MASKNE, MASKIN and MASKOUTS. This global pandemic has introduced skin conditions we could never have anticipated even 12 months ago and now everyone can claim experience of some sort of ‘Maskin’ or skin problems caused by wearing masks. For a skincare person, its rare to be able to say 'you were there' when a new skin condition evolved, but that is exactly where we all find ourselves. And we are all discovering that it isn't simple to resolve - there is no page in the manual - but then skin doesn't read the manual, as we know.
Mask wearing is actually the perfect skincare storm, having a close up and personal band of fabric on our skin for many hours of the day - close to skin, not much air circulation, the air that circulates is warm and damp and the duration of time is lengthy. These conditions couldn’t be more conducive to hosting bacteria, irritation, chaffing, soreness, blotches and breakout – or what we can now term as Maskne and Maskouts.
Eliminating face masks is not an option, in fact, even with the recent, fabulous vaccines, we are still being told that masks are now a normal way of life for the foreseeable future and certainly well into 2021, so what precautions can we take to make wearing a mask as safe for our skin as it is for our health?
GET THE FIT
The tendency is for safety to be the first concern and fashion the second with fit not generally being considered. Straps, elastics, too little or too much fabric leads to rubbing, chaffing, soreness and irritation so try to eliminate these by ensuring your mask fits neatly over your face and comfortably. Any skin that is continually rubbed will become sore and raw and raw, broken skin is more susceptible to bacteria causing maskne.
GET SOME AIR
Whenever possible, whenever safe to do so, remove or unhook the mask to allow fresh air onto your skin – not necessarily so that your skin can ‘breathe’ but more so that the air is fresh, cool and dry, not damp and less conducive to bacteria surviving on your skin.
KEEP IT CLEAN
Make sure your skin is cleansed before wearing a mask, trapping dirt and bacteria in a damp, warm environment is the perfect recipe for breakout. There really is no need for make up under a mask, follow your normal routine and then finish with a balm or facial oil that provides a protective film against your skin, preventing bacteria from getting in and hydration from getting out.
RECONFIGURE
Making sure your SURFACE BIOME can host the good bacteria and fight off the bad bacteria is key to keeping maskne in check. Using a pH balancing acid exfoliator will keep your ACID MANTLE at the skinperfect pH. Use twice a day everyday so that your skin is kept tip top, match fit.
And at the end of the day or once your mask is no longer needed, complete a thorough skincare routine, making sure you CLEANSE with a decongesting cleanser to keep pores and follicles deeply cleansed but not stripped. EXFOLIATE using a pH balanced acid exfoliator to make sure your skins natural surface biome is perfectly configured to host the protective bacteria and eliminate the bad invasive bacteria. Use both a HYDRATOR and an oil-based NOURISHING facial oil or balm product to replenish the protective barrier function and finish with an occlusive moisturiser – occlusive in a good way, not blocking but PROTECTING with a fine film on the skins surface.
For disposable masks, never use longer than the recommended time and dispose of as per the manufacturer’s instructions and there are many different varieties so get mask savvy, do your homework. With fabric, re-useable masks, wash regularly and allow to completely dry before wearing.
Our go to recommendations are of course to get your skin as healthy and strong as possible, so following our SKINCARE 5 A DAY to keep skin as 'fight back' as possible. We also have 2 balms MORNING BARRIER and OVERNIGHT RECHARGE that we recommend adding to your routine. MORNING BARRIER acts as a calming barrier between your skin and your mask and OVERNIGHT RECHARGE with Neem Oil will work to replenish skin and rebuild and repair any damage done from wearing a mask.
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