Fixing Maskne
This has been a super common issue that has risen up in the past few months with clients. So what’s the science behind this condition and how can we fix it?
What is Maskne?
Maskne is caused by excessive mask wearing, leading to increased breakouts, a compromised skin barrier and skin irritation. When we breathe or talk with a mask on, our exhaled breath has a tendency to hang on inside the mask. This creates a warm, humid environment that’s the perfect place for fungus, bacteria and other flora to grow. Add in the friction from the mask on your skin and you’ve got a perfect storm for perioral dermatitis, eczema flare-ups and increased breakouts and inflammation.
The key to fixing this issue is helping to support the skin barrier, improving the lipid matrix profile, balancing out the skin microbiome (the bacteria that lives on your skin), reducing inflammation and supporting lymphatic drainage in the skin.
Our Top Tips:
Support the Skin Barrier
You may want to consider switching up your skincare products - cleanser, toner and serums in order to add some extra support to your skin barrier.
The type of fabric your mask is also made of, matters when it comes to breathability and reducing the severity of skin dryness or compromising the skin barrier.
Improve the Lipid Matrix Profile
This requires both external and internal support. What I mean by that is make sure you’re using a quality serum that will help provide your skin with the right anti-inflammatory omegas, as well as supplementing with a quality omega complex.
Balance out the Skin Microbiome
Antimicrobials are key here. And yes, you can get some wonderful antimicrobial (aka skin microbiome balancing) products to apply topically, underneath your mask.
Reduce Inflammation
Again, I highly suggest you come at reducing inflammation in your skin by supplementing with a quality omega complex, particularly one that has either anti-inflammatory omegas like omega 7 or contains antioxidants like lutein and zeaxanthin.
Support Lymphatic Drainage
A gua sha tool or manual lymphatic drainage massage techniques will come in handy here. Make sure you’re doing this consistently after you remove your mask for the day and before bed.
