If you look in the bathroom cabinets of acne sufferers across the US, you’ll typically notice that there will be a box of hydrocolloid acne patches being used. This is no accident, as it’s their efficacy that makes them as popular as they are. The question that we answer in this blog is, ‘How did they come about?’. Their history is actually quite an interesting one.
Rather than simply being thought up by an acne product company’s R&D department, their origin goes back quite a long way. So, we’ll keep you waiting no longer and examine their past.
Hydrocolloid Acne Patches Were Used in the Medical Field
When looking at the history of hydrocolloid acne patches, you’ll see that they go back to the beginning of the 1980s – more than four decades ago. They were initially created to treat large wounds, so if you had a major operation, you’d have a large patch placed over the incision post-op, and this would promote quicker healing by providing a moist, bacteria-free environment.
Fluid emanating from the wound would also be soaked up while also maintaining a protective barrier and preventing both scarring and infection. In a very real sense, they saved lives and continue to do so in the medical field today.
The Benefits Were Found to Be Applicable to Skincare
However, some 15 years or so after their introduction to medical care, dermatologists and skincare experts realized that this hydrocolloid technology had some potential applications in the management of acne breakouts. The moment zits break the surface of the skin, they become minor wounds, meaning that the problem could be helped with much smaller versions of the original wound patches.
Subsequently, it wasn’t long until the first patches as we know them today came onto the market. Once awareness began to grow in the late 2000s, the simplicity and effectiveness of the patches made their popularity soar through the roof. Their switch to skincare was a successful one and it was proven that they would not only help to reduce the size of pimples but also prevent people from picking them – another major issue for acne-sufferers.
In the intervening years, social media kicked into gear, and beauty influencers across the web extolled their virtues, making their adoption soar once again. People got to hear about genuinely positive experiences with the product, leading to millions more trying them out. And here we are today, with this staple now being one that most can’t do without.
Acne Patches – Proof That Medical Technology Can Bridge the Gap to Skincare
So, as we can see, these useful yet extremely simple patches are a testament to the fact that sometimes the best ideas in skincare are built on products that already exist in other fields. In the same way that Teflon pans came from the Space Shuttle, hydrocolloid patches are now a permanent fixture in the routines of acne sufferers across the world.
They’re evolving, too, with new and soothing ingredients being added to aid the healing process. The question would seem to be, what might come next? It will be interesting to find out, that’s for sure.
