Has your skin been acting up the last few months? Has the heat and stuffiness of the summer been overwhelming under your mask? Is the sudden cold causing dryness? Have you noticed your chin and jawline have been extra oily and riddled with breakouts? Sorry to say it, but you're most likely dealing with maskne.
What is maskne? It's the abnormal breakouts of pimples or cysts caused by wearing your mask constantly. The material of the mask rubbing against your skin for long periods of time can cause breakouts. Combined with the sweat and stuffiness that comes along with that barrier (as well as the heat from the summer), it's the perfect mix of dreadful elements to cause skin issues.
I have sensitive skin and have dealt with acne all my life. In the last year or so, I finally got my skin under control, only for maskne to mess up all my hard work! However, after a lot of trial and error, I finally have found the perfect tips and tricks that have cleared my maskne right up and keep it at bay. If you've been struggling with your skin lately, maskne or not, try these tips and let me know how it works for you! Of course, not everything will work for everyone and that okay; everyone's skin is different and has different needs, but it won't hurt to give my tricks a try.
Firstly (and most cliche), is to drink your water! This is the most annoying "skincare tip" that anyone can give, I know. However, dehydration can cause so many issues, not just acne, so it is very important to drink water regularly throughout the day. Especially when it's hot out, we are sweating constantly and it's increased greatly under our masks! We lose hydration when we sweat a lot, which can cause our skin to breakout. So, as dumb as it sounds, drink some water! Upping my water intake has helped my skin a lot, and it's something I've lived by for as long as I've dealt with acne.
Next up: moisturize. As odd as it sounds, your super oily skin may just be a result of dryness and dehydration. If you are using any topical acne treatments, like salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide, on your acne and you are using too much, you may be overly drying out your skin. Your skin then produces more oil to overcompensate for the dryness. Add that extra, unneeded oil with the sweat and oil that comes from being under a mask all day, and you're looking at breakout central! Instead of constantly applying your acne gel or cream, try using a facial oil and/or night cream before going to to bed. Try this for a few nights (as well a lighter moisturizer in the morning) and avoid applying your acne treatments, and see what happens. For me, the extra hydration allowed my skin to stop producing extra oil and the breakouts stopped in a matter of days.
On the topic of acne treatments, you don't have to stop using them altogether, but try to avoid using excess amounts of it. You should only use a pea-sized amount to cover the affected area; don't slather the product all over your skin. It's going to unnecessarily dry out the skin that's fine, and it can cause even more acne.
I don't know who needs to hear this, but wash your masks! If you are using reusable, cloth masks, you need to wash them before their next use. I have a pack of 5 masks that I switch out every day, and at the end of the week I wash all of my masks. You can use baby shampoo, a disinfectant wash, even your face wash! Just please, wash your masks; if you don't wash them, you're letting a build up of sweat, makeup, and bacteria rub across your face constantly and that's doing your skin a great disservice. If you're using disposable face masks, you can't keep re-using the same one. Again, every day you need to switch your face mask out.
Another tip I have is to switch up your cleansers! In the morning I use a very gentle, soothing foam cleanser with no acne treatment in the ingredients. It is refreshing and calming for the skin, and it gently cleanses without stripping my face of its natural oils. At night, I use a stronger face wash, typically one with salicylic acid. This helps remove a lot of the impurities from the day, and fights the acne I have as well as helps prevent any new breakouts. I strictly use the stronger cleanser at night instead of both morning and evening because I use a thick, deeply hydrating moisturizer right after. The balance of gentle and medicated cleansers will allow your skin to do its own thing without overproducing oil, drying out, or becoming congested.
The last tip I have is to avoid touching the affected area. It's so easy to start picking at the bumps and whiteheads that have popped up, but try your best to avoid touching your acne. You can easily spread the bacteria all over your face by picking. If you just have to pop and squeeze, make sure to thoroughly wash your hands before and after, as well immediately cleansing the area you touched.
Those are the things I've been doing to improve my skin the last few months, and it's worked so well for me! While they are simple in nature, it's much easier said than done for most of us. We're used to a certain routine and doing our skincare a certain way, so having to adjust our skincare regimen can be a little hard to grasp at first. I hope you all enjoyed this week's post, and let me know if any of these tips work for you!
What's something you've been doing to avoid the dreaded maskne? Let me know in the comments!
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