Over the years, it seems like pimple patches have become more of a fashion look rather than a skincare. If you walk through any high school hallway, you’ll probably see at least one brave soul wearing a tiny star, smiley face or neon heart stuck to their forehead. 

No, it’s not a new fashion trend or, at least, it wasn’t supposed to be. It’s the rise of the pimple patch, the unofficial mascot of teenage skin emergencies. 

Pimple patches were originally designed to quietly help people deal with breakouts at home. But teens, being teens, turned them into a public performance. 

Sometimes the colored pimple patches match with a student’s outfit, other times the designs and colors are chosen at random. 

Teachers were surprised when they first started seeing the pimple patches pop up on faces in their classrooms. Tennis coach John Macapaz said each time he sees a student wearing one it reminds him of Mermaid Man from SpongeBob Squarepants. 

“It brings more attention to them and they look like [Mermaid Man] because he has that star on his entire face,” Macapaz said.

For students who wear the patches in public, they do not mind the attention. 

Junior Cynthia Ceniceros said she’s been wearing pimple patches for four years. She wears two brands Mighty Patch and Star Face, but said Mighty Patch works the best.

Ceniceros likes to wear both the clear ones and the character ones. If she has a “cute outfit” on, she’ll wear the clear ones. But if she wears a more casual outfit to school, she’ll add the designed pimple patches for fun. 

Sophomore  Kalei Naea has been wearing pimple patches for three years. She usually only wears them to sleep, keeping them on for about six to seven hours. She has seen positive results.

“I like my pimple patches cute, but I’ll take the clear ones if I have too,” she said.