Do Pimple Patches Work?

Rachel Murphy is a Kansas City, MO, journalist with more than 10 years of experience.

Nick Blackmer is a librarian, fact-checker, and researcher with more than 20 years’ experience in consumer-oriented health and wellness content.

Photo Illustration by Amelia Manley for Verywell Health; Getty Images

Acne is a common problem that has spawned an entire industry of products claiming to treat it. One of the most recent tools to gain popularity is the acne or pimple patch, a thin circular or triangular patch made from hydrocolloid that claims to help clear acne faster than it could clear up on its own.

But do they work? The answer is a murky yes. Pimple patches do help speed the healing process, but not necessarily for the reasons you might assume.

At their most basic, pimple patches are wound care, Geeta Yadav, MD, dermatologist and founder of FACET Dermatology in Toronto, Canada, told Verywell. There are two basic categories of patches: traditional patches that work by covering and protecting the lesion with a hydrocolloid membrane, and those that have additional ingredients or technology such as microneedles or topical treatments like salicylic acid.

"Hydrocolloid is really used in wound care. It can seal over broken skin or something wet and draw the fluid out of the lesion," Yadav said. "In a pimple setting, it draws out the sebum or pus out of the pimples and promote faster healing."

Patches with added ingredients can help by additionally speeding the exfoliation process, which clears away dead skin and sebum, revealing healthier skin underneath. While the added ingredients are useful, Yadav said that the most important functionality is protecting the wound from your own prying fingers.

"Everyone picks," she said. "One of the best features of having a patch, whether it has active ingredients or not, is that every time you go to touch that pimple, it's protected from your own hands and the bacteria that you might have under your nails or anything that might make it flare."

A single-center, randomized clinical trial completed by Johnson & Johnson in 2021 indicated that using a pimple patch for one week on either popped or unpopped pimples did improve the look of pimples. The study also revealed that popped pimples healed faster using hydrocolloid patches than those that healed without.

While hydrocolloid patches alone aren't adding any drying agents to the skin, they are creating an atmosphere of healing. If patients have had success with other topical solutions, they can also apply those before using a hydrocolloid patch, said Asmi Sanghvi, MD, dermatologist and clinical instructor at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City

"If you plan to apply a topical treatment underneath an acne patch, the occlusive nature of the patch will help that treatment penetrate deeper and more intensely," Sanghvi told Verywell. "This is fine as long as the topical treatment isn't irritating to the skin—so topical clindamycin or topical azelaic acid are fine. However, if the topical treatment is a retinoid, salicylic acid, or benzoyl peroxide, it could potentially lead to inflammation and irritation of the normal skin."

Yadav said that the best time to start using a pimple patch is when you first start to see a pimple form, especially if the patch contains active ingredients.

Even if the pimple is fully formed, though, there are still benefits to using a patch. The less that you touch the affected area, the faster it will heal. Even if you’ve already popped the pimple, covering it with a protective patch is a good idea.

The field of options for pimple patches has grown considerably over the last few years, and now there are many to choose from. Here are a few key criteria to consider.

Since hydrocolloid patches only create a protective environment, there are few side effects, but patches with added ingredients can cause sensitivity depending on your skin type. Sanghvi said that patches with benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid may leave red marks on the skin where the patch was on those with sensitive skin.

Pimple patches are the bandages of skincare. When used as such, they are an effective way to keep your pimple clean and free from bacteria. For those with sensitive skin, start with a patch that doesn't include additional ingredients and see if they work for you. They won't cure acne overnight, but they may prevent scarring by preventing you from picking and damaging your skin.

By Rachel MurphyRachel Murphy is a Kansas City, MO, journalist with more than 10 years of experience.