7 Dermatologists Tips to Treat and Prevent Maskne (Mask Acne)
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, wearing masks has become a part of our daily routine. Now it becomes a requirement in many public places such as malls, grocery stores, and restaurants to wear masks.
Face coverings might help to reduce the spread of infection but there is a probability of experiencing acne breakouts since masks provide a perfect place for bacteria to grow according to dermatologists.
If you develop acne breakouts from wearing a mask, this condition is known as “Maskne” which is Mask Acne that can also lead to redness, irritation, and inflammation.
In this article, we’ve listed down Dermatologist’s tips to treat and prevent Mask Acne. Keep reading!
What causes Maskne?
Maskne is a condition that leads to several skin problems just because of wearing a mask. Some of them are,
- Acne – When skin pores are clogged with dead skin, oil, dirt, it can cause pimples, blackheads, and whiteheads
- Contact Dermatitis – You’ll observe blisters, rashes along with irritation. This skin condition happens when you’re either allergic or sensitive to the material of your mask.
- Rosacea – If you’ve pre-existing skin conditions like rosacea or psoriasis, wearing a mask may cause flare-ups that lead to pimples and inflammation.
Maskne includes several skin conditions, however, the actual cause of all skin conditions might be different. The common cause of maskne is clogged pores that are accumulated with debris, dirt, dead skin, and bacteria.
Another possible cause is due to friction. As the mask rub against your skin, it leads to irritation and thereby acne.
Dermatologists Advice to treat and prevent Maskne
There are several ways to prevent and treat Maskne. Let’s take a look at the Dermatologist’s advice on Maskne prevention.
1. Cleanse and Moisturize your face the right way
A gentle skincare routine can prevent any kind of skin problems. Though you happen to wear a mask on daily basis, incorporate a basic skincare routine that includes cleansing, moisturizing, and protection. By incorporating such simple and gentle steps into your skincare routine, your skin remains clean and clear though you wear masks every day.
When washing your face, use a gentle, mild, and fragrance-free cleanser. Such cleansers are not harsh on your skin and you don’t easily break out. They have the potential to gently remove the dirt, sebum, and dead skin cells from your skin.
After washing your face, the next thing you should do is to apply a moisturizer according to your skin type. Applying a moisturizer can add a protective layer that reduces dryness. Dermatologists recommend looking for moisturizers that contain Ceramides, Hyaluronic acid, or Dimethicone.
In addition, pick a moisturizer that’s formulated for your skin type. For instance, Oily skin type can go with gel moisturizer, normal or combination skin can go for lotion-based moisturizer and dry skin people can obviously go for thick cream-based moisturizers.
2. Lip protection
Your lips also need protection while wearing a mask every day because dry or chapped lips are some of the common face mask-related skin problems. Apply a good lip balm that contains petroleum jelly.
When you wash your face and apply a moisturizer, immediately apply your lip balm before you put your mask on. Also, ensure to apply the lip balm before bedtime if you’re facing dry lips problem.
3. Avoid Makeup
Taking a break from makeup while wearing a mask is essential and especially if you’re treating maskne. Beauty and Makeup products such as foundation, blush, concealer, can clog your pores and worsens the skin condition. Though you don’t have acne problems, wearing makeup with masks can lead to further breakouts.
If makeup is necessary, try to use non-comedogenic products that don’t clog your pores.
4. Learn the 16 Skincare Changes to get rid of Acne with this eBook
I hear this a lot many times from my subscribers to help them advocate skincare changes to get rid of common skin care problems like Acne, Pigmentation, Dark spots, Acne Scars, Eczema, etc. They say, “Divya, I can’t understand how to address my Acne, nothing is working for me despite trying many products or treatments. Moreover, whenever or wherever I go, I mostly hide and shy away people because I had bad skin. What do I do?” How do I overcome the Acne or other skin problems?”
The best advice I would give them is to focus on internal changes and then external. Because keeping our gut healthy can keep our skin and body in a healthy state. If I gut is clean, our entire body will be flawless. Which means what we eat shows up on the skin.
That was actually my case. I used to suffer a lot with acne and tried out different products and OTC drugs. None of them helped me cure the Acne rather it gave an experience to understand the problem and treat it the right way.
Thankfully the 16 external and internal skincare changes, proper diet, and good lifestyle has drastically improved my skin a lot. You can see the before and after transformation of my skin in the image below.
So, following those 16 skincare changes and diet tips my skin got better and better and this is why we’ve published an eBook where we help people find a perfect solution for their skin problems no matter what the problem is. Our company has launched this eBook with the help of science approved techniques that would really bring a big change.
BTW, if you also want to practuse the 16 skincare changes, Powerful Ayurvedic home remedies, Skin cleansing Diet tips, and much more we’ve the whole eBook prepared just for you and you can download our eBook here.
5. Use fewer Skincare products
When you layer your skin with too many products while wearing a face mask, it might irritate your skin and make it more sensitive thereby causing breakouts. Also, certain skincare products that contain actives like AHAs, BHA, Retinoids must be avoided if you’re facing maskne. They don’t help your skin heal instead cause adverse skin problems.
In addition to that, avoid using new skincare products as well when you put on your mask. Dermatologists advocate that Skin products that react harshly on your skin such as chemical peel, exfoliants, or retinoid (for the first time) must be avoided.
6. Use Antibiotic Cream
While wearing a mask, bacteria or dead skin spread all over the face. Firstly, you must not pull your mask up and down as that causes skin breakouts due to excess spread of bacteria. Secondly, apply a topical antibiotic cream to stop the build-up of bacteria under the mask.
Dermatologists recommend applying a topical antibiotic cream on your skin before wearing a mask along with your moisturizer.
7. Wear the Right Mask
The AAD (American Academy of Dermatology Association) says to reduce skin problems, you must look for masks that offer,
- A snug, but comfortable fit
- Two layers of fabric at least
- Soft, natural, and breathable fabric, like cotton. Avoid synthetic fabrics such as nylon, polyester, and rayon which are more likely to irritate your skin
8. Wash your cloth masks the right way
Health care organizations or dermatologists recommend washing your cloth masks after each use. Washing the masks removes oils, dead skin, bacteria, and other impurities that got accumulated inside the mask, which could lead to skin problems.
You can wash a cloth mask by hand or in a washing machine without using any detergents used for washing clothes. Such detergents are not good for your skin. Just soak and wash the masks using hot water. You can use a fragrance-free, hypoallergenic laundry detergent to wash your face masks instead of regular ones.
After washing the mask, check its shape. If it’s no longer snug and comfortable you can simply trash it since it’s less protective.
Up to the very end!
Hope this article helps you to treat and prevent acne issues caused due to wearing face masks. If you’ve got any queries, please leave a comment below.
