Routine 101

What Are Hydrocolloid Acne Patches and How Do They Work?

By Hanna Yowell

Filed Under

Breakouts

Acneic Skin

Routine 101

At A Glance

WHAT IT IS

Mighty Patches tackle breakouts of every stage, shape, and size.
WHAT IT DOES

Each type of Mighty Patch has active ingredients for specific goals — from healing active acne to fading dark spots after a breakout.
WHY IT MATTERS

From inflammation to hyperpigmentation, the life-cycle of a breakout can be long. But, acne patches speed up healing time like no other spot treatment can.
HOLY GRAIL PRODUCT
hero cosmetics mighty invisible patches
FUN FACT

Hero Cosmetics came to be when the company’s founder Ju first discovered hydrocolloid acne patches in South Korea and decided to create a pimple patch for the U.S. market.

When a breakout pops up, what’s your current plan of action? Well, what if we told you there’s finally a better acne treatment option out there that doesn’t involve popping or drying out your skin? Enter acne patches a.k.a hydrocolloid patches.

Acne Patches, Explained

Acne patches are the new gold standard when it comes to spot treatments for breakouts. Long gone are the days of overly-drying creams or DIY extractions. Just stick one of these little clear dots on a whitehead and watch them absorb the pimple’s fluid right before your eyes.

The Mighty Patch by Hero Cosmetics is our hydrocolloid acne patch of choice, as their unique range of patches are your partners in crime in tackling each stage of a pimple’s life-cycle. Not all of their patches are the same, because not all breakouts are the same! Plus, Hero’s Mighty Patches work — really well, and really quickly — by applying a protective barrier between the outside world and the wound so it can heal. No matter the stage.

And while hydrocolloid acne patches are somewhat of a new invention, hydrocolloid bandages have long been used in medicine to protect wounds and support their healing.

A Mighty Patch For Every Occassion

For whiteheads: Mighty Patch Invisible+

Use for: Active breakouts that you are tempted to pop

How it works: “This creates a seal on the skin to pull any sort of fluid out of the skin. But, it also creates a safe environment so no additional bacteria gets introduced,” says Heyday Skincare Educator Shea Amiruddin.

Like an acne vacuum, these literally suck the pus and gunk out of a pimple that’s come to a head. Sounds gross, but works like a charm. Pop this on a zit overnight, or even during the day (it’s practically undetectable) and watch Mighty Patch work its magic. It’ll be gone before you know it! Plus, not only does the patch help stop any bacteria from sneaking in, it also makes it much harder for you to squeeze at any acne. But, if you couldn’t resist and you did some picking already, these can go over a freshly popped pimple.

For under-the-surface acne: Micropoint for Blemishes

Use for: Early-stage breakouts that are lurking under the skin’s surface

How it works: “These are for those painful spots that will eventually turn into a pustule most of the time. They will help alleviate the sensitivity and speed up the healing, thanks to super hydrating ingredients delivered by micropoints into the deeper layers of the skin,” says Shea.

You know those annoying breakouts that haven’t come to a head yet, so you can’t pop it, even if you wanted to? This pimple patch is the most proactive of the bunch — helping to stop a pimple in its tracks before it can even make an appearance. With 173 hyaluronic acid Micropoints, these patches work hard at reducing inflammation and the pimple’s life cycle. Thanks to ingredients like salicylic acid, beta glucan, and hyaluronic acid, these patches exfoliate and replenish hydration while reducing inflammation — the ideal trio when it comes to treating acne.

For dark spots: Micropoint for Dark Spots

Use for: Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (a.k.a. the post-blemish spots that often get left behind after a breakout)

How it works: “These also use micropoints to deliver active ingredients into the deeper layers of the skin, but they help to brighten and speed healing for post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation,” says Shea.

The next most annoying thing behind a breakout might be the spot it often leaves behind. Luckily, we have a spot treatment that swoops in during this final stage of a breakout to heal hyperpigmentation safely and effectively. Using the same micropoint technology as the blemish patches, these ones instead deliver skin brighteners to target dark spots from breakouts. They’re loaded with some of our favorite hyperpigmentation-treating ingredients, like tranexamic acid, niacinamide, and vitamin C, which work together to even out skin tone.

Mighty Patches In Your Skincare Routine

You can treat acne with a patch in your morning and evening skincare routines — just make sure it’s in the right order. In the morning, a Mighty Patch goes right before your sunscreen, so as the second to last step. At nighttime, apply a patch as the very last step in your routine after any moisturizers and oils. We recommend dabbing off any excess product that’s on the blemish so the patch can work its full magic.

For The Invisible+ Patch, just press onto a blemish and remove after about 6 hours. The Micropoint patches will stay on the same length of time, but you’ll want to press the patch down for 15-30 seconds after applying so the microneedles can (painlessly!) penetrate the skin.