we were zit patching when I was a teen?? And the pimple patch technology just keeps getting better! Here are all the patches in my arsenal, and how I utilize them all to banish breakouts at super speed.
I’ve included photos with an AirPods case for size comparisons, and at the end I’ll give a couple of patch application tips.
Big and Simple
Lately I’ve been having a continual chin breakout. I think it’s done and then BOOM! Another one pops up. I recently changed some medication so I’m hoping it’s just a temporary side effect, but nonetheless I’m SICK of it. Because I’ve found myself with multiple spots in large areas, I’ve been reaching for my big ass, plain hydrocolloid bandages. They’re just simple bandages with no added stuff, and they serve to (I’m so sorry if this is gross) suck the fluid out and help heal any irritated skin left from a breakout.
These All-Health hydrocolloid bandages are truly bandages — the picture on the box is of a person’s knee for a reason. But these are the big guns. This is for when you’ve dealt with a big ol’ breakout, or you did some at home dermatologic procedures (don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about!) and now you’re regretting every decision you’ve ever made while dealing with a very oozy red patch of mistake.
These giant hydrocolloid patches are great because you cut them to whatever size and shape you need. I would assume that cutting a patch would make it 1) Very hard to peel backing off of, and 2) Unlikely to stay stuck. Neither of these things are true! These patches are thin, easy to apply, and are surprisingly low profile for coming in a 4”x4” square of material. You can make many or a few patches out of this one square, including using a whole square for a horribly scraped knee (I fell down. Big time).
I bought these Band-Aid blemish patches purely out of curiosity, and they fulfill a very specific niche that I haven’t seen before. These patches are triangular, and ULTRA thin. So thin, in fact, that they will conform to any area of your face and stay stuck. Eat a burger with one on your chin, it WILL stay there. These patches have been very handy for when I have a constellation of breakouts around my chin and mouth, and I want to cover all of them and also use my face. They are so thin they seem like they may not work, but miraculously, they do.
My OG Patches
Cosrx patches are my tried and true, never let me down, number one patches. The AC Collection patches are the ONE package that I keep in stock at all times, and have a backup just in case. I’ve tried every patch Cosrx sells, and these two are my favorites (but I do have one suggestion/plea).
Cosrx AC Colllection Acne Patches are perfect. I’ve raved about them before, and they continue to be The Best. My only complaint is that I can’t buy them in bulk from Costco anymore.
I’ve also written about the X-Large Cosrx patches, so I’ll just direct you there. However, I’d like to put in my plea for Cosrx to make the X-Large patches, but smaller. Every patch has its own thing going on, and the Cosrx X-Large patches are 1) Simple hydrocolloid patches, like the ones above, 2) Have tapered edges, so they stay put, and 3) Are made to put on your face so there’s no skin irritation. There is no Cosrx patch that has all this AND is small. I would like to have this, please.
Mighty Micropoint Patches
I’ll be honest, I held some prejudice against Mighty Patches. I know they’re popular, BUT they make some gimmicky stuff that is truly useless and I hate it! How was I to know they had some patches that are actually worthwhile?! Their regular patches seem to have every patch trait I dislike, and therefore aren’t worth my time, but I was intrigued by their micropoint patches, so I got some. When I took one off the next morning I literally exclaimed, “These shits WORK?!?!”
I started with the micropoint patches for dark spots. I’m prone to post-breakout hyperpigmentation, and as mentioned before, I’ve been having regular breakouts for a few months. I slapped one of these babies on, went to bed, and there was a noticeable difference the next morning. And not the type of difference where it looks better first thing but as the day goes on you realize you were duped. This was an ACTUAL difference. You only get eight patches in a package, which I find frustrating, but they work, so perhaps it’s worth it.
The packaging for both micropoint patches are the same, just in different colors
The real test for Mighty patches was the micropoint patches for blemishes. This is the one for the lurkers. Those painful, deep spots that don’t come to a head and make you want to stick a needle in them or squeeze your skin raw trying to get it out (again, don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about). The micropoints allow the patch’s zit busting ingredients to penetrate into your skin, and let me tell you, there is no false advertising here. I put on one of these patches, on a spot that was a hard little bead deep in my skin, and the next morning it was HALF the size. I repeated this the next night, and when I woke up? PRACTICALLY GONE. I was NOT expecting those results, let me tell you. I use Retin-A and I’ve had bad reactions to salicylic acid in the past, but these patches caused no irritation or reaction, just a zit that withered away practically overnight.
Now, for a couple of tips:
Before you apply your patch(es), swipe an alcohol wipe (the most useful of tools) across the area and let it dry. This will make sure your skin oils or products won’t interfere with your patch staying put.
Apply patches with tweezers. Again, you want maximum contact and staying power, and your little finger oils aren’t going to help that. Plus, using tweezers allows for more precise application. I’ve used tiny patches and big ones, only holding them with tweezers, and it works every time, no matter the size or shape.
I use Retin-A every night, and I have a ZIIP with a “problem solver” program that really, really helps with reactive skin. These patches are an essential part of my skincare regimen, but they’re not the ONLY thing I have going. Just make sure nothing reacts with or counteracts your various products and you’ll be fine.
Happy patching!
