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For some, this is a familiar part of home skin care, for others it is a means of SOS recovery when you need to quickly put yourself in order. One way or another, many use patches: both women and men. Why are they useful? What is their danger? And is it worth buying the more expensive ones?
Almost 22 years ago, a revolutionary cosmetic product appeared in South Korea — patches. Solving the question of how to gently moisturize and nourish the thin skin around the eyes, Korean researchers came up with a simple but effective way. Strips of special fabric impregnated with emulsion were placed on the eyelids and left for a certain time. The emulsion gradually absorbed into the skin, and the fabric did not allow it to dry out too quickly.
Later, the same Koreans improved the technology and began to make hydrogel patches, which are also able to first absorb the beneficial composition and then gradually give it to the skin. And if the first patches were sold strictly in two pieces and were far from affordable for everyone, today the product is presented in all price segments — from luxury to mass market.
But how to choose among the many options? Does «more expensive» always mean «better»? And how to use them correctly? We asked cosmetologist Tatyana Novikova to help us sort out these issues.
Base types
To date, several types of patches are produced: in particular, on hydrogel, tissue bases and with microneedles.
1. Hydrogel obtained from brown algae, so the composition primarily includes their extract. There are a lot of amino acids, vitamins, micro- and macroelements useful for the skin in brown algae, and they work quite effectively as part of cosmetics.
Life hack: if hydrogel patches are dissolved in water, we can get a facial tonic.
2. Fabric patches simply impregnated with a certain active composition, serum or cream. Everyone chooses the impregnation option for themselves, who likes what.
3. Patches with microneedles They began to produce relatively recently, and I want to place special emphasis on them. Their use is advisable, because microneedles at the physical level can penetrate much deeper into the epidermis. And they are impregnated with highly active and beneficial substances for the skin. To date, this version of patches is the most effective, but its price category is different from others.
How to choose patches
To understand what patches are needed, we need to determine what problem we want to deal with. And select options that include active substances that work with this task. For example, with lightening dark circles.
But here everything is not as simple as it seems. The fact is that there are anatomical or genetic features. If there are so-called hernias on the skin, then not only patches, but also professional cosmetic procedures will not help here. Therefore, as with any skin care product, it is important to understand the limits of patches.
If the skin is prone to allergies, it is important to be careful in choosing and read the composition.
If you have an allergic reaction to at least one of the listed there, you should refuse such patches. It also happens that the composition of the patches includes active ingredients, the reaction to which you do not know. And an allergy can be not only to the active substance, but also to additional components that are added to the composition for the duration of storage or to increase the viscosity of the product. And, alas, these moments are verified empirically.
Composition
Let’s name the most common ingredients that can be part of the patches:
hyaluronic acid It is needed to moisturize and retain moisture in the skin, due to which small wrinkles go away. But this is not a long-term solution to the problem, namely the “exit” procedure.
Collagen improves skin density. But we must remember that real collagen is formed in the dermis, and nothing penetrates there — neither cream nor patches. Alas, only injection techniques are suitable for working with the dermis.
Glycerol used to soften the skin, it also moisturizes the skin around the eyes, works with texture, eliminates friability. Result: reduction of fine wrinkles around the eyes.
Vitamins and Antioxidants are needed to lighten the skin, increase tone, for an anti-aging effect. For example, vitamin C brightens, B — improves cell nutrition.
Peptides — building material for cells. They compact the skin quite well and fight the effect of dark circles. But we remember, this is not a cure, but a preventive or complementary home remedy.
Algae well moisturize and nourish the skin.
Caffeine tones, removes puffiness. For example, if after sleepless nights or gatherings in the morning you need to look fresh, caffeine patches will be effective.
Pearl Its effectiveness is still debatable. In its composition, 94% — relatively speaking, chalk. The remaining 6% are minerals and amino acids, but there are so few of them that the mass market will never make really “working” cosmetics out of them, because the production is very expensive. And if you take professional cosmetics, then patches are not used there.
So this is a moot point. Knowing that we do not have an allergic reaction to pearls, we put patches on our eyes and get more effect from the gel as such than from its advertised active ingredients.
How to use
Patches are placed under the eyes with a narrow part to the nose for about 10-15 minutes. In no case should gel patches be kept longer, otherwise the reverse process occurs: a gel film is formed, and the moisture that should enter the skin, on the contrary, is drawn out of it. That is, it is not moisturizing, but dehydration.
Patches work on the surface of the skin — on the stratum corneum of the epidermis. Therefore, it is not recommended to wash your face after applying them — wash off all the active substances. It is better to apply a light cream. What for? The patches usually contain hyaluronic acid, which attracts water molecules. If the air around us is dry, then this will also lead to dehydration of the skin. And the cream won’t let that happen.
The effect of patches
They are universal in that they have both a cumulative effect during regular work with a specific problem, and the result of the «here and now», emergency recovery. But, as we remember, the effect will remain until the first wash.
Price
To be honest, if you take the mass market, then almost all hydrogel patches work the same way. Another point is that there is a brand for which we overpay. That is, we give money for the name, and not for the really working staff.
You can pay attention to the Belarusian cosmetics, there are interesting options. Korea is good because their patches are the «parents» of this product. But you need to look not at the price, but be able to read the composition. We must understand what problem we are working with and what active substance is fighting it.
Life hack: if we see a certain active substance that is mentioned at the very beginning of the composition, then it is there in sufficient quantity. This applies to the first five points of the active ingredients. If it comes at the very end of the list, then it is there, but it is so small that it no longer gives any effect.
How to store patches
It is advisable to store the patches in the refrigerator, especially if they are intended for multiple use and the packaging has been opened. This will retain the benefits of the composition and will prevent the growth of bacterial flora. But it is not advisable to use a freezer — you will have to defrost and freeze the product. Again, pay attention to the manufacturer’s recommendations.