We hope you are keeping well and safe! We have put together some tips this week for anyone suffering from that dreaded “maskne”.Even when lockdown ends, it’s pretty obvious that face masks are going to be a necessity in public spaces for the foreseeable future. Ever heard of ‘maskne’? Around the world people are breaking out in acne symptoms on their face where they have to wear a mask (dubbed, ‘maskne’!). Or even if you’re not experiencing spots specifically, others are experiencing irritation around the tight areas such as across the nose, suffering from dry skin and/or redness.

Why is wearing a mask all the time causing skin problems?

Wearing a mask is creating a warm and humid environment for your skin, trapping moisture and sebum (oily/waxy substance created by your body’s glands). This can cause breakouts or irritate acne by blocking your pores, and can then become inflamed. And not only that, we know that this can be worsened by other factors such as stress (anyone feeling stressed out lately?

In today’s lockdown skin care blog, we are going to give you a few ideas for looking after your face when it’s stuck under a mask day in, day out!

Cleansing your skin
This one seems pretty obvious (and it’s something we preach to our clients anyway), but it is so important to cleanse your skin twice a day with a GOOD cleanser (see Lockdown Skincare Vol. 1 about the importance of using the right skin care products). We don’t want you to over cleanse your skin, as this can create unnecessary dryness, but please make sure you are paying extra attention to the area covered by your mask such as around the mouth and chin area (although spots can appear along the jawline also). Use a medical grade cleanser, i.e. one that is not likely to cause pore blockages to further exacerbate the problem.

Keep your skin moisturised
Although we are talking about a build up of extra moisture through humidity, it is still so important to keep your skin moisturised. By using a non-comedogenic moisturiser that won’t block your pores, you are also giving your skin a barrier in places such as the bridge of the nose where it can become irritated by mask use. We suggest the OCOSMEDICS Immortal Cream or if your feeling extra oily the Rebalancing Moisturiser.

Exfoliate!
There are many ways to exfoliate your skin. Chemical or manual exfoliation products are great ways to stop and prevent breakouts. Our 3in1 Fruit peel mask contains fruit enzymes to eat up dead skin cells. Or if you prefer a scrub you can use the Exfoliating Cleanser. We also have chemical exfoliators such as our lactic acid home peel which is very effective for some skin types. If you unsure which one would work bet for your skin we can organise a online consultation to ensure you have the correct product for your skin type/ concern.

Oxygenate your skin!
We recommend using our skin inject home roller to oxygenate your skin. This great little tool will oxygenate the skin and reduce build up of bacteria as well as allowing your products to penetrate deeper and therefore be more effective. Pair this with the correct professional skincare prescribed for your skin and see the benefits for yourself!

Pick your mask carefully
Let’s be honest, for those of you using fabric masks, how often are you washing those masks? If you’re using disposable masks, are you really disposing of them after one use, or are you really getting your miles out of them?

Wash your mask – masks need to be washed (or changed) on a regular basis, to remove oil, built-up dead skin cells and bacteria.

Try a different mask – you might find that switching to a mask material that is more breathable will help you alleviate your skin problems. Some materials can create excess warmth and humidity under them, and can lead to more breakouts.

Disposable means disposable – don’t reuse a disposable mask. Ensure that you are using a clean mask every time.

We hope that this has helped you a little bit today, let us know how you get on and if these tips work for you! If you would like more information on our product range such as effective cleansers and moisturisers then feel free to contact us and we can help you out, we’re still delivering products to our lovely clients during lockdown.