Should you try pimple patches for your tween?
Your tween wakes up in the morning to a tragedy, a pimple the size of Mount Rushmore planted on their face. They're screaming, and now you’re distraught, but what’s the solution? To pick or not to pick at the pimples? And the answer is NOT TO PICK! You never want to pick at pimples, no matter how tempting they may be; it will only worsen the situation.
But if your tween couldn’t resist picking and poking at the pesky intruder, we can help. The best option for your kid is to create a quality kids’ skincare routine around spot treatments such as pimple patches and ointments. Let’s get you started on what you need to know.
First.
What Are Pimple Patches?
You know how people (especially the pirates in our kids’ favorite cartoons) wear eyepatches to hide disfigured or injured eyes? Pimple patches are very similar, only that they’re for pimples.
Pimple or acne patches are usually small circular stickers made with a moisture-retentive wound-healing gum — hydrocolloid. The hydrocolloid works to help your skin heal faster and more effectively, significantly reducing your child’s risk of having acne scars. Great, isn’t it?
But we bet you’re wondering: how do these pimple patches work, and are they safe for your kid?
How do pimple patches work?
When you place a pimple patch on your child’s pimple, it first acts as an adhesive bandage, creating a protective seal over the target area. The seal prevents your child from further picking at their pimples and introducing germs to them. But that’s only the beginning.
How these pimple patches work is they absorb fluid such as pus, oil, and dirt from the pimples till they (pimple patches) turn white; that’s the sign to remove them and replace them with new patches. While they work wonders on blemishes, you may miss their benefits by using them without setting up a proper skincare routine.
So it’s not enough to stamp a couple of pimple patches on your child’s skin and wish the pimples away. You need to be more intentional about your child’s skin health if you want to win this war against acne. Here’s an article that can help.
How to use pimple patches
Now you know what pimple patches are and what they can do for your child, it’s time for the good stuff — how to use pimple patches.
We recommend you use these patches at night. At this time, they can treat your child’s pimples while they sleep, which keeps the patches in place and free from your child’s prying hands or energetic daily activities.
Here’s the before and after routine for pimple patches.
Before the Patch
Follow these steps:
Pimple patches need clean, dry areas to work their magic. So start by washing your child’s face with a gentle cleanser like our TBH™ Kids' Spot Foam Wash to deep clean and hydrate your child’s skin, using natural skingredients like jojoba, aloe vera juice, and willow bark!
All the lingering impurities the cleanser could not reach are no match for toners. Wipe your child’s face down with a gentle kid’s toner to remove oil and dirt, and wait 1-2 minutes till it dries and move on to the next step.
We can’t overemphasize this step enough; dry skin = more acne. When your skin is dry, it compensates for the dryness by producing more oil or sebum. So moisturize your child’s skin with a nourishing product like our TBH™ Kids' Body Lotion to deeply hydrate and nourish your child’s skin.
Before you apply the patch, gently clean the area with a damp cotton swab. You want to use the patch on clean, dry skin free of any product to allow maximum adhesion. After cleaning the area, patch those pimples up!
After the Patch
Most pimple patches require that you wear them overnight; follow the instructions on the pack to be sure. Once you notice the patch is white, it’s time to take it off.
Here’s what to do after removing a pimple patch.
Cleanse, tone, and moisturize your skin using your tween’s favorite skincare products. And if you’re wondering which kid’s products to use, you can find the highest quality at TBH Kids.
Regular hydrocolloid or pimple patches may not contain acne-fighting ingredients; they only absorb the contents in the pimple to help the blemish heal faster. But our TBH™ Kids' Pimple Patches are pick-proof, moisture-retentive, AND deliver acne-fighting ingredients such as tea tree oil and willow bark to the pimple site, which makes them effective even on blind pimples.
The best part is they come in fun shapes that will make your kids want to use them. Pros - they’ll let the patches stay on for longer, so they stay working on their skin and pimples. Cons - they may want to keep wearing these patches even after the blemishes are long gone.
