When it comes to maskne, the struggle truly is real.
With the world opening back up and people emerging from their homes to resume their livelihoods, many of us weren’t ready for the acne emerging from underneath our masks. For anyone who’s dealing with additional clusters of breakouts especially around the chin area, don’t worry, since this isn’t something completely new. Let’s keep calm and skincare on!
What exactly is maskne?
“Maskne” is acne developed by a combination of two components: friction and moisture.
When you go about your daily business outdoors while wearing a mask, the increased friction between the mask and your skin creates micro-tears in your skin barrier. If you’re not familiar with the importance of your skin barrier, you should because this is what protects your skin from environmental factors. This includes dust, pollutants, bacteria, and UV rays. When your skin barrier becomes compromised, it eventually leads to inflammation, irritation, and acne.
So you can see how big of a deal it is to keep your face protected. To give you an analogy, it’s like experiencing chafing and irritation as you try to break into your new shoes — definitely not pleasant!
Let’s add sweat and humidity to the equation. Since the mask protects your nose and mouth, it’s a no-brainer that a lot of moisture gets trapped under the mask. But when your skin is already irritated from the friction, adding sweat is like rubbing salt to an open wound — literally! So you can expect to see this accumulation end up in extra breakouts.
Some Tips When Wearing a Mask
Since friction and moisture are two main factors for maskne, it’s important to minimize their impact on our precious faces as much as possible. This means keeping our masks clean or using masks made with lightweight materials like cotton or silk.
For those who are wearing reusable cloth masks, bypass fabric softeners and use dye-free and fragrance-free detergents to minimize irritation. The key is to keep the masks clean in order to prevent buildup of bacteria and moisture.
Another important tip is to be mindful when wearing makeup under the mask area. If possible, we actually recommend you don’t wear makeup at all due to the buildup of moisture. For the time being, applying heavy makeup like concealers and foundations might not be the best choice. That’s because you’re adding another layer that can potentially clog your pores even more. And besides, it’s a hassle to remove all the makeup stains on your reusable mask — let’s spare ourselves the heartbreak.
Cleanse
Once you arrive home, the very first step that makes or breaks your skin is cleansing. Since your skin is more likely to become clogged and irritated due to sweat and friction, it’s important to make sure you cleanse your face thoroughly. Look for gentle cleansers formulated at pH levels close to your skin (around 4.5-5.5) and with gel, milk, or lotion consistencies. They will leave your skin feeling moist, clean, and comfortable without stripping.
Moisturize
You’d think your face is already protected by your mask because it already acts as a barrier to keep outdoor pollutants and dust out. But as we learned, the friction from masks are doing our skin more harm than good — hence the maskne! So it’s super important to keep your skin barrier protected to prevent further irritation. Using fragrance-free, oil-free, and lightweight moisturizers not only help create a barrier between your skin and the mask, but it’s also the least likely to clog your pores. For dry skin types, look for skin barrier–protecting ingredients like ceramides, panthenol, antioxidants, and omega fatty acids.
Treat
For active cases of acne, you’ll want to look for products that can help unclog pores and calm inflammation. Using chemical exfoliants like salicylic acid (BHA) can help reach deep into the pores to target overproduction of oils. Chemical exfoliates also work by shedding away excess buildup of dead skin cells. The best time to apply your treatment is at night before bed, but you can use it during the mornings if your skin needs extra protection. Make sure you follow up with a good moisturizer and sunscreen!
Protect
A mask shouldn’t be an excuse to forego sunscreen! Make sure you look for one that feels good applying, is non-irritating, and doesn’t clog pores. Luckily many sunscreens have lightweight textures that leave skin glowing while offering good protection, so the option lies with your preference. And for anyone who’s wondering what the right dosage of sunscreen is for their face, here’s a simple trick! Draw a line from the midsection of your middle finger to the tip. Use small portions to dot onto areas of exposed skin before spreading evenly. Don’t forget to add extra to your neck and ears!
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