There’s no doubt that the Coronavirus has affected everybody in various ways. In addition to remote learning, social distancing, and lack of a social life, the Maskne has changed my skin in ways I didn’t even imagine possible as a 20 year old. If you don’t know, maskne is acne that appears on the nose, cheeks, and jawline as a result from the friction and humidity of wearing a face mask. About 4 months ago, my skin began to break out in ways I’d never seen before. I was always a closed comedone girl, so when I began to get frequent, painful cysts, I knew something was wrong.
If you’re suffering from Maskne, let’s first address the elephant in the room: are you washing your cloth masks? If not, this is a simple, obvious fix. For my makeup wearers, this should be a no-brainer. Any makeup residue on your masks should not touch a fresh face or beat after that first use. The suffocating of your pores with material that is already contaminated with oils from previous wears is a likely cause of breakouts, so using disposable masks and washing your cloth masks as frequently as possible, if not after every use, is imperative for keeping breakouts at bay while treating the acne that’s already broke surface.
To treat Maskne, active ingredients such as sulfur, benzoyl peroxide, and salicylic acid will definitely be your best friend. However, you cannot get “active happy.” Abusing active ingredients can damage the skin’s moisture barrier, which only brings more breakouts and only prolongs the treatment process. When using active ingredients for acne treatment, it is recommended that one does so in the form of a spot treatment, or wash-off treatment such as a cleanser or mask.
Contrary to popular belief, all acne prone skin is not oily skin. Therefore, switching out your entire skin care routine for mattifying, oil free products is not always the best route for acne treatment. Hydrating and moisturizing the skin plays a large part in acne treatment for all skin types. For skin that does lean on the oilier side, proper moisture and hydration is necessary to assure that the skin does not overproduce oil and sebum, and therefore breakout further.
Proper usage of actives and hydration are important in treating all forms of acne, however, the most effective tip in treating maskne is protection. Creating a barrier to prevent against friction and even the loss of hydration from wearing facemasks will do wonders for treating maskne. Before putting on your facemask, try applying a thin layer of Vaseline, CeraVe’s Healing Ointment, or any non-comedogenic petroleum based product on the areas of your face that will be covered by the mask. Pimple patches are also a nice way to protect and treat problem areas on the face under face masks. Any kind of way to shield and protect the skin under facemasks will aid you in your battle against maskne.
Maskne may be a miniscule side effect of living through a pandemic, but nonetheless, it’s still an inconvenience. The best way to confront maskne is head on. There’s no telling how long wearing face masks will be mandatory, so don’t be afraid to splurge on noncomedogenic skin-care products in the meantime! If you’re dealing with maskne, just know you aren’t alone and it’s nothing that active ingredients, hydration, and protecting the skin can’t fix. Acne happens to the best of us, and it’ll never be able to conceal or counter natural beauty.