3 Tips For Preventing You From Getting Maskne

At the beginning of this year, I interned in Shanghai. I remember that just a few days before leaving China for an extended vacation trip, my colleagues suddenly told me that a new virus was happening and that I would need a face mask. I didn’t really know what to expect when I heard that news and how crazy the whole situation would turn out. Nevertheless, most of my co-workers were Chinese and seemed way more prepared for this situation. Therefore, my colleagues bought a face mask with me and showed me which is excellent and effective. Little did I know back then that wearing a face mask would become a daily task and is still present in people’s everyday life even after almost a year.

To me, there is no obstacle when it comes to wearing a face mask. Besides, I believe there is also absolutely no arguing about it because it has been proven to help prevent increasing COVID-19 cases. On the other hand, unfortunately, my skin is still unwilling to cooperate with wearing a face mask. Due to that, the result leads to getting maskne. If you’re wondering now, I haven’t created this term. Maskne is a thing now, and nothing is more annoying than waking up the next day with maskne because of your face mask. Hence, here is what you need to know about it and three tips for preventing you from getting maskne!

WHAT EXACTLY IS MASKNE?

Due to the reason for covering your face all the time, your skin is going through a lot of skin irritations. A face mask creates a micro-climate since you are breathing into that mask. Due to that, the sweat can lead to more oiliness and enlarged pores and, worse, a bacterial infection. The bacterial infection results in pimples and breakouts in the area where your face is covered by the mask and, therefore, is known as maskne. A word combination of mask and acne. So if you are getting maskne, try the following tips for preventing skin blemishes.

1. SKINCARE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER!

I’ve been very much into my skincare for a few years now. It helped me a lot, and now it has become a routine I’m sticking to every day. Yes, you can say that I am addicted to my 10-Step Korean Skincare Routine. Usually, if you don’t suffer from cystic and hormonal acne, little breakouts on your skin occur from clogged pores. Since our faces are covered by masks all the time, our skin is becoming sweatier, and our pores are getting clogged way faster and immensely easier. Therefore, taking care of your skincare is even more crucial than before. Do your double cleansing in the morning as well as in the evening before you go to sleep.

Furthermore, exfoliating also became very significant. Do exfoliate your skin at least twice a week to make sure to get rid of all the dead skin cells. Doing your skincare properly helps you preventing from getting skin blemishes and maskne.

2. CHOOSE YOUR MASK MATERIAL WISELY

Deciding on the suitable material for the mask is not easy. You can choose between the disposable medical masks and the cotton ones, which you can wear several times. The problem is that many people with sensitive skin get skin irritation because of the material from a disposable medical mask. Therefore, it would be better to go for a cover made out of cotton, which is better for your skin and more environmentally friendly.

However, a cotton mask is not the best choice if you are wearing foundation and make-up under your mask. Your make-up will stick on the inside of your mask, which can lead to bacterial infections. Due to that, try to minimise make-up as much as possible nowadays. If it’s not possible, then wear a medical mask when having make-up on and a cotton mask when you are foundation free. Hence, you can prevent your skin from getting maskne.

3. REDUCE STRESS & SLEEP A LOT!

With everything that is going on this year; global pandemic, natural disasters, economic crisis, and so much more- you are expected to feel stressed out. I remember that when I talked to friends in Spring, we all kind of got anxiety attacks and depression and were crying a lot back then. There are so many changes this year. Everyone is sacrificing something, and nobody knows when we can go back to normal life.

Nevertheless, I relaxed slightly after living with the pandemic for almost a year. I don’t get mad at things anymore, which I can’t change anyway. During the last months, I also learned to adapt to the situation, so I’m not freaking out that we just got into the second lockdown now. Instead, I’m trying to reduce my stress, catch up with loved ones and try to sleep a lot. Now is the time to catch up on sleep and work for my dreams and goals since I can’t really do any activities anyway.

Last but not least, I hope you are safe and healthy wherever you live right now! Try to reduce your stress, take care of your skin and sleep more! Maybe tomorrow doesn’t seem so bad anymore if you had a bad day today!