PHOTO: ORCHID CHAKMA

ZABIN TAZRIN NASHITA

Thanks to my mother’s genes, which she had partially passed down to me, I spent most of my adolescence with delightfully clear skin, without scrambling between home remedies and dermatologist visits to cure the quintessential teenage experience of battling acne.

This bliss, however, did not last very long, as I experienced the harrowing feeling of an acne breakout as an adult, all thanks to my poor lifestyle choices. And I did not know how to be casual about it, always feeling the compulsion to pick at the pimples on my face, turning a small bump into a bleeding welt that inevitably left scars.

So, when I discovered the wonder of modern science called a “pimple patch”, I realised this was a solution tailored to my specific problem.

I started using pimple patches in university, leaving them on all day and receiving comments from my peers reminding me to take them off, as the clear, medicated hydrocolloid patches were generally used as an overnight treatment to reduce inflammation. This was, however, a conscious choice on my part, as my problem was less with the appearance and more with the existence of the pimple itself and the tingles on my grabby fingers reminding me that I must pick at them.

Thankfully, I was not alone in this monumental struggle, as I soon discovered bright, colourful patches in various shapes had hit the market to appease the restless. So, of course, I had to buy them in the brightest pink colour, walking around all day with several star-shaped patches stuck on my face with nobody thinking it’s accidental. In fact, I even found patches in the shapes of cat paws or faces as well as different pop culture characters like Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll, or Kuromi, which had people asking me where I got them from, and my friends soon followed suit in purchasing pimple patches that suited their own aesthetic styles—pink hearts, blue stars, or even holographic butterflies.

The social acceptance of visible pimple patches meant the idea of covering up blemishes with a tiny sticker soon became something of a fashion statement, embracing creative expression. The concept of this isn’t really new either. I dug around a little and found out that the idea behind this existed as early as the Roman Empire. In fact, it was practically a trend in 17th-century Europe, where patches made of fabric, paper, or even leather were cut in different shapes to cover up blemishes. This was known as “mouche”, a French word that translates to “fly”, as the contrast of a dark patch against pale skin was thought to resemble the insect sitting on the skin. It was thought to heighten beauty by drawing attention to the fashionable imperfections, much like the pimple patches of today.

Unlike historic times, however, pimple patches of today do more than just sit pretty, which is a given considering their original purpose arose from practicality. Most pimple patches are made of hydrocolloid, a gel-forming polymer adhesive that heals by absorbing moisture from the area it’s applied to. There are both medicated and unmedicated variants, generally containing active ingredients like salicylic acid that work against acne. Hydrocolloid bandages are commonly used to treat superficial wounds, which is the same principle behind pimple patches. A recent trend has emerged: cutting hydrocolloid rolls to custom sizes to target breakout areas, generally for a fraction of the price of tiny sticker sheets.

The effectiveness of pimple patches may vary depending on your skin type. I have had people tell me that while the medicated, transparent ones have worked wonders in controlling acne, the whimsical, colourful ones don’t really do much. Others have had differing experiences, and in my book, anything that keeps me from scarring myself permanently is a win. The cutesy colours and shapes are just a fun bonus.

Reference:

Doing History in Public (2025). ‘Turning Botches into Beauty’: The Early Modern Origins of the Pimple Patch.