3 Ways to Avoid Maskne (Mask + Acne)

Face masks may be keeping you healthy, but they might also contribute to oil and blemishes. Read on for 3 ways to avoid maskne!

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Perhaps you work from home and only wear a mask when you have to run errands. Maybe you’re a healthcare worker and have to wear a mask for 16+ hours every day (Can we talk about how crazy amazing that is?!). Regardless of how long you have to wear the latest wellness accessory, face masks help to keep you and others healthy. 

They also, unfortunately, have a habit of causing acne. This is what we like to call Maskne (mask + acne). Unless you’re used to wearing a face mask on a regular basis, this is probably a big change for your skin. Luckily, with just a few steps you can lessen or completely avoid maskne altogether. Keep reading and learn 3 ways to avoid maskne!

What is Maske?

Maskne is basically just the buzzword people are using to describe the acne caused by wearing a face mask for an extended period of time. Considering the shape of most face masks, it makes sense that these extra blemishes are usually found around the chin, mouth, and even around the nose. While this isn’t surprising to the medical community, mask-related acne isn’t new by any means. 

Anyone with a job that requires wearing a face-mask for an extended period of time might have experienced this. That includes healthcare workers, nail technicians, carpenters, and more. While wearing a face mask, hot air from talking and breathing can get trapped. This creates a warm, humid environment which makes it easy for bacteria to grow. That, combined with the friction from a mask can easily lead to acne.

While you might be tempted to opt for a thinner mask material to avoid this, that kind of defeats the purpose. If the material is too thin, it won’t provide enough protection from airborne illnesses. You’ll also want to make sure you’re not wearing your mask too often without washing it. It’s for the same reason you don’t wear the same gym socks every day...they can get pretty gross.

So, if the masks are here to stay for a while, how are you supposed to combat all that extra bacteria around your face? 

Regularly Cleanse Your Skin To Avoid Excess Bacteria

This one should be a no-brainer. If you have extra bacteria on your skin, make sure you’re including a cleansing step in your skincare routine. 

If cleansing your skin is already part of your morning routine, you might consider adding it to your evening routine as well (and vice versa). If you have combination skin and don’t usually apply a cleanser, consider cleansing your skin once every few days. Everyone is different, and not everyone needs to wear a face mask as long. So, this may require a bit of trial and error on your part to figure out what works best for you.

For particularly dry skin, we would recommend cleansing skin only when you start to feel unnaturally oily. That’s because too much cleansing can strip the natural moisture from your skin, which is already a problem for drier skin. That’s why it’s so important to make sure you’re giving your skin enough nourishment.

Nourish Your Skin to Provide Protection

Like we said earlier, too much cleansing can actually strip the moisture from the outermost layer of your skin. That makes it harder for your skin to stay oxygenated, which means less elastin and collagen, more fine lines, more wrinkles, and a dull complexion. Honestly, this is a huge part of the reason why treating maskne is so tricky.

Luckily, if you’re regularly nourishing your skin, you can help keep that outermost layer of skin healthy. Your skin needs essential fatty acids, vitamins, and antioxidants to keep the skin barrier moisturized and intact. Plus, if you can find a product with calming adaptogens, they’ll help your skin feel less stressed and irritated (Hint: take a peek at our Radiance Facial Oil).

Skincare products with full-spectrum CBD will also provide a much-needed dose of anti-inflammatories. When you cleanse your skin more, you might experience redness and irritation, which CBD will help soothe. On top of that, CBD is a cortisol quencher and can help reduce excess oil production.

You’ll also want to make sure you’re getting rid of dead skin cells.

Exfoliate Your Skin 

Regardless of whether you use a physical or chemical exfoliant, this skincare step is essential even without Maskne. Your skin works hard to protect you, so it’s constantly creating new skin cells to replace old ones. If the old skin cells don’t get removed, however, they can build up on the surface of your skin and cause issues. Think dry skin, rough patches, flakes, clogged pores, and even a dull-looking complexion.

If you’ve ever noticed that your products don’t seem to be absorbing properly, it might actually be because the layer of dead skin is too thick for it to penetrate. So, even without having Maskne to worry about, exfoliating is essential. When you consider all the issues that face masks pose to your skin, however, exfoliating becomes non-negotiable. 

To avoid causing any extra irritation to your skin, we recommend a gentle exfoliator that won’t strip your skin. We designed our Karmic Cleanse to both rid your skin of impurities and gently exfoliate with crushed jade. You might also consider a once-a-week face mask that will provide nourishment while smoothing and brightening your complexion.

Our Moonlight Cooling Glow Mask was created with crushed moonstone for mild exfoliation and a boost of good vibes. Cucumber and Kaolin Clay help soothe and draw out impurities while Prickly Pear Enzymes help gently loosen dead skin cells. 

Masks and Skincare Boost Your Overall Health and Wellness

Health and wellness are the name of the game this year (and probably next year too). But that doesn’t just mean wearing a mask and taking care of your skin. Make sure you’re drinking enough water, connecting with friends and family, and nourishing your soul just as much as you nourish your skin.

Tag us in your next gram-worthy skincare routine pic for a chance to be featured on one of our stories. Plus, don’t forget to follow us for all the latest updates. 

Till next time, beauties! 😘