3 Simple Steps to Stop Mask-Related Acne & Skin Irritation

We’ve received a lot of questions from Westchester clients looking for ways to prevent skin irritation and acne caused by repetitive or prolonged mask-wearing. Healthcare workers in particular are expressing skin-related concerns that can be traced back to the wearing of medical-grade masks for hours and hours at a time. So, what can be done to protect your skin from irritation and/or breakouts caused by repeated mask wearing?

We’ve narrowed it down to three simple steps you can follow at the end of your day or anytime you return home after many hours of wearing a face mask:

1. Cleanse

The first step towards clearing up mask-related skin concerns is to wash your face with a gentle cleanser as soon as you remove your mask. This helps to get rid of any sweat, debris, or free radicals your skin has collected throughout the day. Be sure to use warm – not hot—water when cleansing. Why? Because hot water strips the skin of moisture and disrupts the skin barrier, which can aggravate existing skin conditions like acne, dryness, or other forms of irritation.

2. Boost

The second thing you’ll want to do after removing your mask is boost your skin’s barrier. Prolonged mask wear can upset our skin’s natural barrier—leading to redness, dryness, scrapes, bruising, breakouts and other skin concerns. Boost the barrier of your skin with a soothing moisturizer that contains skin-healing ingredients like ceramides, aloe, niacinamide and/or hyaluronic acid.

3. Duck & Cover

Before ducking into bed for the night, cover any particularly dry, red or irritated areas of the skin with a protectant that further reinforces the skin’s barrier. Ointments containing zinc oxide or dimethicone work well for this purpose, as does some good ol’ fashioned petroleum jelly! Similarly, we recommend applying these skin-barrier-protecting ointments prior to putting on your mask for the day as a proactive measure to care for your skin.

If you’re suffering from mask-related skin concerns and would like one of our skin care experts to take a look, contact us to schedule a free consultation at our Hartsdale office. Our skin professionals will determine the specific skin care regimen and treatments for your needs. What’s more—we carry tons of skin-soothing cleansers, moisturizers and products perfect for calming down irritated or inflamed skin. Click here to learn more about our products – or – Stop into our office today and see for yourself!

 

Categories:  Skin Care Tips
Tags:  acne, acne solutions, adult acne, Best of Westchester, best skincenter, cleanse skin, dry skin, irritation, mask, moisturize skin, skin care, skin care tips, Skin Rejuvenation, SkinCenter, Westchester Skin Care