How to Protect Your Skin While Wearing a Mask

Do you have sensitive skin that is exacerbated by mask-wearing? Don’t fret! This isn’t unusual for many -- and there are an abundance of ways to protect your skin and ensure it is staying healthy and hydrated. Try these following tips:

Continue your normal morning and evening skincare routines

If you don’t have any skincare routine in place yet, it’s important that you start now! Start cleansing and moisturizing your skin regularly. Doing so will remove any excess debris and encourage proper skin barrier repair.

Use cleansers that are gentle on your skin

There are many items like this available. You can usually find them by looking for products that are marked as being safe for sensitive skin. The reason for using these is that they are not as likely to disrupt your skin barrier as compared to cleansers with harsher formulas.

Consider skipping your foundation

Wearing makeup while wearing a mask can encourage breakouts since your face doesn’t have as much direct exposure to air as it did previously. So, avoiding wearing foundation on those areas of your skin under your mask, this can help to significantly with reducing acne. However, if you are really set on wearing makeup, find a brand that is made for oily skin – or consider wearing your makeup around your eyes only. This will help your skin breathe.

Spot treat any inflamed areas of your skin

An over-the-counter anti-inflammatory cream will be a good choice to help you give your face some relief if you find it has become red and irritated. You could opt for petroleum jelly, but a cream with hydrocortisone will also do the trick.

Remember to regularly wash your mask

If you go out regularly in your mask, it will naturally accumulate oils and debris, especially if you wear makeup. Continuing to wear your mask while saturated can irritate your skin and lead to breakouts, so it’s best that you wash yours regularly (but make sure to remove your mask’s filter ahead of time).

If you have acne-prone skin, use products that contain salicylic acid

Salicylic acid is a key ingredient in cleansers that treat acne. If you’re facing breakouts, look for a gentle cleanser that contains it. It will help calm your skin and get those unwanted blemishes to go away.

Your skin is important – it is your largest body organ, after all! Proper skin care is essential. If you tend to have skin problems, it’s still important that you continue wearing your mask for the safety of yourself and others. Skin irritations can be easily treated, which will leave you feeling clean, comfortable, and safe.