What are Hydrocolloid Patches and How to Use Them for Clearing Acne Overnight

What are hydrocolloid patches?

Hydrocolloid patches (or pimple patches or hydrocolloid dressings) are small bandages that contain hydrocolloid, a substance that has the property to dry those superficial, surface-level zits such as whiteheads, or even ‘maskne’, a ‘new’ type of acne that appears on your chin and cheeks after wearing your mask for too long. These types of hydrocolloid bandages are meant to be applied directly on the blemish, preferably overnight.

How do hydrocolloid patches work?

In case you’re wondering how do hydrocolloid patches work, you’ll be surprised to find out that the entire concept is very easy and definitely not new. Hydrocolloid has been used to heal light, chronic wounds for decades. The hydrocolloid substance has gel-forming agents in its composition, that are meant to absorb liquid. This way, the wounds can heal more quickly from the inside out, leaving a lesser chance of scarring.

Using hydrocolloid for acne is a more recent solution and it works the same way, as wounds and zits are not so different from each other. Being a type of spot treatment, the patches, made of a flexible adhesive and film, are applied directly to the pimple, creating a waterproof “barrier”. The hydrocolloid will then soak up the liquid and dry the pimple, helping it heal faster. This, of course, doesn’t mean that all your acne will disappear completely overnight; this is just a faster, hygienic, effective and non-invasive way of helping it heal.

There are some other advantages of using hydrocolloid on acne as well: they create a protective layer that will keep your pimple safe from bacteria and they also prevent you from picking at your zits, which is something many of us are guilty of.

One recommendation to keep in mind: in case you have sensitive skin, you might want to avoid hydrocolloid patches, as some of their ingredients or even the adhesive layer they have might irritate your skin or produce even more breakouts in the end.

Why do hydrocolloid patches turn white?

After applying a hydrocolloid patch on your pimple, you’ll realize that the center of the patch or its entire surface will slowly turn white as the hours pass. While this process might look a bit scary (it may seem like a bigger pimple has grown underneath), the truth is that the white substance you see is simply hydrated hydrocolloid.

Hydrocolloid is transparent at first; then, as it absorbs the liquid, it transforms into a white gel and it stays there, underneath the transparent bandage, until you peel it off. This is, in short, why hydrocolloid patches turn white: it simply means they’ve done their job!

How to use hydrocolloid patches

Nothing can be easier than applying a hydrocolloid patch. Regardless if we’re talking about small, round bandages or hydrocolloid nose strips, the instructions are always the same for these non-medical patches.

First, you need to pick the correct size for your zit. In order to do so, you need to choose a hydrocolloidal patch that is large or wide enough to cover the entire pimple - your zit should be entirely covered by the center of the patch. 

Then, gently clean your skin. Before applying the patch, you need to make sure that your skin is completely dry. Apply the hydrocolloid patch and leave it on for a few hours, maximum 24, but preferably overnight. When hydrocolloid patches turn opaque instead of transparent, it means they’re done absorbing as much liquid as they possibly could. In the morning, all you need to do is peel it off, throw it away and wash your skin with a gentle cleanser, without scratching your zit for too long.

In case there’s still liquid left in your pimple, you can apply a new patch the next day and follow the same steps explained above until it completely heals. You should also change your pimple patch each time the edges become loose or dirty – this will lower its efficiency.

One of the best things about hydrocolloid patches is that they can be used both during the day and during the night. They’re almost invisible during the day (in case you don’t choose a type of colorful, flashy pimple sticker – yes, that’s a thing now!) and you can also apply make-up on top of it, making it almost disappear completely. At night, you won’t even be able to feel them on your skin and they’ll work wonders speeding up the healing process until the next morning.

Hydrocolloid patches for different types of acne

Do hydrocolloid patches work for blackheads? What about whiteheads? Can I use them for cystic or hormonal acne?

These are the most frequent questions going around about these patches, especially now that they’re growing in popularity. Truth be told, it’s very important to know which types of acne can be treated with hydrocolloid and which not. This way, you’ll know exactly what to expect and you won’t be left thinking that this type of patches is a scam or that there’s something wrong with your skin. Your hydrocolloid patches are working perfectly fine, maybe you’ve just applied them on the wrong pimple.

In short, hydrocolloid patches work for all surface acne that have a “head” and liquid inside, such as whiteheads, and pus-filled blemishes.

On the other hand, this type of patches definitely doesn’t work for deeper types of acne such as cystic acne; it’s best to talk to your dermatologist for a personalized treatment plan in case you’re facing a serious acne problem. Hydrocolloid patches don’t work on blackheads either.

When buying hydrocolloid patches, you can also look for salicylic acid on the list of ingredients, or even benzoyl peroxide. Both of these are common ingredients in products formulated to treat acne.

The benefits of using hydrocolloid patches for acne

There are so many benefits of using hydrocolloid patches for light, easy-to-treat acne! In case you have a big event coming up and you wake up one morning before with a huge zit growing on your chin, the best idea would be to stop touching it, refrain yourself for even thinking of squeezing it and applying a hydrocolloid sticker instead. This solution will either heal it on fast-forward until the next day or you’ll simply be able to apply foundation and concealer on top until it becomes virtually invisible.

Here are the most important benefits of using hydrocolloid patches on acne:

• they speed up the healing process by a lot;
• they reduce redness around your pimple;
• they’re waterproof, meaning they protect your zit from unwanted moisture until it completely heals;
• the patches protect your acne from bacteria;
• because they’re applied directly onto the pimple and they look like a transparent sticker that stays there, you won’t be able to pick on your zits and create a nasty wound;
• you can apply make-up after using this type of patches;
• they prevent sun exposure while your pimple is healing;
• they lower the chance of scarring, which is such a great advantage!

Hydrocolloid patches can also be used for preventing acne, especially when you know you’ll be wearing a mask for a long time. People can usually feel when a pimple is about to “pop” on their face. Thing is, you don’t need to wait until the zit finds its way to the surface; instead, you can apply the patch before it begins. This way you’ll speed up the healing even more.

Bottom line – Hydrocolloid patches really work!

Long story short, hydrocolloid patches are a great invention and they do work! These bandages don’t have the power to heal our acne overnight (you might need to re-apply for a couple of days) or to cure our cystic acne, but they can definitely speed up the healing process, while keeping the pimple safe and protected from bacteria. You can think of them as a second skin that will keep your acne safe and less inflamed.

There are only a few things to keep in mind before applying a hydrocolloid patch - how to pick the correct size for your bandage, how to prep your skin before, when to remove it and what to do afterwards. This is all very accessible information and you’ll find all these details in the paragraphs above.

Last but not least, the most important thing to keep in mind after reading this article is to take into consideration what kind of pimples can be treated with this type of over-the-counter acne patches: surface pimples such as whiteheads or puss-filled zits.

Where to buy hydrocolloid patches from

Check out our collection of pimple patches, for both deep zits and whiteheads. 

Hugs! 

Adrienne | Co-founder of OMMA Cosmetics

Photo sources: OMMA