Wearing a mask is necessary for a lot of people right now when they are out and about in a public area, or for those who need to wear them while working in a healthcare environment for their safety.
But, just because face masks are there to protect your health and/or the health of others, your skin may be protesting.
The hot and humid environment that develops inside of a mask may not be kind to your face, causing irritation, rashes, or major breakouts (the maskne struggle is real.) And, while you would never stop wearing a mask for the sake of preventing a couple of pimples, there may be a few tips you can try to stay safe while keeping your skin happy at the same time.
Read on for 10 ways to help heal, reduce, or prevent acne and breakouts from wearing a mask.
Masks can lead to skin irritation and redness from the constant friction on your delicate facial skin.
This can really ramp up the inflammation, almost giving the skin a burning sensation in really irritated areas.
To give you some quick relief, cool it down with a cool compress, or ice wrapped in a gentle cloth, but avoid placing ice directly on your skin as it may be too harsh.
This also works well if you have some particularly angry pimples that popped up.
Now is not the time to use harsh cleansers that may strip away the protective layers of your already angry skin.
While some may want to bring out the strong cleansers when they start seeing a breakout, that is actually the opposite of what irritated skin may need.
Keep cleansing gentle with a non-comedogenic foaming cleansing, or if you absolutely need a little acne help try out a gentle cleanser with a little bit of salicylic acid in it.
Same thing goes for exfoliation - keep it gentle.
When your skin is already looking irritated, it’s not a good time for your extreme peels and strong acids.
Show your skin a little tenderness while also helping slough away any excess dead skin cells by opting for a low-grade salicylic acid, small bio-degradable jojoba beads, or just a facial cleansing wipe with an exfoliating side.
This is more for healthcare professionals who are currently wearing very tight-fitting N95 masks, as anything that may compromise the tight fit on the mask should be avoided.
This includes skin treatments, thick ointments, or pastes.
Opt for treating skin issues after the mask is off for the day to give your skin some relief without reducing the tight fit of a protective mask.
Your skin will need some extra care and nourishment from the inside out, so add in a high-quality hair, skin, and nail supplement to give your skin a little extra healing help.
Antioxidants, collagen, biotin, niacin, and zinc are all necessary for overall skin health and repair and can often be found in hair, skin, and nail supplements.
If your breakout keeps going full-force even after using all your using OTC breakout products, it may be time to speak with a doctor about professional prescription options.
Here at Strut Health, our acne formula combines pharmaceutical-grade retinoid Tretinoin with the topical antibiotic Clindamycin.
You can have a free online consultation with our U.S. licensed doctors to see if Strut Acne Formula is a good fit for your mask acne issues.If you are a good candidate for treatment, your prescription acne cream can be shipped to your front door with our free 2-day shipping - no need to venture out to the pharmacy.
When you are dealing with a rough breakout, your skin is begging for some antioxidant help.
Look into a soothing and nourishing serum packed with natural antioxidants like B-vitamins, vitamin C, and vitamin E. Apply your serum after washing your face with a gentle cleanser, but before layering on your moisturizer for the night.
Some people have the misconception that when your skin is breaking out, you need to dry everything up.
But, dehydrated skin causes a further breakdown of your skin’s naturally protective barriers and may even make the breakout worse.
So, stay away from alcohol-based moisture-stripping toners, and hydrate your skin with a non-comedogenic (non-pore-clogging) lightweight moisturizer morning and night.
This one may go without saying, but when your skin is under a moist, sweaty mask, it is not a good time to glam up.
Your pores will already be battling a combination of extra oils, sweat, bacteria, and sloughed-off skin cells, so adding foundation, powder, or blush into the mix is not going to end up pretty.
Go au-naturel on the lower half of your face to help those pores breathe while wearing a mask, but feel free to play up your eye makeup if you don’t want to go fully fresh-faced.
If you are not a healthcare worker, but are wearing a washable face mask when having to go out in public, make sure to wash it with every use.
Masks rub against the skin and can pick up a range of dirt, oils, and dead skin cells even with one use, so be sure you are wearing a clean one each time to avoid additional breakouts and irritation.
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