MASKNE : Cause, Effect and How To Tackle The Problem

Since the Covid-19 pandemic arose, the term ‘maskne’ (mask-acne) has become common among skincare enthusiasts. A lot of people started having this problem due to enforcement of the mandatory wear of face mask in public. Since a lot of people work in shared and public spaces, the workforce is required to wear face masks for long hours. Because of this, mask acne, or ‘maskne’ problems happen.

We know about maskne, but do we know the cause of it? It’s not as complicated as acne caused by P.acne; it is merely caused by wearing a face mask for long hours every day. This is because wearing a face mask every day for long hours traps the sweat, sebum, dirt, etc on our skin, causing acne “festivals”!

Besides that, our lifestyle and habits also cause maskne to occur. Have you ever wondered why some people tend to have maskne at the chin area? This is because of the habit of putting the face mask below the chin. Imagine, the face mask already harbours a lot of bacteria, sebum and dirt, and we put it below our chin - horror!

Now that we know the cause, let’s talk about how to prevent or reduce maskne!
Before wearing a face mask, try this:

1. 
   
   1. Wear transfer-free makeup. You can also use a setting spray or setting powder to avoid the makeup transferring to your mask, hence avoiding your face mask becoming dirtier due to makeup.
   2. Wrap your face mask with a thin ply of tissue. Discard the tissue after some time, so fewer bacteria, sebum and dirt transfers to your face mask.
   3. Discard your mask after long hours of usage. The face mask is not designed to be worn for hours, so it is advisable to discard it after some time.
   4. Use a face mask with better fabrics. Some people are sensitive to a certain type of fabric, hence making the acne worsen. Reusable face masks, for example, come with much more comfortable fabric!

1. 
   
   1. Take off your face mask properly. Do not just put it below your chin; take it off and put it in a case.
   2. Take your mask off once in a while when the time and place is suitable.

After wearing a face mask for long hours, make sure to:

1. 
   
   1. Use soothing products to calm down redness or acne. Skintella Repairing Serum and Skintella Moisturizing Gel contain Centella Asiatica that works in soothing redness.
   2. Double-cleanse your skin to wash off impurities, dirt and sebum properly. CoalFace Soap and CoalBerry Cleanser have activated charcoal to remove impurities, dirt and sebum thoroughly with a single wash! Pair it up with a good oil cleanser before using these cleansers and you are good to go.