"I love acne or pimple patches, like the Peace Out Skincare Acne Healing Dots (£16). Pimple patches are essentially flesh-coloured hydrocolloid bandages that are cut in the shape of circles so they cover spots. Hydrocolloid is often used in wound healing because it draws moisture out of wounds and can stick to both dry and wet sites. I ask patients to very gently prick the pimple with a clean pin once, then apply the patch on top. It's great because it draws out the contents and, sometimes more importantly, keeps the patient from picking at it. Icing the area after taking off the pimple patch also helps to calm it down further (and if you don't have a spot patch on hand, icing helps, too)." — dermatologist Papri Sarkar, MD