The pandemic brought a new reality to us in where we need to wear face masks or any other fabric while being outside (certain countries), inside (stores) or on public transport. Wearing a fabric face mask and covering the nose part can be very uncomfortable. Specially while wearing it for a longer period of time. It can make us breath hard and it gets sweaty pretty easily.

This article was made actually by the information and questions that we got from our users. Most of them noticed dry skin or skin breaking on the cheeks and nose (bridge) areas. While this might be connected to other external factors (new skin products etc.) it’s almost certainly connected to wearing a face mask for a longer period.

Usual symptoms are connected with flareups, acne, cheek redness and as mentioned before dry skin or skin breaking. We have some advice that will bring those breakouts under control.

CLEANSE WELL BUT GENTLY

First step is to use a mild cleanser to wash your face before wearing a mask to avoid breakouts when possible. Sweating while wearing a mask might lead to breakouts. This is important for oily or acne prone skin, where a toner-based cleanser is recommended. Such can be achieved by applying a mild toner on a cotton pad and once or twice per day apply where the masks rubs the most on the skin. 

HYDRATE

For repairing from over-exfoliation use a hydration cream that will prevent irritations. This applies to both oily and dry to sensitive skin. Where skin may become itch (scaly rash) due to the exposure to unfamiliar microbes. Once home remove the mask and apply a soothing hydration cream. It’s important to remember that washing our hands before doing this is crucial.

SPOT HEALING

If you already feel and see spots and breakouts from mask to skin friction than it's recommended to use an anti-acne product that will not make the skin oilier. Apply the above steps and use your favorite anti acne product or healing ointment. It’s recommended to use it only on the affected spots. We have discovered that our Daily and Micro-needle patches work very well while having a face mask on. The humidity under the mask doesn’t prevent it from working and they’re now even more invisible.

WEAR A BREATHABLE TWO LAYER MASK IF POSSIBLE

While it’s really hard to get the surgical or N-95 masks we recommend them to be reserved for the healthcare workers that really need them. Making your own mask is now really popular but make sure that you use a fabric that works and its soft on the skin. Cotton is a natural choice for this as its breathable and non-irritating. Make sure the mask sits close to the skin and don’t touch the mask.

Here we can recommend using a two-layer mask, which has a little space in-between for extra protection. This can be achieved by adding another filter (coffee filter for example) in between those two layers. Try also experimenting with a drop of your favorite essential oil (tinny bit) to make it smell nicer.

Remember to stay safe and send us any questions you have!