A new TikTok trend has seen people using hydrocolloid bandages on their faces to treat acne, with dermatologists confirming the hack actually works.
This week, May Sanders uploaded a video to the platform showing how she’d covered parts of her cheeks, nose and forehead with CVS's Advanced Healing Hydrocolloid Bandages – before showing how the bandages had filled with white fluid overnight and diminished the red bumps on her face.
Hydrocolloid bandages, which absorb fluid and pus while protecting the skin, are typically used to treat wounds. However, as numerous people on TikTok have recently learned, they can also be used to treat pimples by absorbing the pus and protecting the skin.
“My skin has never looked so good,” Sanders captioned the TikTok, which has since been viewed more than 11.9m times.
The viral video has since prompted recreations of Sanders’ experiment, with many other users creating TikToks showing the often-impressive results of wearing the bandages overnight.
However, according to dermatologists, using hydrocolloid bandages to treat certain types of acne is not a new phenomenon, as the material is often used in pimple patches, which are just smaller versions of the bandaids.
As for whether it is effective, and safe, to use hydrocolloids on pimples, dermatologists said they actually recommend them for a fast acne treatment.
“It's totally safe and effective [and] helps the user to keep their hands off," Dr Dendy Engelman, director of dermatology at Shafer Clinic Fifth Avenue in New York City told ABC News. "I love these little patches. So do my patients."
According to dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, the director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, who spoke to Insider, the bandages are most effective when used on “red, angry pimples” or cystic acne.
In addition to drawing out the fluid from pimples, the bandages also facilitate healing, meaning they can also be used to heal pimples that you may have picked – while preventing you from doing further damage with your hands.
One thing dermatologists do recommend when using the bandages is cutting them down to size so that they only cover the area you want to target.
