Nexcare Acne Patch

These things are awesome!I now have gotten to my second pack of these, as I don't have too many breakout issues anymore (but I share them with the bf), and I wanted to put in my two cents about this amazing product. Here is the good and the bad, as I see it:GOOD!1. This is a no-chemical acne solution. Unless you are allergic to the (probably proprietary) plasticky substance these are made out of, there should be ZERO irritation! That's right - none! I have semi-sensitive, aging (I am 36yo), oily, acne-prone skin. I had to stop using traditional acne products because they began to really bother my skin.2. They work amazingly fast. Pop these on your spot(s) and overnight you should wake up to flat, or extremely flattened/reduced (if the pimple is larger or not yet near the surface) zits. For mean pimples you may need to use them for more than one night, but this is still a huge reduction in healing time, as a pimple that isn't nuked by these is probably pretty severe. For example, I got a hormonal/"fighting off actually getting sick" pimple cause two people in my household have nasty flu/pneumonia. I used this three nights on this bump before it went away, but it kept it down, from getting worse/super-ugly looking.3. They work on MANY pimple types. Honestly aside from my tiny hormone pimples, I mostly only get an teeny irritation whitehead (rashy kind of small pimple) or blackheads. This even works on blackheads -- to which point I would love it if they made Biore Nose strip like versions of these. I would snap them up in a heartbeat!! They also work on my boyfriend's super-grody bacne pimples of large and manly proportion, which is much better than having to look at them when he does nothing about them, but gripes when I poke them. Slap on a Nexcare, slap on a Star Wars bandaid = both of us are happy campers.The Bad?1. These don't stick too well. Tips: Put on very clean/dry skin. NO lotion or other stuff on your skin! Have very dry/clean hands. Be careful to touch as little of the "sticky" side of the pad as possible. Try to only use this on flat spots. If in a spot you think it will rub off of - apply a bandaid over the top of it. Now, I use these at night and I've rarely had one pop off my face when I do the above (no bandaids on my face are needed. that's for the bf bacne, though your needs may vary!)2. These are not for use outside the home. They are very obvious discs that simply are not thin enough to not look like you have little bandaids on your skin, or perhaps alien growths... Anyway. Wear them at home, at night or on your day off, and wear outside at your own discretion if you just dgaf, but they aren't "invisible" or able to be covered by makeup of any normal non-spackle variety.Bottom line: Since I am perfectly happy to have these be an "at home" solution and I've worked out how to deal with them not being too sticky, I have to say I LOVE these things. I have them on subscribe and save now as I plan to never be without them. The no-chemical, super gentle, effective solution is the freakin' bomb. 5+ starsP.S. Part of me wants to post a picture, but it's not necessary. You will see the gross little white blob of goo stuck on the pad the first time you use it and will know it has worked. Kinda like Biore strips... it's an icky fascination to look and boggle, but probably doesn't need to be shared with the universe. Just your sister/mom/roommate/bestie or maybe your curious significant other, so they can go, "ewww!" along with you and then ask to try it for themselves.

UPDATE: I still think these things are little miracle workers! I've been telling everyone I know about them. I wish these had been a thing when I was a teenager and through my 20's. I would have ended up with far fewer acne scars, and still got the satisfaction of getting that poison (pus) out of my skin, without the need to go to town squeezing on it and turning it into a bloody, angry mess. These also work well for stubborn ingrown hairs. I follow the same procedure as a pimple (see below), but leave it on for a few days to really let it drain and heal. If the dot gets too full of pus, I replace it with another. These are great in the shower! I forgot I had one on for a few days even. I used to use the Nexcare ones which also work really well, but the color was too dark for my fair skin, so it was much more noticeable. This is not to say you can get away with wearing these in public. People will probably notice them on your face, but likely not on other parts of your body. If you're just going through a drive thru you're fine, but any extended face-to-face contact will result in people wondering why the hell you have a clear sticker on your face. Then again, if your pimple is really bad, the "clear sticker" may be preferable.I also want to add that, being a therapist who struggles with undiagnosed excoriation disorder (obsessive skin picking, scratching, pimple-popping, etc.), I see the utility of these in helping prevent the urge to pick. My urge to pick comes from knowing that just leaving a pimple/ingrown hair alone doesn't necessarily mean it'll heal faster. I've noticed that pimples and ingrown hairs will linger for weeks and keep refilling with pus if you don't get that hair/head out. At least, that's the case for me. So, in my mind, not popping the pimple/ingrown hair is likely going to prolong the misery. With these, I don't have to worry about that because these actually heal things faster than anything else I've ever tried, including retinol. The thing that I like the most about these is that they help keep my skin moist so I don't have crusty, scabby, flaky skin to somehow try to cover up with makeup. The makeup usually highlights the pimple and makes it even more noticeable! Not the case with these. In the morning, my pimples are flat, drained, moist, and relatively easier to cover up with makeup. I guess if I'm being honest with myself, I also LOVE seeing how much pus came out of my face in the morning. It's beyond satisfying to know that that crap is no longer in my face causing trouble. I get think I get more excited about it than I did about Christmas as a kid. Diehard Dr. Pimple-Popper fans know what I'm talking about!!!Do yourself a favor and just have these on hand at all times!! I'm about to buy a second box, even though I'm only halfway done with my current one, because I don't ever want to be without these! If you have kids with acne, learn from my mistakes, and get them these to avoid future (expensive) cosmetic procedures (and/or therapy!) to reverse the damage caused by acne scars. Clear skin and the resulting boost in confidence is priceless!***************************************************************************************************************************************I was highly skeptical of these but they are so disgustingly awesome! I suffer from cystic and hormonal acne which means huge, ugly, painful pimples that come from deep within your soul and last for at least a week. I personally can't NOT drain a pimple like that because I know healing doesn't start until it's empty, but then that leads to crusty, oosing scabs that often leave a scar or dark spot. Not to mention that entire time your pimple is erupting, oozing, scabbing and scarring it's pretty much impossible to completely cover with makeup! These have decreased healing time and made it WAY easier to cover up these pimples, because once you take the cover off, they're flat and not scabby. They suck out all the pus and shrink your pimples over night! I wish I had found these sooner!Here's how I've been using them:Wash face, use toner, let face dry completely. Unless your pimple is already oozing, prick the white head with a sterile needle, then place a patch over the pimple and sleep with it on. In the morning the little circle will be filled with pus. I recommended doing this right before bed because otherwise you'll be accidentally rubbing/scratching it off constantly. Plus, these need to be undisturbed for hours in order to work.