COVID-19 has really hit us all in many different ways — including how we approach our skincare regimen. Face masks have become an essential part of our everyday life in this new normal.

But, with temperatures rising and people spending more time in public places, many are noticing breakouts and skin irritation as a result of wearing a face covering.

Wearing a mask or other protective gear around your face can lead to a type of acne called acne mechanic.

Why Masks causes break out?

When something is constantly rubbing up against your skin, the combination of friction, heat, and pressure can be a trigger for breakouts.

Not only do masks irritate the skin by rubbing on it, they also create a moist environment since we already have so much product on our face, the breakouts thrive and it only gets worse from there.

Since we tend to sweat and our skin isn’t able to breathe properly for hours thus our pore’s get clogged which caused blackheads on our nose and white heads on our chin for many of us.

The only way to solve this concern is to love your skin immensely- to let it breathe- to remove all the product well off our face- to make sure we wash our face regularly- to hydrate our skin well and to drink a lot of water   throughout the day.

It all starts with keeping the skin clean and the protective barrier as healthy as possible.

Also please remember to wash your masks if it’s of cloth and washable. Make it a perpetual habit of washing your hands and your masks every time you come home from a public.

Our mask is the closest thing to our face. So it’s really important for us to keep it clean. Or simply keep changing it every now and then if its disposable.

Skin care routine-

• Tone and Treat – If you’re dealing with maskne, an antibacterial toner will be your best friend. Additionally, products with salicylic acid, lactic acid, tea tree oil, and/or manuka leaf extract can further clear up the complexion.

  For those experiencing redness or rashes that haven’t turned into breakouts, she recommends swapping the antibacterial toner for a hydrating, serum-infused one.

  Apply a little moisturizer on top once you’re finished to seal everything in.

• Moisturize before Masking – To protect the skin from irritation, using a light, non-oil based moisturizer before putting on your mask.

  This helps to create a protective barrier that can combat the friction caused by the face covering.

• Keep Makeup minimal – Don’t use heavy makeup under the mask to prevent occlusion. We highly recommend to skip the face and to focus on eyes while you do make up as it is, our face is covered most of the times.

  But if makeup is a part of your lifestyle, we recommend oil free make up for the face. For the lips avoid gloss, only use matt stay long lipstick which won’t leave a stain on to the mask.

  Skip using blush, highlighter and bronzer. Keep your make up as minimal as u can. And to fix your makeup use Matt finishing spray for it to fix and give u a non-oily look.

• Clean and Exfoliate– Washing your face right after you take your mask off (or as soon after as you can) is also key for treatment and prevention.

  While it’s important to exfoliate the skin to prevent a buildup of dead skin cells and other acne-causing bacteria, it’s imperative that the products used do not compromise the skin barrier.

  The cleanser prevents stripping skin from its natural protective barrier, while the chemical exfoliator removes dead cells, decreases build up, and encourages skin regeneration.