Mascne 101

Jun 6

WHAT IS MASCNE?

Mascne refers to a few different skin issues, including acne, folliculitis, rosacea, or contact dermatitis. It can be caused by several factors: humidity from your breath, friction, and the bacteria by sweat, your mouth, and oil that becomes trapped under your mask.

If your face is super inflamed and itchy and looks like more of a rash, it’s likely that you have contact dermatitis instead of a full blown acne breakout. Contact dermatitis is a condition where the body's immune system has developed a hypersensitivity to an allergen commonly found in detergents, fabrics, skin-care products, etc.

WHY you may be GETTING IT

No matter what you do to combat it, getting mascne may be virtually unavoidable. Additionally, masks can worsen pre-existing skin issues, especially in the summer months with the heat and humidity. Here are some reasons why you could be getting (a lot of) it.

Your mouth - Our mouths and noses house a lot of bacteria—mouths are even said to be the dirtiest area of your body. Trapped breath in your mask sits on the skin, and this issue is exasperated with poor mouth hygiene. Eating, drinking, and going long periods without brushing your teeth can worsen this.
Makeup - The denser your make is, or the more makeup you wear, can add to the likelihood of getting mascne.
Friction - If you are someone that has to wear a mask all day, the constant friction from your mask to your skin (and whatever products you are wearing) are sure to trigger a flare up. Your skin is meant to be able to breathe, so you may want to reconsider the type of masks you wear.
Not washing/changing your masks enough - The longer you wear a mask without cleaning it the more dirt, oil, and sweat will build up and sit on your skin. You should be cleaning and changing out your masks regularly.
Excess oil production - This may be happening for a number of reasons: the heat, naturally oily skin, a change in your skincare routine.

HOW TO PREVENT IT

Consider the type of mask you wear - We suggest a mask with 100% cotton as it allows skin to breathe a bit better.
Have better hygiene - Make sure you’re cleaning your face and mouth regularly. Don’t skip on brushing your teeth, flossing, and even using a mouth wash.
Keep your masks clean - Masks should be washed regularly. We suggest having a wide collection of masks and bringing about 3-4 with you throughout your day/night so you can change them out periodically. Then wash them altogether to save water!
Oil control - Over-washing your face or using overly-drying products may dry out your skin, tricking it into thinking it needs to produce more oil.
Less makeup - Might be hard… but worth it! The mask intensifies product delivery to your skin, and it’s less than ideal to have concealer and foundation rubbing into your skin all day. If you can’t go cold turkey, we recommend switching to a tinted moisturizer instead of concealer/foundation.

HOW TO TREAT IT

It is super important that you treat your mascne gently and carefully. Mascne is more delicate than regular acne because the breakout is continuously coming in contact with your mask, causing near constant friction and irritation. Instead of using harsh and strong acne-killing treatments, you'll want to be washing your face regularly with gentle cleansers and be strategic with what products you put on. We suggest using non-comedogenic products that cover and smooth skin while still treating pores and inflammation.

Try this skincare for contact dermatitis

Serums: in the morning, after cleansing and toning, layer on a restorative serum to calm inflammation and restore moisture in the skin. A restorative serum can look like a peptide serum, B3 serum, Hyaluronic acid, Niacinamide, etc.

Normally, we recommend using a corrective serum at night. However, if your skin feels extra sensitive, we suggest you use a restorative serum at night as well.

Our restorative serum recommendation: VIVANT Rejuv RX Peptide Concentrate