Despite making it through the 2020 portion of the COVID-19 pandemic relatively unscathed, our lives in Australia have still been impacted ongoing.
With the most recent (albeit small) hotel quarantine leak of the UK strain of the virus, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has once again implemented the rule for the wearing of masks in indoor settings.
After some respite from mask-wearing, many people may find they are once again prone to what many have dubbed 'maskne' or other inflammatory skin conditions.
The good news is, there are several things you can do to prevent your face covering from causing damage to your skin, and there are steps you can take to try and lessen the severity of your skin condition.
Firstly, it is important to consider what your mask is made of and if it is of good quality. The best protection against any virus arguably comes from wearing KN95, N95 or P2 masks, however in most cases, these are only necessary for front-line and healthcare workers. For the general public, a standard surgical mask or tightly-woven cotton mask will suffice. Your mask should feel soft and reasonably breathable on the skin. To test the effectiveness of your mask, check if you can see light through the mask when held up to the eye - if you can, the mask will most likely not prove effective.
Surgical masks should be discarded after every use, and fabric masks should be washed after every use. When washing a mask, use an unscented laundry detergent that does not contain dyes or fragrances as those can irritate your skin and nasal passages. Washing and drying the masks in high heat will also help kill germs.
In regards to skincare while having to wear a mask, it is important to maintain consistency. A gentle cleanser is best, as it removes natural debris in addition to being antiviral which creates an added barrier of safety.
Avoid any harsher cleansers or exfoliants for the time being (such as strong AHA/BHA's or retinols), as they may further disrupt the skin barrier. A hyaluronic based skin serum will be your best option for moisturizing and additional ingredients such as niacinamide and vitamin C will prove useful.
As always, your dermatologist or healthcare practitioner will be your best friend in a situation such as this, as any condition is relative and everyone’s experience will be different.
