Covid Masking: Avoid Maskne Before It Starts!

Sometimes it’s just exhausting thinking about Covid 19. And we’re with you. But this is not the time to let your annoyances or anxiety negatively affect your face. We promise that incorporating a few good practices into your daily life will prevent ‘maskne’ (adult acne and skin irritation caused by Covid associated mask wearing) and other negative effects.

No. 1 Mask Maintenance

Basic Covid mask maintenance is in order whether you are an obsessive wearer or a more occasional one. But ladies, it’s simple. You change your underwear every day, it's the same with mask wearing.

Take your mask on and off via the ear loops or by the edges.
Avoid touching the main body of the mask to avoid accidentally bringing acne triggering bacteria in.
Wash cloth masks with a mild or fragrance free detergent & warm (or hot water) after EVERY USE.
Avoid bleaching your masks. Bleach lingers on fabric and is a major skin irritant.
Keep washing the hands (and NOT just using hand sanitizer) so hands are truly clean when taking on and off your mask.

Pro Tip 1: Use a lingerie bag and toss cloth masks in the washing machine, whenever you’re doing laundry.

No. 2 Sweat & The Spare Mask

Wearing a protective face covering or mask prevents other people’s germies from getting to you and vice versa. So that’s good but the bummer is that Covid mask wearing generates heat,moisture and sweat. And this sweat isn’t the good kind you get from a workout. Opt for double layered light all-cotton masks rather than surgical ones which are made of multiple layers of synthetic fibers (generally polypropylene so highly problematic for the environment as well). Surgical masks are more prone to heat and sweat generation. There’s a reason that Hospital Surgeries are kept super cold and this is one of them. For example, Sanctuary brand at Anthropologie has a superlight cotton, double layer option. You can find good ones at Old Navy and Baggu as well.

Many people find the physical mask material upsets their skin. Try different cottons or silk. We know it’s pricey, but a few silk masks are still less expensive than new shoes or a trip to the doctor!
Bring extra masks with you so you can switch them out for comfort.
Start with a clean face under the mask. Just apply a fast-absorbing serum or SPF-enhanced moisturizer. Dermatologists strongly suggest avoiding foundation, tinted moisturizers and other makeup.

Pro Tip 2: Keep a Ziploc in the car glove compartment (and your handbags) with fresh clean masks.

No. 3 Cleansing During COVID-19

Just as you wash your hand sand lower arms when going back inside; if you were out for a while and built up a sweat under your face mask, you should wash your face again. Or at least the lower half. Up your game and make sure to have some gentle cleansing options to manage the oil, sweat and dirt buildup underneath the mask. At the same time, you don’t want to use anything intense that will strip skin or disrupt the skin barrier.

Each of us is individual but caire suggests a non-retinoid, non-glycolic gentle cleanser for daytime use.
Don’t use your hand soap or bar soap! And if you are a double-cleanser, don’t do it mid-day.
If you get a breakout, around the mouth or nose - perioral dermatitis - keep cleansing after each mask wear and make sure to use a light, fast absorption serum to calm and hydrate skin after. Our Serum Boost has a triple-layer Hyaluronic acid complex, which will soothe skin and also reduce inflammation caused by mask friction. Hyaluronic acid is a natural anti-microbial ingredient.
If the breakout doesn’t go away, get in touch with a dermatologist as they might suggest using a salicylic or azelaic acid cleanser or similar in the evenings to more deeply de-clog the face.

Pro-Tip 3: Use acne spot dots to micro-manage maskne. They can be worn safely and the ones that look like little stars look great if you’re seen full face!

No. 4 Skincare Masks VS Covid Masks

Counteract maskne, mask sweat and clogged pores with good masking. You can use almost any skincare mask but at caire we suggest using masks that are fairly priced, not the zombie $40 peruse type, nor sheet masks which are nice for Instagram perhaps but are actually terrible on the environment front (yes we agree, single use packaging needs to stop). The Caire Triple Lift Molecule Mask actually has three kinds of Hyaluronic Acid as well as other bio-nutrients to not only plump up skin but also to soothe and calm skin.

HA (Hyaluronic acid) which is one of our signature Caire ingredients is a proven anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory molecule. That’s exactly what skin needs in these crazy Covid times.
Up your masking frequency and treat your skin to a mask treatment 2 or even 3x a week. Meditate or do some asanas or just relax into your current fave TV show while masking and turn the 20 minutes into a true self-care moment.

Dr.Tonya Cook of Newark New Jersey tells us she’s using our caire Triple Lift Molecule mask 2x a week because wearing a Covid protective surgical mask all day (yep, those heat & sweat generating triple layer blue ones!) has caused her all manner of skin irritation. Using caire gives her skin an opportunity to reset - meaning calm itself down. She said that the mask’s “soothing, smoothing and rejuvenating” qualities gave her “skin joy!” Her words, not ours!

PRO-Tip 4: Use caire Triple Lift Molecule Mask BEFORE Zooming! Look refreshed, glowing and make every everyone else a little jealous, curious … inspired?!

Reach out to us today and tell us yours. We caire about our community and anything you share will be kept confidential but will help us create the most desirable hormone defying skincare going forward.