The current times where individuals are bound to cover their faces behind a mask have given rise to new challenges. While the world fights a global pandemic, it has also laid an impact on our personal lives.
Face coverings and masks have been vital in guarding yourself against the fatal virus. However, the practice has also caused a great deal of trouble regarding your skin. Owing to the humid and moist atmosphere created within the mask, your face tends to suffer immense friction. This is likely to result in various possible skin issues, including acne, contact dermatitis, and folliculitis.
Maskne is an umbrella term given to all these skin conditions arising from face coverings. Masks make it nearly impossible for the skin to breathe and tend to irritate it. This leads to severe skin problems that impact your appearance and outlook. Covering faces might worsen the situation for people already dealing with existing skin troubles.
Effective Ways to Prevent Maskne
By following some of the most sought-after practices, you can easily get rid of Maskne and also prevent them altogether. Let’s explore a few of them!
1. Ditch Makeup
While the beautiful compact powders and sparkling eye shadows might seem attractive, they tend to do more harm to your skin. Wearing makeup every day results in higher chances for your skin to break out easily.
Having a layer of makeup behind the mask can cause you a great deal of irritation and itching. Prolonged application of makeup with your mask on can ultimately dry up your skin, leading to spots and acne.
The chemicals involved in the manufacturing of makeup can also interact with your skin cells. Additionally, your makeup is likely to boost possible skin infections due to the sweat under the mask.
2. Use The Right Fabric
It is essential to make sure that your mask fabric is of good quality since it is supposed to stay on your face for a long time. Choosing the wrong cloth can result in intense itchiness over the skin and give way to the stubborn acne pop out.
Cotton cloth blended with natural silk is often considered one of the best fabrics for your face. It does not react with the skin and keeps the space breathable. You can also opt for chiffon in place of silk while keeping the cotton proportion intact. Make sure to select the piece that is tightly woven to avoid humidity.
Be mindful of wearing your mask rightly. It should correctly cover your face and must be fitted. This reduces the chances of catching Maskne symptoms.
3. Wash Your Masks More Often!
Let’s face it- used, dirty masks can significantly hamper your skin’s pH levels. Contaminated masks irritate your skin pores and probe them to fight the germs, causing severe skin problems.
Make sure to wash your cotton masks daily so you can keep your skin fresh and free from dirt. In case you tend to miss out on your laundry, decide to grab a surgical mask instead. Never wear the same mask for longer than 6 hours and try to replace it with a new one.
Lockdown has made masks a critical part of our lives but maintaining mask hygiene is in your hands!
4. Shift to Water-Based Products
If your skin is prone to acne and oiliness, you might want to change all your oil-based skincare into water-based ones. Make sure you lookout for some non-comedogenic formulations. This way, your pores don’t get clogged, and your skin doesn’t overload on the sebum production.
All the water-based lotions, serums, and moisturizers remain genuinely effective if filled with actives, including hyaluronic acid and glycerin.
The best part is that it won’t make your skin feel uncomfortable when you start sweating under your mask. This is the case when it’s quite humid out there, and you tend to struggle a lot with the face coverings!
5. Moisturize Your Skin
Dry skin usually experiences problems with a face mask – primarily, irritation and raw skin. It’s always recommended to apply moisturizer after washing your skin to protect it against all dryness and inflammations.
Experts suggest and recommend moisturizers containing hyaluronic acid or dimethicone, so make sure to check for these compounds. You can also select moisturizers that suit your skin type and help you prevent any breakouts over your face.
Alternatively, people with oily skin can opt for gel moisturizers, while those with combination skin can also go for a lotion. Consider choosing a cream moisturizer if you have relatively dry skin to keep it hydrated for long.
6. Fragrance-free Detergents
Surprising as it may seem to be, your laundry detergent might be the main protagonist of the Maskne story. If you have a detergent containing artificial or added fragrances, it is likely to interact with your skin cells. This can lead to extreme irritation over the face and result in hair follicles or bumps.
Additionally, if you tend to wash your masks along with the rest of your clothes, try avoiding any fabric softeners that may envelop your mask with fragrance. Natural detergents are helpful for washing your mask’s wax and aroma-free, keeping your skincare worries at bay.
7. Sheet Masks
In order to compensate for all the hydration and glow you lose behind the face mask, trust the sheet masks on a regular basis. You can also switch between sleeping masks and deep-clean hydrating masks to keep your pores open and refreshed.
On days when your skin gets a little out of place, try using a reliable clay mask to get rid of all the dirt trapped in your skin pores. This also helps in bringing back your natural glow.
Wrapping Up
So these were some of the most trusted best practices that can help you stay at a distance from the signs of Maskne. Wearing masks has become an unavoidable measure, but you can always choose to keep your skin in place with it.
