7 Skincare Tips to Avoid Maskne

To try to prevent COVID-19 spread from person to person through respiratory droplets the CDC encourages to wear mask in our daily routine.  It’s now required in many public places, such as shopping malls, restaurants, and grocery stores, as a barrier against the COVID-19.  We are hearing some people are developing breakouts from wearing a mask.  These breakouts are a condition called maskne or mask acne. 

WHAT IS MASKNE?

Maskne, or mask acne are breakouts of acne-type spots, skin sensitivity, sore skin, or small lesions due to irritation caused by friction, heat, pressure, stretching and squeezing of the skin.   

Cause of Maskne

Maskne is caused from touching our faces to adjust our masks to cover our face.   It is also caused from sweating.  We are sweating more with the mask cover over our nose and cheeks.

Mask are often times too tight which causes distress to sensitive skin which turns into inflammation and acne.

7 Skincare Tips to avoid Maskne  

1. Wash your face - Dirt and oil on your skin will get trapped under the mask and can cause breakouts.  Always wash your face before your put on your clean mask.  We suggest that you choose a gentle cleanser. We suggest that you choose a gentle cleanser like our Arbria's Facial Cleanser which is gentle with plant based ingredients.
2. Gently exfoliate - gently exfoliate and unclog the pores. Be sure not to scrub the skin or use harsh ingredients, as these will only aggravate the skin and worsen the inflammation. We suggest you use our Make Me Over – Facial Scrub for a gentle exfoliate.
3. Apply a great moisturizer - Moisturizer keeps your skin hydrated and acts like a barrier to friction from your mask.  We suggest that you choose a fragrance free moisturizer like our Arbria Facial Balm. 
4. Skip the makeup or at least don’t wear as much makeup - Because our skin is accumulating more sweat and bacteria from wearing a mask, putting makeup on top of that will only make the acne worse. Your skin needs to breathe! Masks don't help that, but we need those. The make-up on the covered areas of your face can wait until we can be mask free.
5. Protect your ears - Elastic strap loops can cause friction burns on the backs of your ears. If your skin is sensitive or if you’ll be wearing a mask for long periods of time, there are alternatives. You can attach the straps to buttons on a headband or to a clip behind your head.
6. Chose non-disposable mask - Don’t feel like you should have to resort to a single-use mask to avoid the maskne breakouts. Choosing a reusable mask with a good-quality filter would actually be a better option in terms of investing in some maskne skincare.
7. Wear clean mask - Dirt and oil from your skin plus bacteria from your mouth and nose will end up on your cloth mask.