By now, we’re all well accustomed to sporting a face mask on-the-go as the new norm. However, this has been seen to be causing irritation to the skin which is leading to breakouts to the lower face (including chin, cheeks and nose area) and is now most commonly known as ‘Maskne’.
Maskne is a type of breakout on the skin, which is caused by the constant friction of the mask material on your skin. This type of acne is known as ‘acne mechanica’ and commonly occurs in people wearing masks for a long period of time.
Along with the constant friction on your skin, maskne is also triggered by pores being blocked by sweat, oil, makeup, and bacteria which sits on the skin under your mask. This can cause outbreaks of spots, blemishes, inflamed hair follicles, irritation, and redness.
At the moment, wearing a mask is necessary in many situations, so prevention is your best bet when it comes to tackling face mask acne. The good news is, if you are suffering with maskne or want to prevent it appearing, there are a few things you can try:
Mask Material
When you’ve invested in the best skin care products, why should you let paper or cotton masks irritate and blemish your face? Comfort and style are just as important as ensuring you keep your mouth covered. Unlike cotton fabric, silk is a cool and breathable fabric as its fibres are temperature regulating. This allows hot air to radiate away to keep the mask dry and cool throughout the day. Plus, silk not only looks better, but is also the perfect solution for anyone experiencing dry or sensitive skin as it doesn’t absorb moisture from your skin.
Cleanse Your Skin
With dirt, oil, sweat, and bacteria building up on the skin underneath your mask it is essential that you wash your face both before and after wearing a mask if you want to avoid breakouts.
If your skin is already irritated, look out for a gentle cleanser, or if you are prone to acne, look out for a breakout-busting salicylic acid cleanser which helps to keep your pores clear of build-up.
It may be tempting to wash your face more than usual, but we recommend you stick to your regular AM and PM routine so as not to dry out your skin, cause irritation or redness. Our favourite is the ZO Sulphur Mask that is a natural clay-based formula that delivers maximum-strength sulfur medication to treat and prevent acne and spot eruptions on the face, neck. This face mask for acne includes kaolin and bentonite to purify pores and help absorb excess sebum, to avoid whiteheads, blackheads and any other type of breakouts in the future.
And it is not just your skin you have to remember to wash! To avoid blemishes and irritation, it is important to wash reusable masks frequently, to remove any bacteria and dirt that can be absorbed onto the skin.
Hydration
It is really important throughout the day to keep your skin as hydrated as possible to help improve your skin’s barrier function by either increasing your water intake or moisturising the skin frequently, to avoid rashes or dryness. Our go to treatment for hydration and rejuvenation is the celeb favourite Hydrafacial treatment. The hydrafacial treatment cleanses, extracts and hydrates with super serums made with nourishing ingredients that create a gratifying glow. Book in a course for when we reopen… your skin will thank you for it.
For home hydration we would recommend the Profhilo Serum and the Tigi Skin serum both available to buy from us.
Minimal Make-Up
Your pores are already fighting off sweat and bacteria under your mask, don’t add make-up into the mix too! If you are taking your mask on and off throughout the day and want some sort of coverage, then a tinted moisturiser is your best bet for spot free skin!
Did you see Chrissy Teigen’s latest skincare tip that she recently shared on Instagram? ‘Life hack: nose strip under your mask. Keep safe AND get those rent free blackheads out’! Genius! Designed to decongest and unclog pores nose and chin strips are a brilliant way to tackle blackheads – and can be done so in the safety of a mask. Double win!
CONTACT
Tel. 07817 594092
Email. shikha@elegantclinic.co.uk
LOCATIONS
Dune Hair and Beauty, Canford Cliffs, Poole
Beauties Bournemouth, Christchurch Road, Bournemouth
AR Pharmacy, Totton, Southampton
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