The masks definitely can cause irritation and acne. I'm thinking about buying a plastic face shield in lieu of a mask. I have a cousin who has moderate/severe acne and she swears by them. Also, I like your suggestion about using a silk mask. On other forums, people have posted positive reviews of silk masks. I'm going to try to get some in the next couple days. If it has positive results, I'll let you know. Thank you for suggesting this idea.

Plastic face shield are great too ! I also order a silk mask on etsy so we™ll see, I™ll let you know too, really hope it™s working !

Hi Marine2210g,

I wanted to provide you with an update on my mask (and maskne situation). I found an etsy vendor who sells 100% silk masks. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure out how to adjust the mask until today. A nurse at urgent care (who happened to be a seamstress) readjusted the ties. I have put it to limited use (before the adjustment it fit poorly) and haven't experienced any breakouts. However, I have only worn it on a few occasions. What I have been using arethe plastic face shields that can be purchased at many CVS stores (about $3.99 per mask). This is a major improvement over any mask. The only drawback is the strap that goes around your forehead. Here, I have noticed skin irritation and minor acne at the top of my head(clears very quickly).

I haven't developed any new cystic acne since I went to the face shield. I do have some new whiteheads on my chin. I can't attribute these to the face shield (or silk mask)like my other acne. I just started taking a short course of steroid medication and that is a possible culprit. However, these are superficial and are the type that quickly clear with Benzyl Peroxide. Also, I had a photofacial last week and I have noticed these sometimesproduce minor breakouts (the short-term cost has been well worth the benefit - I have had a couple dozenof these over the last 5 years). Please let me know about your experience with the silk mask. I'm happy you like plastic face shields!

Hey !

So I made my light silk masks and it seems to be more gentle than a normal mask !
I™m using them rarely and not for a long time but the few times I wore them they were more confortable and it let the skin breathe a little bit more than a classic mask 

But to be honest face shields are better because I™ve notice that with a mask my moisturizer was coming off and it makes my skin flaky !

Hey you guys. I made an article on this subject.

https://www.acne.org/can-wearing-a-face-mask-trigger-or-worsen-acne.html