When it looks like the effects of the COVID pandemic are far from over, wearing masks and practicing various safety precautions are inevitable additions to our current lives.
Still, having acne breakouts from wearing face masks too much and too long is not something any of us would ask and that can be a source of annoyance, if not painful.
Worry not, here are some of the things that you can do to heal and prevent mask acne – you might need to change a skincare routine a bit along the way though.
Shortened as ‘maskne’, this form of acne simply comes from our (new) habit of wearing face masks for too long. A stuffy, closed environment is a perfect breeding ground of bacteria where used air, dead skin cells, and impurities are the things that acne-causing germs thrive on – these elements are then mixed with sebum and filling up the pores – that’s what get you maskne.
While ditching face masks is not the option whenever you’re outside, you can certainly prevent it from happening as much as possible. If you do have one maskne (or three) on your skin right now, consider the following to heal up the zits first before taking preventative measures.
On cleansed skin, dab an astringent toner and apply an acne cream to let it heal by itself, don’t pick on the acne no matter how tempted you are as it can lead to skin irritation, bleeding, and possibly developing acne scars.
Follow your usual skincare routine and use a toner with BHA (salicylic acid) to unclog the pores effectively, and apply an acne cream containing benzoyl peroxide again before the moisturizer step.
If you have serious or multiple acne, consider going to a private area to open the mask a bit to let fresh air come through for circulation, this tip is essential especially when wearing face masks for long periods of time is necessary.
If needed, you might need a prescribed medication or two such cortisone or retinols to speed up the process, as well as using a few skincare products with BHA as well.
After you’ve done healing those acnes for good, it’s best to add a few preventative measures to avoid maskne from happening again.
Trust me, you never know when and where the acne will pop up and it’s very unfortunate to have it come out and touch within the mask outline.
Opt for face masks that are made with breathable fabrics to allow some fresh air to get through and ensure that you use new ones when the old ones expire (more if your skin tends to get oily and/or exposed to dirty environmental air).
Choose skincare products that are non-comedogenic as they won’t clog pores. And as for makeups, dermatologists agree that when wearing face masks are needed the most time and places, skip it altogether especially for face makeups to avoid maskne from forming easily again (eye makeup is still possible so that’s where you can focus on!).
