Pimple Patches Help Gen Z Challenge Acne Stigma

Samantha Palazzolo is sitting in class with what looks like colorful stars stuck all over her face. 

When the 19-year-old University of Illinois student gets ready for the day, she goes through a typical morning routine. Then, if she notices she’s dealing with an acne breakout, she throws on a couple of fun-shaped pimple patches and heads out the door. 

“A trend that I’m so grateful for — and this might just be a college thing — is wearing pimple patches to class,” Palazzolo said in a recent viral TikTok video. “I swear to God, I see at least three people in class every day wearing pimple patches. It makes me so happy … It’s cute and it’s fun.” 

Palazzolo’s video amassed more than half a million views. She says she was surprised at how much of a “visceral” reaction some critics had. 

“There’s a time and a place for pimple patches and that is NOT in public,” one person wrote. 

“A lot of people were really upset about the fact that I would wear pimple patches to class and thought that it was terrible,” Palazzolo tells The Messenger. “I did not realize that people actually cared. [Some people still think] that you should just wear them in the house, or that you can’t wear certain things out, which I think is an outdated concept in itself.” 

To Palazzolo, there's no stigma. If someone else in her class is rocking one, she'll "simply just notice they're wearing a pimple patch and that's it. It's very nonchalant. Not a big deal. I don't give it much thought." 

Among her college peers, it's an "unspoken thing," Palazzolo says. "People notice it but no one really says anything. I really like the aesthetic of them. They're kind of an accessory to your outfit."  

Pimple patches contain active skincare ingredients such as salicylic acid, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, retinol or aloe that dermatologist Debra Jaliman, M.D., author of Skin Rules, tells The Messenger “can actually provide some treatment.” 

“Many teens with acne have poor self esteem and there is definitely a stigma associated with it,” Dr. Jaliman says. “Others may perceive them as not keeping their faces clean. Pimple patches can cover the areas and may help.” 

A study published last week suggests that acne is still stigmatizing for many people — not just teenagers. People with darker skin, women and people with more severe acne are discriminated against in “a variety of professional and social scenarios,” the study said.

But prominent young stars like TikToker Charli D’Amelio, singer Madison Beer and others with large followings are “normalizing” wearing the patches in public, Palazzolo points out. The trend is also reminiscent of Olivia Rodrigo’s 2021 album cover for Sour, in which the Gen Z icon poses with playful stickers all over her face.

Starface is one of the major brands used by young people rocking the look. Just last week, they announced a collaboration with Glossier, another Gen Z beauty darling. Other popular brands include Blume, LivaClean, Peace out Acne, Zitsticka and Mighty Patch, which offer clear options in addition to multicolored flower, heart, moon and cloud shapes. 

In addition, hydrocolloid patches, which are now marketed as pimple reducers, have been used for decades to heal wounds because of their ability to protect from outside bacteria and absorb fluids. 

People mostly wear the colorful patches to simply cover the pimple, Palazzolo says, while those who are trying to heal their acne faster opt for hydrocolloid patches like Mighty Patch. 

But Palazzolo says getting rid of the pimple isn’t necessarily the point of the stickers.

“Maybe it is normalizing it and making it a part of your outfit instead of making it something that you need to hide,” Palazzolo says.