Mask Acne or “Maskne” continues to be a pesky side effect of chronic mask wearing for men and women who are already prone to acne breakouts or those who could not remember the last time they had a breakout until wearing a mask was prescribed as a public health safety measure to stall the pandemic. The highest number of people experiencing mask acne is healthcare workers, who have to wear tighter-fitting masks for extended hours in the course of their duties caring for patients.
The major contributor to the development of #maskne is the relative high humidity, warm environment created around your chin and the middle of your face when you wear a mask for a length of time, which allows acne bacteria to grow and thrive.
Other factors that contribute to maskne include:
- Not washing your mask
- Washing your mask with a detergent that inflames your skin
- The fabric or material of you mask
- Stress!
To Be Clear: You should continue to wear a mask any time you go out in public.
6 Things You Can Do To Reduce Maskne:
- Wash your mask after each use to decrease sweat, perspiration, skin oil that transfer or get absorbed unto the material and held next to your skin.
- Wash you mask with a gentle, fragrance-free detergent or with your facial cleanser.
- Get a few masks so you can wash them regularly and you have a clean on to switch to as needed. 𝘽𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙘𝙣𝙚-𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙠𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 100% 𝙘𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙨
- Continue with your acne control skin care regimen. Cleanse, treat, moisturize and UV protect your skin daily. #alwaysreapply
- Do not over cleanse or over exfoliate your skin as this often leads to more skin inflammation and breakouts.
- If you do not have an acne control skin care regimen or find that formulation you are currently using is not working to control your acne or maskne breakouts, come in for a consultation with your SkinMD Seattle Master Medical Aesthetician to get on an acne care regimen
Treatment Options for Face Mask Acne “Maskne” aka Mascne
In addition to optimizing your skin care and mask care, treatment options we use at SkinMD to manage mask acne and its after effects include:
- Skin peels
- Dermapaddle Skin Treatments
- MicroTox Oil Control Treatments
- Microneedling
- Laser Acne Therapy
- Therapeutic Facial Treatments with or without extractions
- Refinage Dual Resurfacing Treatments
We find that combination treatments work best, in addition to use of specific topical formulations at home, that support and optimize your skin health. Maintenance treatments are often needed to keep breakouts and after effects like post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), scarring, uneven texture and at bay. We recommend specific treatment combinations, based on severity of acne, post inflammatory hyperpigmentation, acne scars, your goals for correction, skin type and amount of downtime you can tolerate.
Acne and acne scar treatment procedures and skin care recommendations are performed by Dr. Balogun and her expert skin specialists. To schedule a maskne, acne or acne scarring consultation call 206.202.8619 or email us. Your best treatment options will explained to you during your comprehensive consultation with Dr. Balogun and her team.
