Our Anti-MASKNE Recipe
Does wearing your mask irritate your skin ?
Since wearing masks will remain an important part of our daily life as we fight the current pandemic, we may all have to change up our skincare routine to cope with unavoidable mask-ne.
Here are a few things to keep in mind that could make a difference …
#byebyemaskne
Wearing a facial mask for several hours traps humidity within the mask since you constantly keep breathing back into your mask. This humid environment can weaken your epidermal barrier, resulting in dry, irritated, flaky skin and worse … breakouts. Additionally, having material or stitches rubbing against your face not only causes irritation, but also occlusion or blockage of pores. The sebum produced by the pores and the build up of dirt from daily life is rubbed on to your skin. This is especially problematic if masks are reused too often without being washed —you’re basically rubbing old dirt on to your clean face.
Now let’s look at what you can do:
When choosing a reusable mask you want to make sure it is washable (min 40°C) and made from good, breathable material. We recommend cotton.
Elastic straps can cause little wounds so called rhagades behind your ears! If you have sensitive skin you might have experienced irritations or wounds behind your ears because of the elastic straps. Tying your mask at the back of your head and neck would be a good alternative. Even alternating between different masks is a good idea. You can also apply a cream (for example: Vaseline) to the vulnerable areas prior to wearing your mask.
Make-up free days will decrease the amount of build up that will clog your pores.
Life hack: have you considered hiding pimple patches underneath your mask?
Wash your face first thing you get home. You might also need extra care such as moisturizing irritated skin or exfoliating more frequently than you used too, especially if you have acne prone skin or are more on the combination/oily side. Nevertheless, please avoid over-exfoliating because this can irritate your natural epidermal barrier making your skin too sensitive.
Generally, chemical peels are preferred instead of physical exfoliators since they are more gentle. In fact, physical ones can worsen inflammation and hyperpigmentation especially when used incorrectly, like too often or too aggressively — we have seen serious damage. Ever wondered why the Clarisonic brush and St Ives apricot scrubs are nearly forgotten about?
A great alternative is also making use of a daily toner (alcohol-free for dry skin) that also functions as an exfoliator or use a BHA or AHA acid peel a couple times a week depending on the strength of the product..
Hydrate skin before and after wearing your mask to minimize irritation, characterized as dry, red skin that can become flaky.
EXTRA EXTRA for our NERD ALERT!
How to wear and take off your mask to minimize contamination:
Always remember: when taking off your mask and even while wearing your mask, try not to touch the front of the mask since it is considered to be contaminated. When adjusting or taking it off, make sure to grab on the elastic straps on the side and avoid the front of the mask entirely.
Clean your hands after handling your mask (ideally you’d clean before as well). Lastly, if you still have the habit of touching your face too much — it’s time to break from this habit since this is also the way to bring any virus to our mucous membranes (likes the eyes or nose and mouth) which will more likely make us sick.
That’s all for now!
Xx Mimi
