Wearing a mask is now becoming more and more common as we fight against COVID-19 and we have been getting a lot of questions on how to treat breakouts and irritation caused by having to wear them. Maskne tends to form around the areas of your face that are covered by your masks known as perioral dermatitis. This typically happens around the mouth and areas around the nose.

Let’s talk about how this is caused.

When we breathe into our masks, we increase the moisture and introduce a change to our skins PH, this can create an overgrowth in bacteria resulting in acne. Between having to wear these masks and the added stress of the pandemic, the moisture-rich area under our masks is a place that allows bacteria to flourish.

Here are some tips to prevent MASKNE:

· Avoid wearing makeup under your mask

· Avoid touching your face

· Clean your face as soon as you remove your mask

· Moisturize before putting your mask on, this will help avoid any friction

· Avoid using thick cloth masks

· Always wear a clean mask

Now, of course, the best thing to prevent Maskne from happening is to not wear a mask… but since we can’t or shouldn’t stop wearing them, I hope these tips and tricks can help prevent!