Maskne: A new phenomenon!!

While we may have more pressing worries during this pandemic than our skincare, looking our best (even if it is only for ourselves and our loved ones) can still play an important role in helping us to feel a sense of normality during these strange times.

The closures of hairdressers, beauty salons and professional skincare experts, like Mode Laser Clinic, mean maintaining the way we look can be a real challenge. On top of this the mandatory wearing of face covering have led to an unexpected, and unwanted, phenomenon; ‘Maskne’.

‘Maskne’ or ‘Mask-Acne’ is a catch all term for several skin conditions caused by mask usage including; acne outbreaks, irritation in the form of contact dermatitis, eczema and rosacea flare ups. Many men are also noticing an increase in folliculitis where the hair follicles are getting inflamed causing itching and pain. Some of you will suffer from these conditions anyway but the wearing of a mask will have no doubt worsened these issues.  Others reading this might be experiencing one or more of these symptoms for the first time.

As we adjust to the reality that facemasks may be a necessary part of our lives for some time, we need to look at some ways in which to manage our skin whilst protecting our health and the health of others.

Many of the conditions mentioned above are caused or exacerbated by tbe consequences of wearing a protective facemask. Friction, pressure and extra heat build up are caused by our hot breath being trapped between the mask and our skin. This causes an increase in sweat production which in turn stimulates our skin to produce more natural oils leading to a rise in bacteria.

While we all understand the need to wear face coverings, we do not have to live with ‘maskne’. From a thirty-year career in professional skincare, below are my top tips for maintaining good skin-health while protecting yourselves from the coronavirus;

• Wash your cloth masks after every wear to avoid cross contamination and build up of bacteria
• Make sure you wash your face morning and night
• Wash your face immediately after removing the mask with a mild cleanser
• Where possible, ditch the makeup where your mask will come into contact with it
• Moisturise
• Do not pick your spots as this can cause cross transfer of bacteria
• Try and get more sleep
• Find ways to de-stress, (anxiety is a trigger for your skin)

I hope you all continue to keep well during these unusual times, and I hope to see you all soon.

– Kathryn Lolley, Director of Mode Laser Skin Clinic