Right now in the middle of a global pandemic, we are all doing our part to lower the transmission of the coronavirus by wearing a mask as per the
CDC recommendation. While being a responsible mask-wearing citizen you may have found yourself with a few extra blemishes or breakouts around your mouth or under your mask otherwise known as: ‘maskne’. This is a new phenomenon but luckily there are several ways to combat this skin condition while still staying safe and protecting our communities.
There are a few reasons why this occurs, the most common is ‘acne mechanica,’ the result of friction from the mask rubbing against the skin causing irritation. This friction can cause inflammation and interrupt regular cellular turnover and create clogged pores and breakouts. Here are a few of our recommendations to keep maskne at bay.
At Home Routine
When you’re at home and mask-free try switching up your skincare routine to encourage regular cellular turnover and rejuvenation.
Daily facial dry brushing: Try adding our
Daily Glow Facial Dry Brush to your routine. Dry brushing stimulates gentle exfoliation and cellular turnover to help avoid maskne and keep pores healthy!
Oil Cleansing: Try adding our
Moisturizing Oil Cleanser + Makeup Remover to your skincare routine. If you aren’t familiar with oil cleansing it can seem counterintuitive but it works! Oil cleansing helps to gently cleanse the skin, clear away blackheads and protect the skin’s barrier. This gentle approach is great for calming irritated skin and removing dirt and debris.
is all you need.
Drink water: When you’re at home make sure to stay hydrated. In the summer season, it’s easy to become dehydrated so make sure to drink water consistently throughout the day. This will help encourage internal hydration, lymphatic drainage and keep skin glowing and healthy.
Using The Right Mask
One of the best ways to prevent maskne is to make sure you're wearing the right type of face mask. Try to choose light-weight, natural fibre fabric masks like cotton, linen or bamboo. These fabric masks are gentle on the skin, create less friction and allow airflow. Avoid synthetic fabrics that often irritate the skin and trap oil and condensation like polyester and rayon.
Make sure to wash and rotate your masks daily to avoid them getting uncomfortable or sweaty and reduce breakouts. Make sure to use a sensitive, fragrance-free detergent to avoid and build up in the masks, these fragrances often cause skin irritation.
If you’re in a pinch add a spritz of our
Invigorating + Balancing Toner to help refresh your mask. The essential oils like clary sage and geranium help to kill bacteria and the rose and lavender hydrosols naturally cool and calm the skin.
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