I Just Learned Where Pimple Patches Really Come From, And It's More Medical Than I Realised

Pimple patchesI recently learned that buttons on sleeves have a surprisingly medical past; that the “X” in airport code names is far from random; and that nope, those teeny jean pockets were never for condoms.I feel like 2016-era Kylie Jenner, so frequent are my realisations these days.Well, tough news for my beleaguered brain. After scrolling through Instagram, I found a post from dermatologist Dr Angelo Landriscina that surprised me with yet another fact: the little see-through patches I put on my spots have an unexpected history.In fact, the material they’re made from was originally meant for far more severe circumstances. Where do pimple patches come from? The dermatologist began his video with a clip of a woman who’d applied spot patches to a cat scratch as a sort of experiment. “Well, we’re all in luck, because the hydrocolloid material that these type of pimple patches are made out of first started out as bandages,” Dr Landriscina said. “So really they were for wound care first, and then the thought came to use them on pimples.” First used in wound management in the ’60s, hydrocolloid bandages have an advantage over their dry counterparts in some situations: they can keep the area moist, which the British Journal of Nursing says is “the optimal environment for wound healing”. The material can help those with, say, leg ulcers. And the blister protection pads many runners know and love are usually a form of hydrocolloid bandage, too.They work a little like scabs; they provide a layer for the outside of your wound that stops bacteria from getting in, and they also draw out excess fluid from the affected area. This turns into a gel in the hydrocolloid matrix (the white patch you sometimes see in your pimple patch is made of this thickened liquid, not pus). The pimple patches, which also helpfully stop you from picking at a burgeoning spot, became easily available in 2015 – about 50-odd years after their first medical use. When should I use a pimple patch?Because hydrocolloid materials are actually best on open wounds, Dr Landriscina said he doesn’t think pimple patches are equally useful throughout all your spots’ stages.“I like these a lot for pimples that have already been popped,” the dermatologist said.“It does ... fluid management, so any fluid that comes out of the wound... this hydrocolloid material is going to absorb.” And if you need to, he ended, “you can buy hydrocolloid bandages, you don’t need to use a bunch of pimple patches”. View this post on InstagramA post shared by Angelo Landriscina, MD, FAAD (@dermangelo)Related...I Just Learned The Gruesome Reason Why Chainsaws Were InventedI Just Learned Why So Many Airport Names End In 'X', And HuhI Just Learned Why Suit Jackets Have Sleeve Buttons, And I Had No Idea

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