Hydrocolloid patches are a fascinating invention used to conquer breakouts.

Okay, so that sounds fine, right?

But how does it actually work its magic?

Woman applying a hydrocolloid patch close up

And what really happens if you were to leave it on all night or even longer?

Let’s take a look.

How hydrocolloid patches work

The “magic” of a hydrocolloid patch is really in the science.

Woman putting hydrocolloid patch on whitehead

So in other words, it whisks away all the icky stuff inside of the zit.

That sounds great, and it means we should put one on every spot we see, right?

As it turns out, notall pimplesrespond equally to these patches.

Woman removing hydrocolloid patch from skin

The best times to apply these patches is when a pimple isalmostto the surface or has just popped.

This way it can maximize its ability to absorb the fluids inside and subsequently prevent scarring.

The most common time to use this social media favorite is overnight.

Thankfully, this is fine to do.

But what if your pimple is not gone yet when you wake up?

Should you leave the patch on for a whole day?

However, you might want to give your skin a breather first.

After all, the last thing you’d want is a rash where acne used to be.