Ollie Belle Cover Dot Acne Care (48 dots) Hydrocolloid Acne Patches - Pimple Zits Blemish Cover 12mm - Dual-layered Invisible Stickers for All Skin Types

I never really got acne as a teenager and thought that I had lucked out. Unfortunately when I was twenty-two and just starting grad school, the nightmare that is cystic acne began. It was so painful and I wished I had just gotten the non-cystic kind back when I was a teenager and everyone else had it. When it first started I would try to pop them, using my fingers or one of those pimple extractor tools. What a huge mistake, which left me punished by an even more disfiguring skin condition called impetigo. As a result, I started seeing a dermatologist. The dermatologist prescribed me a multitude of topical treatments, but nothing seemed to work. Right when my skin would start clearing up, a new cyst would pop up. I would try to schedule an appointment to get cortisone injections right when I felt a cyst forming, only to be told the soonest I could come in was a week later. For those that struggle with cystic acne, you probably know how these little cysts like to grow and conquer a huge portion of your face (forehead for me) as well as your self-esteem in the matter of days. So there was no way waiting days to get an appointment was an option for me. Especially when traveling where a dermatologist visit is not possible.However, I finally perfected a skin routine that keeps my acne manageable, and my skin looking great. It is not a cure to acne, but it has lessened the frequency and quantity of my acne and treats the infrequent cysts and blemishes that I do get with extremely fast results.1. Every morning and night cleanse your skin with a non-exfoliating, gentle cleaner using just your clean fingertips and warm water. (DO NOT USE a washcloth, face brush/polisher, Konjac sponge, etc.). Let your skin air-dry.-I cleanse my skin with Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser, For all skin types2. Then apply a small amount of acne spot treatment to your cyst or blemish.-I personally like Philosophy Clear Days Ahead Fast-Acting Salicylic Acid Acne Spot Treatment.3. After the spot treatment is dry place the cover-dot over the blemish/cyst.-These things are great, however I think they are noticeable in public even if you try to cover them with makeup, which is why I only wear them when I am at home, sleeping, or on an airplane.-I also use these Cover-Dots for non-acne related skin irritations, like split lips I get from having chapped lips.4. Wait about five minutes to make sure the adhesive bond between the Cover-Dot and your skin has formed. Then apply whatever moisturizer works for you over the rest of your face.-I personally like using Glo Therapeutics Oil Free Moisturizer or Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion.5. When the Cover-Dot turns white or you need to be seen in public, remove the Cover-Dot.-I try to keep the Cover-Dot on for as long as possible so it has more time to heal and it comes off easily.6. Repeat steps 1&2 (Face Cleanser and Acne Spot treatment gel).7. Apply your moisturizer to your entire face (don't avoid the acne)8. Next apply a sunscreen that works for you, making sure to avoid your eyes.- I hate using sunscreen outside of the SPF contained in my makeup because it makes me break out or it stings my sensitive skin, even the glorified EltaMD. If I'm not spending the day at the beach, I only use sunscreen as a spot treatment over my blemishes, acne scars, and smile line wrinkles. -The sunscreen I use is Neutrogena Pure and Free Baby Sunscreen. I'm sure there is a better sunscreen out there, but this one I know does not sting my irritated skin.9. If you wear makeup, apply it now.-The makeup routine that works best for my acne troubles is as follows:I apply Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 30. It is amazing. Because of the way this foundation fills in my pores and kind of has a priming effect, I apply concealer on top of it. I use a makeup sponge and apply Glo Minerals Camouflage Oil free Concealer Makeup or Maybelline New York Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer over any blemishes, scars, marks that remain visible. Then I use bareMinerals Warmth as a cheek contour, bareMinerals blush, and bareMinerals mineral veil.10. Spray your face with Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater for the finishing touch!-This step is especially helpful for me since it helps set my powder makeup.P.S. I have also tried the 3M Nexcare Acne Absorbing covers and Dream Dots, but these SMARTMED Cover-Dots are my #1. The Nexcare ones are much thicker and harder than these. The Dream Dots are similar to SMARTMED's Cover-Dots and I wouldn't say they are better or worse than the SMARTMED brand, but the Dream Dots are more expensive and only come in packs of 24 dots for $16.99, while you can get a 48 Cover-Dot pack for $15.75.P.P.S. I know my review was long, with lots of product recommendations, so I feel the need to let you know that I DID NOT receive any free product or compensation for this review.

Absolutely the best possible solution for me. To give a little more background, I have normal/dry combo skin, and I get cystic blemishes at times. I'm very pale, so even the regular hydrocolloid bandages on the market are too yellow and visible. I have tried just about every acne solution out there, including pricey systems like Proactiv. Gentle formulas still end up causing me to have dry flaky patches, and sometimes the blemish still has residual oil/pus trapped, which inhibits healing. I also have a tendency to end up with small scabs that are easily irritated when washing my face, and the use of coverup exacerbates the cycle.I've tried using different transparent dressings such as Tegaderm, which is very expensive and tends to appear shiny, and doesn't always stay on or gets wrinkles. I also struggle with having to cut it up into smaller pieces as I don't need a huge patch for a small blemish. I discovered the hydrocolloid acne patches when looking for smaller sized bandages, and ordered a few brands. The other brands were thicker, more yellow, and did not stay on very well. They were very visible, and didn't have the tapered edge. The Cover-Dots were much better, and do a great job of helping me avoid squeezing or using makeup that clogs more pores or causes the blemish to crust up and look even worse. They've reduced healing time substantially, and have helped me cut back on makeup use. I've already recommended them to friends who also felt they were a really fabulous solution to their breakouts.If you have mild to moderate acne that is aesthetically distracting and don't want to keep using makeup to cover it, this could be a good way to handle it. I don't know how visible they are on other complexions, but they're barely visible on my face until you're really close up, and far less visible than using coverup makeup in my experience so far. You can leave them on for a while, even several days, but I usually change mine twice a day, especially when the white area is visible showing that the bandage has absorbed exudate. You can attempt to put makeup over them, but the smooth surface doesn't really allow makeup to stick. Maybe airbrush foundation would be more effective but I don't use regular foundation enough to have purchased one.I like them so much I've purchased several more packages so I can continue using them and share them with others so they can also try them and enjoy the ease of use and great results.