Nexcare Acne Patch is a savior for my big acne
How many chances would you give a product before you finally give up? Usually, it’s two for me but surprising, I’ve given this Nexcare Acne Patch like Nth time of chances. I’m not exactly sure why but I guess it’s because it’s really harmless since it’s just a hydrocolloid dressing, plus it always gives me a glimmer of hope that my acne would be gone the morning after!
Works through absorption
I first learnt of this product from Pei Fang aka pf1123 who mentioned a few times in her comments that this product has helped heal her pimples. So of course that got the the curious cat in me wanting to try it. I like the idea that it’s not a cream so it sets my mind at ease that this stuff won’t dry up my skin like many acne creams does. However, the first few times I tried this without success. It’s supposed to suck up the pus and flatten the pimple but each time I used, nothing happened. It was later that I realized that it was because mine were headless pimples and there were no holes for the acne patch to absorb anything! *slaps forehead*
Success after many trials
Anyway, to cut the long story short, I finally figured out through trial and error, the correct way to use this and by then I had already exhausted one small box. However, even after figuring it out, the patches still didn’t do much for me and I didn’t understand why there were so many raves on the product. But nonetheless, I continued to purchase more boxes to try each time a big zit appeared. I had nothing impressive to report until this week when I used it to heal the biggest acne I ever had! I swear it was close to the size of the eraser at the end of a rubber-tip pencil and I was freaking worried since I know emu oil is going to take forever and I was very likely to get impatient and then popped it with my bare fingers.
Helped flattened my big pus-filled acne in 3 days
Although the acne was huge, it was headless and I had to make a little hole using a needle sterilized with denatured alcohol. I was so happy when I woke up to find the patch completely white as it meant it had drawn out some of the pus. The size had also noticeably reduced and it wasn’t so horrifying. At the facial session on Tuesday, the beauty therapist also helped me extract some of the pus gently but I continued using the acne patch for another day and now, there is no more secretion and what’s left is a flat patch of redness.
Waterproof yet breathable
Okay, here’s a little description of the Nexcare Acne Patch for those who haven’t come across it. It is basically nice little hydrocolloid dressing – mostly round skin-colored, water-based material that acts like a sponge to absorb the oily secretion and pus. You’re supposed to use this on clean, dry skin and it acts as a barrier over the acne to reduce hand contact and infection. It is also waterproof yet breathable thus helps improve healing time while ensuring comfort. When you see the acne patch turning from skin tone to white tone, this means that the oil secretion has been absorbed.
Traditionally used in hospitals as a wound dressing
The product from 3M, the same company that is famous for their post-it stickers, uses patented Tegasorb that absorb maximum oil secretion and pus spot-on and was traditionally a large medical dressing meant for pus absorption in large wounds. Nexcare Acne Patch was introduced after it was discovered that nurses in the hospitals innovated the product by cutting the dressing into smaller pieces to address their acne problems.
Helped prevent permanent scarring
Anyway, I was really really thankful for this acne patch even though it did not work for me in the past. Thank goodness for my persistence too or otherwise, I’ll likely have ended up with some permanent scarring had I been foolish enough to pop that humongous zit.
Nexcare is available at Watsons and Guardian in Singapore as well as Malaysia but I have no idea if this is available in other markets.
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I bought these when it was first released…didn’t work ?
In fact, if I apply a small amt of tea tree oil on my face daily, it actually keeps me from developing acne.
Omg! I want to purchase it and give it a try. I will def. research it now and see if they have it in the states.
Thanks!
it’s my favourite product too, and even got my boy into the love of it. as you have mentioned, it’s important that the blemish must have a “head” or a small hole for the patch to work. more often than not it manages to draw the pus and even the head out. there are times when some are still there even after poking or putting a patch. then that’s when i’ll squeeze then apply the patch to aid recovery. it should also be noted that you should not apply any skincare product that has oil prior to putting the patch. but essential oils are fine (which means you can put your tea tree e.o on the blemish, wait for it to dry for a while then put the patch, it’ll still absorb the nonsense). although applying a small amt of tea tree oil on the face daily helps to keep acne away, it was not a long term solution for me as my skin is sensitive and cannot afford a long term constant regime of t.t.o on the whole face constantly. what i do now is to dilute some e.o into a base oil and add a drop or two with my moisturizer to enjoy the benefits of e.o.
I always get pimples where you can’t see heads (just a red bump on the face) and never go away, cos the pus stays in… and annoy the hell out of me! do you think these patch will help? and i need to poke it with a needle first?
And what really is hydrocolloid? Any idea?
I’m so glad you managed to make the patch work for you!
This is the most painless or pain-less way to get the pus out, in my opinion. Even though professional extraction would help but I noticed that some of these buggers are just too deep in the skin to be fully extraction out w/o damaging some skin. This patch really suck all the nasty stuff out! No pain at all (besides poking the acne a little to make an opening for the patch to work). The dark marks caused would be smaller than extraction or me popping them myself. So, healing comes faster as well!
Nowadays, my skin has significantly improved, but I still get some pimples here and there occassionally. So this patch is a saviour to me!
Once the pus gets sucked out, the area is dried out automatically. I find that I don’t need to put any topical acne medication at all.
i bought and tried this product when i went to Taiwan a few years ago.. Am happy that Singapore is finally carrying this product as well.. saved mi from alot of trouble.. #k8SjZc9Dxk#k8SjZc9Dxk*
i bought and used it once b4 but the pus is still there… it didnt work for me… the pimples also didnt reduce much… not impressive like u said… maybe i shld try more times then
It was the same for me…didn’t work until now! I think it depends on the type of acne plus our pore size or something.
Tea tree oil surprisingly doesn’t do much for me. I use emu oil alone now and it heals very well, just that it’s slow.
I suspect you might have to get it online though…
You can apply essential oils over? Ah…cos they’re aren’t oily and they dry up fast. I actually apply toner over first, plus my essence to help reduce the darkening.
I get those too but this didn’t help me much even when I make a tiny hole. Anyway, the small pack cost less than S$5 so no harm trying. If it doesn’t work, then oh well…at least you tried.
Hydrocolloid to my understanding is a type of dressing containing gel-forming agents – it’s almost like the plaster you use when you have a cut but it’s more translucent.
Yes, thanks a lot for telling me about it in the first place! I’m so glad I remember to use it again this time and it worked! ? But funny it doesn’t work for most of the others. I have one smaller one near my lips and despite making a hole, nothing came out. It’s still bulging there but smaller now with the emu oil application. I wish I have more success with it like you.
Yes, they have this here for awhile now.
But it’s good to keep a pack just in case. If I didn’t have it this week, my skin would probably be ruined.
oh sound good must buy to try, problem with pimples as I eat fried food often
I hope it’ll work for you if you try. ?
I’m applying emu oil now and it’s taking foreverrrrr for the zit to go away or is it me? Really slow…
Sometimes I wonder why it doesn’t work, then it suddenly dawned on me. What we may mistake as pus in pimples may actually be the hardened pus and pore together, which makes it impossible for the patch to draw out as I think the patch draws out pus that is still in fluid form. In this case, I believe you will have to manually extract the head “unplug the pore” then put the patch to heal.
As for those that are swollen and feels like there is liquid but the patch doesn’t work, might be tat the blemish isn’t inflammed yet, which is why you won’t get pus out. You know how it is when you have an itchy throat but nothing works, only when it becomes a cough then a cough medication works?
I know it’s a weird analogy, but it does happen to me.
Yes, what Raelynn says is true. If I have a hardened pimple, I’ll just pop it gently. I’ll still use the patch over the popped pimple just to suck out the remaining fluid pus.
If I have a bump but no head, I’ll just wait for a few day and maybe rub/irritate it a little…hehehe….then it becomes filled with pus and I can use the patch.
I know I probably am using the unorthodox method or something. But else the bump can be there for ages!!!
I have heard of horror stories that there are some people’s headless acne trapping all the sebum underneath until hard and swollen and in the end need a derm to cut open and release the sebum inside. Ewwwwwwww…..
i like this too. but its kind of expensive as you go through a pack very quickly. so i’ll bee looking out for alternatives
I have never used Nexcare nor find the need for it before, because so far, my pimples, head or headless heal with calamine lotion and Acnes pimple gel combined.
However, I am also a fan of hydrocolloid. I scrapped my knee some time ago, and I swear, I swear, I swear, by wearing that wound dressing (by Smith&Nephew I think. couldn’t find 3M), everyday I healed more and more. But until one point in time, it should be taken off to let the wound dry. Cos I find that keeping the dressing there just makes it moist and will never heal. Once the wound is dried, I apply scar healing cream to fade the scar.
It definitely speeds up the healing, faster than my body would heal on its own. I am so amazed by today’s R&D, because I have been a firm believer that the body’s natural healing is the best.
Emu oil takes quite awhile. For smaller pimples, a few days to subside. But I find it helps heal really well with little marks.
You’re probably right…I think this works better for acne with fluid or pus. Those that are hardened are difficult to be absorbed.
You make it sound so easy! I need to try your method…
Hardened sebum become a cyst? That happened to my husband and yes, had to be operated.
I haven’t seen anything quite like this though…but yes, it does cost a bit.
So it’s good for healing wounds too? I’ll keep a lookout for the dressings in future. It’s such an amazing stuff!
I believe jyoan is referring to their allevyn series, forgot if they are available in pharmacies. But I believe you will have to read their warning leaflet for proper directions for using on wounds, they seem to have mentioned that it should not be used with Eusol (made me wonder if it refers to the Eusol max antiseptic wash I have at home). Smith and nephew is a great brand to stock for wound dressings. They were my best friends when I had a third degree burn in secondary school.
Those look awesome! Glad to hear they acutally work too! :O
I don’t think I’ve seen those in the states though. ? To bad…
Yeah, ugh! I went on Nexcare’s website:
http://nexcare.com/
and asked them if they would sell it in the states, cause I googled it, and it only appeared in the Singapore’s Nexcare… I see A LOT in Ebay, but I am going to check out my local Japanese market and see if they sell anything similar.
Thanks for the introduction
3M is a global company. Acne is a worldwide issue. I’m sure they would sell in the US in time to come. ?
Okay, thanks for the heads up. Yup, it’s always good to read instructions when it comes to using something new.
Yup, seems they’re not available at the moment.
Yeah, like PF mentioned, maybe sold in time to come.
i am getting this tonight!
i always have a red mark left even after the pimple is gone. any advice?
zzzmadison,
just use the acne patch, suck the bugger out, and the mark will turn dark. Try exfoliating the mark regularly (like twice a week). It skin will be renewed and the dark mark gone in a couple of days or weeks.
The red mark can’t be help…use emu oil or tea tree oil to help reduce the marks. I use mung bean mask now or cinnamon and nutmeg with honey. Alternatively, you can rely on exfoliation. It’ll take awhile for the skin to heal.
Oh I use that! But from a different brand, it’s really good actually…. it’s just that some people don’t have the acne for it… But my acne are all like with pus, so everytime I have one I put it on and tadaa!
I love it.
oh i love this product!! i dun have any problems using it, maybe my pores are HUGE!??? lol. but seriously, it works great for me. however, i had a problem once when i applied the patch for too long i think and my skin started to peel & looked “burned”. scary.
oo i forgot to say, i don’t have pus filled pimples or acne. i use this product on beginning pimples and clogged areas on my chin. it seems to work well to draw out the clogged oil in the pores. no bumpy feeling after using this on bumpy areas of my chin.
Oh there is a different brand? Can share?
It’s supposed to suck out the moisture so I did wonder if it’ll make the skin too dry when left too long. So there are some side effects for certain skin types.
after sucking the pus, will the patch leave a scar or hole?
Yes, a small hole and redness but depending on the size of the acne, the mark will go away or fade to become less noticeable. Definitely better than squeezing!
I find that there is no hole for me once the pus is sucked out fully. Just a dark mark. And its most times smaller than the mark from even professional extraction.
I agree…if it works well on the acne.
i’m a fan of this 3m acne patch!! think i have used up Nth packs of it too! it really works on me, and the best thing is that it leaves no scars after the acne heals! yippee~ ( i had suffer ENOUGH of acne scars)
i always have some of it in my bag, and will apply day and night when i have pimples, even though it looks very visible and sometimes people will just look at me weirdly, including my friends haha… oh well who cares, as long as it can heal faster! thumbs up!
Oh you use it in the day too? Brave of you! I only dare to use this at home. Speaking of which, I have one now as I’m typing.
i am confused. what is the difference between sticking patches on pus-filled acne and bursting it till pus comes out when you pop it?
When you burst, you’ll make a big hole but the patch will draw out the pus so the hole will be small.
Why is only for Ladies? Men get acne too – even more and worse than women do. Is there a special Men’s acne patch that is stronger?
There is a male version. Think the patch maybe bigger if I’m not mistaken.
Do patch really works? I haven’t encountered such remedy ever in my life and in my twenty four years of existence. Truly technology innovates and thus it gives us people the right thing that we all want and need. I expect more in the upcoming years.
Albeirta last post is: http://acne24.net
It draws out the pus but doesn’t prevent the acne from developing. It helps with the recovery.
Hi, I was wondering do you still use the patch for a little while after the pus is gone? I was wondering if this would help reduce scarring as well..
Hmm…not really but you could and you’re right that it helps to reduce scarring.
I want to buy this product