Coronavirus: Tips to Avoid “Maskne” Skin Irritation

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After the Covid-19 pandemic wearing masks became mandatory for our well-being. However, the pandemic also adds a new word to our vocabulary list: “Maskne”. Maskne refers to the acne coming from the mask. 2020 is the year that introduces us to a new era of mask and sanitizer. We wear masks to protect our life, but as we know, every action has a reaction. Thus, we can’t avoid breakouts caused by wearing masks. People, especially healthcare professionals, wear masks for long hours and experience skin problems at a severe level. However, maskne is a reversible problem through treatment People develop acne at the covered area of their face, usually around the mouth, jaw, and chin. If maskne leave untreated, it may lead to permanent scarring.

In this article, we are going to talk about some tips to prevent and treat “Maskne.”

Different types of maskne?

Before going to the solution, let’s categorize the maskne into total of six different categories:

Now, maskne not only falls under bacterial acne! There is a broad spectrum of breakouts that develop after wearing the mask for long hours.

Maskne is divided into the following categories:

Traditional acne: It develops due to elevated moisture and heat, which alter the microbiome of your facial skin. Wearing a mask enhance the temperature of the covered area along with the humidity. The increased temperature and moisture prepare the perfect breeding ground for P. acne bacteria responsible for traditional acne.

Hormonal acne: It develops due to increased stress. We all are going through a moderate to severe range of stress associated with health, education, career, and finance. The exceptional mental pressure stimulates the secretion of stress hormones which promotes hormonal acne.

Occlusive acne: It is also popular as acne cosmetic or acne from excessive cosmetics use under the mask. This acne is occlusive in nature. The synthetic mask offers an occlusive barrier to our skin when we use it. Thus excess oil and sebum accumulates on the material and develops acne.

Perioral dermatitis: This acne variant appears as elevated red bumps around the chin and mouth area. It is a serious skin problem and requires medical attention to control the symptoms.

Rosacea: It is common among medical professionals because they wear masks for 8-10 hours. It increases the blood flow to their face and develops Rosacea or acne-like eruptions.

Seborrheic dermatitis: It appears as the red bumps on the upper lips and side of the nose. It seems like acne, but it causes due to yeast accumulation on the skin.

How to Avoid Maskne Skin Irritation?

Apply emollient

You will feel skin irritation mainly on the bridge of the nose, central cheeks and jawline. Dermatologist Friedman says that it can be reduced by applying a thicker emollient or Aquaphor. These products show a soothing effect on your skin and decrease skin irritations. It has lubricating properties which prevent frictions coming from the mask on your skin tissue.

Cleansing and exfoliation

Don’t forget to wash your mask after every use. Before going to bed, use the gentle antibacterial cleanser to clean your face thoroughly. For deep cleaning, you may use gentle exfoliating products such as coffee sugar scrub.

Use Moisturizer

Dry skin worsens the acne and rosacea symptoms. Both of these promotes inflammations and pain. So to avoid skin irritation first, you need to restore the skin barrier. You can use aloe vera gel, or orange gel, or an oil-free moisturizer deeply hydrate your skin. Use a light moisturizer minimum of three times a day. Dry skin makes your acne more severe as this can clog pores. For better results, dermatologist also recommend topical medicines like retinoid ointments and over-the-counter medicines like Differin Gel 1%.

If you are facing chronic acne issues, then you need an immediate check-up. If you are pregnant, do not use any over the counter or consumable medication without a doctor’s recommendation because some drug causes severe congenital disabilities.