Rave + Gross Pics: How The COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch Works
If you've been curious about COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch (P170 at Theskincarecurator.com) because of all the raves its been getting, well, here's an explanation plus lots of (yucky) photos! I've been using the patches for about two months now and I can say for sure that it gets rid of pimples faster than anything I've ever tried - pimple gels, creams, and oils are no match for it.
But wait, what is it exactly? At first I thought it was a patch with some sort of anti-pimple treatment, maybe something like salicylic acid, but it's not. COSRX calls it "Hydrophilic Wound Dressing" in the packaging. Hydrophilic, in layman's terms, simply means that something more easily bonds with water. Okay. Then I checked the ingredients:
The patches are made up of cellulose, polymers, adhesives, and and a basic emollient (liquid paraffin). In other words, you just get the patch. It's a Band-Aid for pimples! It adheres until you take it off and keeps you from picking at your spots. But wait, there's more. The magic of the patch reveals itself once you put it on top of a popped - yes, it has to be popped - pimple. Here's what happened when I put it on mine:
The pimple as you can see barely left a mark on my skin, and dried up without flaking! There was only a light blemish afterwards whereas before, it would be much darker. The caveat: I had to use two COSRX patches because apparently, if you put it on an un-popped pimple, nothing will happen. As it does not have any pimple-drying or antiseptic ingredients, it's just going to sit on top doing absolutely nothing for you - well other than keeping you from touching the pimple, of course.
When I cleanly popped my pimple about 10 hours later (it was ripe anyway) and placed the second patch overnight, that's when things started moving. Or absorbing, in this case. The patch sucks up any pus or liquid that comes out of what is technically an open wound. The nasty stuff will then be trapped inside the cellulose gum!
Inside the patch is the nasty stuff I was talking about
Below is a closer look into a patch that dealt with a much bigger pimple:
Gross, yeah? But the COSRX patch works so well in reducing the swelling! Swelling after all is basically just liquid converging on the surface of our skin in response to the wound. Once the swelling is dealt with and no bacteria comes inside to complicate matters, then the pimple should be gone. That, ladies, is super cool.
Here are my tips in getting the best results from your COSRX patches:
- As I said above, your pimples must be already popped before applying the patches. You may do this yourself when it's already ripe (I prefer using a cotton bud as it's not advisable to touch the pimple), or wait for it to pop by itself. If you're dealing with formidable cystic acne which is deep inside the skin, this patch won't do much until it's out on the surface.
- Wash your face before putting on the patch. You don't want to trap any bacteria underneath the patch as much as possible.
- Don't put any skincare before the patch. The adhesive won't stick well, plus it might just absorb your skincare first. What I do is I secure the patch first then apply my skincare around it.
- It's sayang if you can just use the patch less than two hours before removing it (for example in the morning before putting on makeup). I noticed it doesn't work instantly so it's best to leave it overnight, or when you just plan to stay at home. Or when you DGAF whether people outside see your bare-ass face AND pimple patch/es. That's cool too.
Overall, I will definitely be hoarding more COSRX Pimple Patches! They are brilliantly simple and they WORK literally overnight. They're P170 for 24 patches (they come in different sizes btw), but I get maybe four or six pimples every month so one pack should last me a while.
My favorite thing about it is that my blemishes are less dark when dressed by these patches. I'm not sure why exactly, but my guess is since the pimple's life span is much shorter, my skin is less traumatized. Or it might be that since the liquid is absorbed faster, the wound closes more cleanly.
And that is that. Would you be trying out these pimple patches soon?
COSRX is officially distributed by The Skin Care Curator in the PH online. You may visit their website here.
