I can’t even begin to count the number of times I’ve been looking forward to an exciting event, only to wake up the day before with a massive zit protruding out of my cheek, chin, neck, or forehead –sometimes all of these spots at the same time, let’s be real. I’m currently dealing with cystic acne (yay me), so waking up with painful blemishes is, unfortunately, the norm.
Even as I write this post, I’ve got a number of angry, cystic pimples lingering along my neck and jaw.
And trust me when I say, I’ve tried countless over-the-counter treatments. I’ve seen a dermatologist and even cut dairy from my diet – you know, the works. Yet, I was still waking up to frustrating and typically quite painful pimples.
Then, a few months ago during one of my late-night Instagram black holes, I saw an ad for pimple patches.
While I had heard of them before from articles I’ve read, I had yet to actually give them a try. Perhaps it was my state of insomnia, or the fact that I had an event coming up that I was particularly looking forward to that I decided to look into these so-called miracle workers.
The translucent patches are essentially small, round hydrocolloid bandages that are often pre-treated with acne-fighting ingredients that can be applied to pimples. They work by absorbing excess fluid and pulling out dirt and debris from inside the breakout, while also preventing new bacteria from seeping in.
My late-night Instagram discovery led me to the account of an Australian-based company by the name of ZitSticka (this is in no way sponsored, by the way).
Within seconds, I was intrigued by the number of before and after photos, showing impressive results from both men and women. I’m a sucker for a good before and after pic, so after seeing the results, I knew I had to put these patches to the test.
Each patch comes with a cleaning pad, which helps the healing process by cleaning the top layer of the skin. Once the inflamed area is cleaned, you can apply the patch to the area for at least two hours (or overnight), and let it work its magic.
I found that these patches were really great for treating my cystic acne.
They feature tiny dissolving microdarts filled with blemish-fighting ingredients like salicylic acid, OG-76, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid, that penetrate the skin to reach deep into the painful and under the surface pimples.
I typically apply mine at night right before I go to bed, so then I can wake up to clearer skin. After one use, I noticed that the swelling and size of the cysts or pimples went down significantly which made it much easier to take care of and cover up, and the redness went down. As for more surface zits, I found that the patches help zits reach a head within a few hours.
But what I really like about ZitSticka is that unlike some spot treatments, the sticker doesn’t leave your skin feeling dry or flaky.
As as soon as you apply one to your skin, the patch feels incredibly sturdy and comfortable, and you never feel like you have to worry about it falling off. The patches are also transparent enough that you could leave your house with one on and no one would notice, which is a major plus.
After trying these bad boys, I tried a few other cheaper versions (a box from ZitSticka retails for $39) and found that while still effective, they didn’t work as well on the pesky under-the-surface cystic zits I frequently deal with. Instead, I felt that these worked on more surface-level zits or those that have come to an obvious head.
And above all, what I really love about ZitSticka is that the pimple patches are free of parabens, sulphates, animal oil, and other toxic ingredients, which is something I can definitely get behind.
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