Between stress levels and mask-wearing, skin issues today are at an all-time high.
Prior to the pandemic, our most prevalent skincare concern among clients was aging prevention and correction of hyper-pigmentation, but since the doors of Lemon and Honey Day Spa have reopened, we’re now seeing a huge shift in skincare concerns due to mask mandates and the resulting effects of maskne.
If you haven’t heard of maskne, it’s the resulting skin irritation and blocked pores that occur from the accumulated sweat, oil, and bacteria build-up on skin due to increased and prolonged mask-wearing along with the irritation of rubbing and compression on facial skin.
On one hand, mask-wearing will make you happy that you have an easy cover-up, but on the other hand can lead to prolonged skin issues when left untreated including scarring, pitting, pigmentation, and even scar tissue.
The key to preventing these long-term effects is two-fold:
1 – Begin treating maskne early through a reinforced daily skincare regimen to keep irritation at bay and skin at its healthiest
2 – Continue regular at-home maintenance while avoiding common pitfalls while also receiving professional treatment for top-line defense against maskne in the day-to-day and for the long-run
Here are the 10 Steps for At-Home Treatment of Maskne:
1 – Use gentle exfoliation
Exfoliation is key for removing the built-up oils and dead skin cells that get trapped under your mask, but the key word here is “gentle.” Over-exfoliation will have the adverse effect of drying out the skin and causing more irritation.
A clean facial cloth with tepid water with gentle pressure in circular motions for one to two minutes is all you need.
2 – Become friends with facial oil
With increased need for exfoliation, comes the increased need for re-nourishment. A facial oil is the perfect remedy for balancing out the need to slough away more from the surface while working to dissolve oils and lift away debris so that you’re able to truly keep it gentle with your exfoliative efforts.
Think of the facial oil as the “wax on, wax off” elixir to aid the exfoliation process and kick off the rest of your at-home maskne treatment.
3 – Use a skin-calming cleanser
Now that you’ve adequately pre-cleansed with Steps 1 and 2, your cleanser has access to the pure canvas of your skin for ultimate product penetrating power. Due to the increased irritation from the mask rubbing and pressing on your skin, a cleanser uniquely formulated for calming is going to be what your skin needs to combat the aggravation from mask-wearing.
4 – Find a hydrating moisturizer
Not a trick question, is your moisturizer hydrating? If you’re normally satisfied with your moisturizer, but now find it’s not pulling its weight, it’s because you need a moisturizer with added hydrating benefits to work overtime on the dehydrating effects of maskne.
5 – Get a mask that targets specific concerns
Now we’re talking about a different mask, not the mask you use to stop the spread, the mask you need to let your skin rest and recover. We know, all this mask wearing, it’s a lot, except this will be a mask you’ll be happy to wear.
Whether you’re suffering from chin breakouts or perhaps just very dry skin that needs a surge of hydration, get a mask that targets the unique concerns you need covered (no pun intended).
6 – Don’t forget SPF!
Just because half of your face is covered doesn’t mean you get a pass on protection. You’ll still need to layer on your daily SPF to keep your skin tone even, protect against pigmentation, and ensure that your forehead and eyes don’t get unprotected sun exposure.
7 – Invest in eye cream
Speaking of your eyes, they could use a little TLC thanks to mask-wearing. With the skin surrounding the eyes being the most delicate and fragile on the face, this area is extremely susceptible to irritation from the nose pieces on masks, especially those that are tight-fitting.
To avoid this irritation, it helps to prep the under-eye skin with a layer of hydrating eye cream to cut down on friction irritation.
8 – Don’t get lazy – clean your mask daily!
Dirt and oil that builds up on your skin also builds up on your mask. Avoid wearing the same mask over again, especially if you’re wearing it for prolonged periods of time like for work or longer errands.
While mask fashion can be a way to show your personality during the pandemic, we suggest either having plenty of cute patterned masks on hand, or getting a bulk package of a single tone shade that goes with everything and makes it easy to grab and go for errand days and bulk wash so you’re never stuck reusing.
9 – Use the powers of an antioxidant serum
An anti-oxidant serum is a must-have in all seasons, but particularly with maske, an antioxidant serum helps arm the skin with the natural protection to ward off skin damage and renourish the skin from potential hydration and oil imbalance.
10 – Have a healing barrier repair cream or balm on hand
Sometimes, despite all of our best efforts, prolonged mask wearing can wreak havoc and cause micro-tears that lead to bruising or open irritated skin. Having a healing repair cream on hand is great for providing a reinforced barrier so your skin can heal properly.
Or you could use your healing balm preemptively to prevent irritation you know will occur in trouble spots.
And when you’ve nailed your at-home routine, it still helps to have a pro step in to help.
Finally, once you’ve done everything to reinforce proper maskne prevention and treatment at home, it still doesn’t hurt to give your skin the additional boost to revitalize and repair from the inside out, which is exactly what our Organic Vampire Facial achieves.
From loss of luminosity to uneven tone and texture, dark circles and pigmented patches or clogged pores, the Organic Vampire Facial works rapidly to boost blood flow and oxygenation as well as increase the skin’s natural hyaluronic acid and collagen production for ongoing anti-aging benefits and prevents future hyper-sensitivity, which is key for treating maskne at the most foundational level.
In addition to those must-do’s, also be sure to avoid these four maskne fails:
- DON’T wear BHAs, Salicylics, or Retinols under your mask – While these ingredients are great to have in your regimen, the increased humidity under your mask can prolong their active effects and trigger sensitivity, especially when wearing your mask for a longer duration.
- DON’T try and sanitize your mask with anything other than soap and water – Alternative and more harsh cleaning agents can further strip or dry the skin leading to exacerbated maskne issues.
- DON’T wear harsh toners or astringents under your mask – Again, they’re drying, and your skin doesn’t need an extra drying accelerant with an astringent.
- DON’T use products with spearmint and peppermint under your mask – While mint can be refreshing, under a mask it can be irritating to the skin as it acts like a natural astringent, so best bet it to opt for the non-minty lip balms.
Ready to revitalize and reclaim your skin from maskne? Learn more about our Organic Vampire Facial treatment or receive custom recommendations from one of our Lemon and Honey estheticians with a free virtual consultation.
