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Hello,
Sorry for posting twice in the same day. Anyway, I just posted a discussion about cystic acne and forgot to include a discussion of causative factors. My strong belief is my cystic acne was caused by a tight fitting mask. I have also had whiteheads on my chin after wearing a mask (fortunately, these resolve very quickly)
I'm wondering what kind of masks everybody has found that cause less skin irritation. I've tried threetypes of masks:
1) Standard surgical masks that are sold at CVS or Walgreens (or found in a hospital supply box)
2) Re-usable cotton masks. (I have two - one covers the whole face and other is smaller and tighter)
3) N95. (this is very tight fitting and I only wore one once for fear of skin irritation)
I believe my cyst and pimples were caused by type 1. Also, I think the best masks are ones that fit more loosely (not for preventing COVID-19, but for not causing acne). Does anybody have any suggestions for masks that cause less skin irritaiton?In this state, you have to wear one to transact in public. My hunch is that it's better to wear a loose fitting mask and to take it off when you're not using it. Also, I think you need to be very careful when washing the reusable masks. In particular, wash the mask with hypoallergenic soap and be super thorough in rinsing to get soap residue off. Anybody have any ideas?
I like the standard surgical ones. But they are not perfect--they still irritate. Do you do the regimen? That can keep you clear even if you wear a mask. Mixing 1/2 glycolic acid with 1/2 moisturizer each night and applying to any area that was affected by the mask can help keep you clear.
An article on this subject is here: https://www.acne.org/can-wearing-a-face-mask-trigger-or-worsen-acne.html
Hi Dan,
Thanks for the article. I never really considered the impact of color, so I'm going to keep that in mind when looking for new masks. I used to religiously practice the regimen. Now, I have ultra-sensitive skin. The problem I encountered was my skin did not like BP, even if I used it sparingly and applied moisturizer. BP caused redness that was not temporary (my skin never adapted). I still do use BP as a spot treatment and believe it's the most effective OTC medication for acne. Your website has helped me a lot with my acne over the years. The one thing I have never tried is glycolic acid. I'm going to tinker with it and see how my skin reacts. I ended up replacing masks with face shields and think it has been an improvement, but now I'm wondering if the face shield itself is as much of an upgrade as I once thought (I still developed cystic acne and some whiteheads on my chin). My dermatologist told me a lot of it is genetic and since my parents had adult acne - I should expect it as well. However, I do think maskne is a real thing. The parts of my face that were pressed against my the mask would invariably develop superficial whiteheads. I live in a very hot climate which just makes everything worse. Thanks for the advice and I wanted to reiterate my thanks!
Maskne is definitely real.
Go ahead and experiment with glycolic acid, but don't overdo it. 10% should be used only once every other day at full strength or 1/2 and 1/2 with moisturizer if using daily.
Regarding benzoyl peroxide, did you experiment with various brands of it? I hate to see people give up on benzoyl peroxide too soon because, as you say, it's the most powerful thing out there.