I deal with hormonal acne . At present (and thanks to some help from my dermatologist ), my breakouts are mostly under control. But every so often, an angry cyst develops under the surface of my skin and refuses to back down. Even as I write this post, Ive got a weeks-old pesky cystic pimple lingering just below my jaw.

So when I was introduced to pimple patches a fairly new acne treatment via an email in my inbox, I was eager to give them a go. The patches, which are essentially small, circular hydrocolloid bandages that may or may not be pre-treated with active ingredients, have become increasingly popular over the past couple of years.

Some patches, like the ones by Zitsticka and Rael , also have tiny microneedles, or microdarts, that are meant to help active ingredients penetrate more deeply into a breakout; this type of patch is said to be useful for the annoying hormonal acne Ive come to detest.

Ive tried pimple patches in the past but largely felt indifferent about the results, so I never stuck with them. Even after giving them another go recently, Im not totally convinced (more on that later).

But folks online swear by the power of pimple patches . One popular brand is Cosrx, which sells four 24-packs of its patches for about $15 . Other companies with similar products include Mighty Patch , Peach Slices and drugstore mainstay Clearasil .

Maybe I was just missing something the first time I tried them. Or maybe I didnt have the right type of breakout for the patches to work. In any case, I decided to give them another go. I also spoke to dermatologists for additional insight on the technology involved in these little stickers and whether they really are an effective acne treatment. If youve been curious about pimple patches, read on.

First of all, lets talk about what pimple patches are.

Generally speaking, pimple patches, which are sometimes referred to as acne healing patches, are small, translucent stickers you adhere to a pimple or breakout. As Dr. Deanne Robinson , a Connecticut-based dermatologist, put it, theyre basically more finessed options for a spot treatment.

The stickers are a type of hydrocolloid dressing (which has long been used in the medical world to promote proper wound healing), and they work by absorbing excess fluid and pulling out the superficial debris from inside the breakout, according to Dr. Hadley King , a dermatologist based in New York.

A hydrocolloid dressing is something thats really healing to the skin, Robinson added. Its kind of creating an environment thats going to protect the skin and help it heal while the active ingredient gets in.

As King pointed out, some acne patches are just hydrocolloid patches with no added active ingredients. Others, however, may contain salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide, which can do a little bit more to help dry out pimples, King said.

What about those microdarts?

According to Yanghee Paik, the founder of Rael, microdart technology is rooted in the world of Korean beauty (aka K-beauty).

Theyre not painful, Paik said, explaining, theyre very small microneedles that prick the acne, allowing any active ingredients to penetrate into the pimple.