As someone with acne-prone skin, I definitely understand the struggles of finding the perfect cure for breakouts. It truly is a process, and honestly, it’s the worst feeling to realize products like cleansers and treatments will only fix your skin over a long period of time. What if you need to get rid of sudden breakouts ASAP? Nobody has the time to wait. So, let’s talk about pimple patches.
Of course, these aren’t consistent magic. Pimple patches won’t take away your huge breakouts completely, but they do help reduce the size of them. Essentially, what the patches do is suck all of the dirt and gunk out of your pimple, and then transform that into a gel that sticks to the patch. All you have to do is stick the patch on the affected area before you go to bed, and when you wake up, your complexion will look way better. Usually, breakouts get worse if you touch them, and the patches keep you from doing that—so that’s a bonus.
To help you decide where to start, I found the best patches out there. You definitely need to try these:
Acne Pimple Master Patch
COSRX, sokoglam.com, $5; shop now
These patches will heal your breakouts in the gentlest way possible. They can stay on through showers, too, so you don’t have to worry about water affecting the treatment. There are also three different sizes in the pack that you can choose from, which makes it super easy to use and customize based on the size and severity of the spot you’re treating.
Acne Healing Dots
Peace Out, sephora.com, $19; shop now
Not only do these patches help prevent you from picking at your skin, but they also help reduce scarring and redness. This is super important, especially because so many of us have deep scars from previously untreated breakouts. I used to think that mine were permanent, so it’s good to know that there are products out there to help reduce scarring!
Related: I Had 6 Years Worth of Acne Scars, But Here’s How I Made Them Basically Disappear
Acne Spot Dots
Peach Slices, peachandlily.com, $5; shop now
The Peach Slices patches can be worn at every stage of your pimple, no matter how big or small. These versatile patches can be worn at any time of the day, with or without makeup, and they come in a variety of sizes in each pack. My favorite thing about these definitely has to be the fact that I can put makeup on over the patch. Throughout the day, it really looks like nothing is on my face.
Blemish Dots with Salicylic Acid
Skyn Iceland, ulta.com, $15; shop now
These gel patches mainly help cure blemishes through special ingredients like salicylic acid and tea tree oil. So, if blemishes are your skin’s main issue, these are for you! They work super fast and are ever-so-gentle on your skin.
Acne-Clear Invisible Dots
Peter Thomas Roth, sephora.com, $32; shop now
These patches are translucent (so you can easily go out without makeup and feel confident) and treat blackheads. A one-time purchase will get you 72 patches, which is a lot. The only downside is that this one is on the pricey side, but I’d say these patches are worth it.
Not only do these patches clear up your breakouts in the gentlest way possible, but they can also prevent you from picking at your face and causing further breakouts. Honestly, they seem like a win-win situation to me.