HAVING PROBLEMS WITH YOUR MASK – HERE ARE SOME SOLUTIONS

 

 

While we surgeons and nurses are quite used to wearing a face mask for a very long time at a stretch, many people are wearing them for the first time during this ongoing COVID19 pandemic and may find the experience not very pleasant. Medical staff members wear tightly-fitting respirators or surgical masks throughout their work shift, and the rest typically wear cloth masks, bandanas, or single-use surgical masks when they go about their daily tasks outdoors. With cities and businesses around the world reopening up slowly but steadily, life for most of us will become more active once again. But as the virus or its cousins threaten to revisit us life will hardly return to normal in the near future. The pandemic isn't going away any time soon, not till at least we have an effective vaccine and so we need to acquire new and sustainable habits to shield ourselves from the Coronavirus. Apart from hand-washing and social distancing, wearing face masks every time we go outside, is a habit that's important and yet quite uncomfortable, especially when you have to spend a lot of time outside.

Skin irritation while wearing face masks is extremely common. Irritation can appear as red bumps or patches on the skin, patches of sensitivity that will burn when you wash your face, or even pimples. A mask creates a barrier between the environment and your skin, and excess heat and humidity get trapped in the mask - creating the perfect environment for bacteria to multiply. Apart from that, a face mask that fits more tightly in some areas, typically the jaw-line, chin, and nose, creates friction and further harms your skin's barrier and makes it even more susceptible to irritation and blemishes. So, heat, humidity, and friction combined make masks a potential skin irritant.

Needless to say, tight-fitting respirators like the widely-known N-95 will be more suffocating and irritating for the skin, which is why only essential workers, specifically medical staff, are recommended to wear these masks. Respirators can even cause bruising on the skin, which sadly cannot be prevented. That being said, not wearing face masks is not an option, for the safety of others and our own are more important than having beautiful skin. 

Respiratory problems - Face masks make breathing more difficult. For people with Bronchitis, Asthma and COPD, face masks are in fact intolerable to wear as they worsen their breathlessness. Moreover, a fraction of carbon dioxide previously exhaled is inhaled at each respiratory cycle. Those two phenomena increase breathing frequency and deepness, and hence they increase the amount of inhaled and exhaled air. This may worsen the burden of covid-19 if infected people wearing masks spread more contaminated air. This may also worsen the clinical condition of infected people if the enhanced breathing pushes the viral load down into their lungs.

Chafing on the nose and behind the ears, foggy glasses and difficulty breathing are just some of the other issues that come up when people start wearing face masks on a daily basis. All these issues may be quite inconvenient and discourage you from wearing a mask in public for a long time - a habit that is bound to not end well. So let me see how I can help you with these problems one by one:

1. Stop Glasses from Fogging Up

Wearing face masks is especially troublesome for glasses wearers because glasses tend to fog up when you're breathing a tad too heavily or your mask doesn't fit tightly over your nose. Luckily, there are few tips you can follow to prevent fogging:

• Wear glasses slightly further away from your face by wearing them lower on your nose to prevent fogging.
• Make sure the face mask has wiring that makes it fit more tightly on the nose to prevent air from escaping and fogging up your glasses.
• Try to breathe steadily, inhaling through the nose, and exhaling through the mouth to avoid fogging up your glasses or sunglasses.

2. Make Breathing Fresher and Easier

Sugar-free mints are a good thing to have in your arsenal these days. Not only will they help prevent smelling your own unpleasant breath if that's an issue, but they will also mask any unpleasant odors your face mask may have. In addition, dentists point out that the menthol flavor will help you breathe easier in a mask if your mask is making you a bit claustrophobic or you notice that breathing is more difficult in a mask.

3. Avoid Extra Contaminants

Most people don't realize this, but long hair is a possible health hazard, as it too can catch virus particles from the air and transfer those onto the surface of the mask. To avoid this from happening, pull your hair back into a ponytail or any other hair style that would keep your hair away from your face. Not only will this protect you from the virus, but it will also trap less heat in the mask and prevent the skin from sweating underneath the mask, which could render the face-covering ineffective in the summer heat.

4. Prevent Irritation

If you find that wearing a face mask causes chafing on the nose, chin, or lips, or even acne there is another method you can use to ease this issue. Simply put a piece of tissue in the areas where the mask rubs against the skin to prevent irritation. A few more tips are:

A.     One of the reasons skin irritation occurs is excess moisture that gets trapped in the skin. If you're using a thick moisturizer every day before wearing a face mask, it can make irritation worse, as it creates an occlusive layer on the skin that traps moisture and heat in the skin. Instead, opt for a moisturizer with a more lightweight texture, maybe even a gel moisturizer when you know you'll be wearing a mask. 

B.     After removing the mask while washing the face, you're actually somewhat stripping your skin of its lipid barrier, which is fine when your skin is in good shape but might be harmful when it's irritated by the face mask. To calm your skin and decrease the amount of redness, breakouts, and dry patches that might appear after wearing a mask, try only using lukewarm water on the face - no soap or cleansers or cleansing wipes and mop dry with a towel.

C.     Replace or wash your mask regularly. Opt for hypoallergenic detergents, like those intended for infants and kids, and avoid highly-fragranced options and fabric softener, since fragrance can cause further irritation or even an allergic reaction.

D.    Wearing makeup underneath a mask may increase your risk of developing a skin allergy towards some of the ingredients in the makeup you're using in the long term.

E.     Facial hair can further irritate the skin, and it can trap more moisture and heat than smooth skin, so it's best to shave your face clean if you're wearing a mask regularly and experiencing some irritation as a result. In addition, some face masks can be rendered ineffective when you have facial hair.

F.      While medical personnel do not have a choice and have to wear the medical grade masks most others have. Go for cotton masks and not synthetic ones and make sure it is multi-layer cotton as single layer will not stop the viral particles.

G.    If you get rashes around your mouth or on your lips after wearing a face mask and you don't chew gum, consider changing your toothpaste for a hypoallergenic kind - such as kids' toothpaste or toothpaste low in fluoride and intended for sensitive teeth. This is because of the mint and other essential oils chewing gum and tooth pastes contain, could be irritating for skin that's already weakened by wearing masks on a daily basis.

5. Relieve Pain Behind the Ears

Unfortunately, the tissue trick we mentioned above won't help ear chafing - a problem the overwhelming majority of people are experiencing, but there is a solution to this problem, too. You can simply use a paper clip or a bag clip above to secure the mask on your face.

Do keep in mind, however, that it's very important to make sure the mask still fits you properly after using this trick, or else the mask covering is useless. If the mask becomes too loose on the sides after you've attached the ear elastics to a clip, you'll need to shorten the elastics.

6. Eye irritation:  

Wearing an ill-fitting face mask makes the exhaled air go into the eyes. This, besides fogging the glasses generates an uncomfortable feeling and an impulse to touch your eyes. If your hands are contaminated, you are infecting yourself.

7. Always Have One on Hand

One of the biggest inconveniences with face masks is that you have to remember to take it with you every time you exit your home. To never forget your face mask at home, simply get in the habit of hanging a clean face mask next to your house or car keys. This way, you'll be a lot more likely to wear a mask, and you'll store it safely, too, since the mask won't lay on any potentially contaminated surfaces and won't accumulate germs in a handbag or pocket.

 

Wearing a face mask may give a false sense of security and make people adopt a reduction in compliance with other infection control measures, including social distancing and hands washing. Inappropriate use of face mask is another problem. People must not touch their masks, must change their single-use masks frequently or wash them regularly, dispose them correctly.