How To Wear a Mask and Avoid Acne

On April 3rd, the CDC recommended that we all wear face masks when leaving the house. Here is a tutorial on how to properly don and doff your mask and especially focuses on keeping your facial skin protected from the harsh trauma of wearing a mask- most notably the N95 mask.

Many people (mix of doctors, nurses and the general public) are asking if acne flares can be caused by regular mask use. This video will cover how to manage your facial skin during this time.

Products that are essential for skin care when you are using a face mask on a regular basis (for doctors, healthcare professionals, and general public):

3. Moisturizer with niacinamide to help prevent or treat acne:

or

General tips:

Be sure to wash your hands or sanitize before donning or doffing your mask.

Practice good hand hygiene.

Avoid touching your face and readjusting your mask and also routinely wash your cloth masks as it can easily pick up bacteria that can clog your pores (lead to acne) and also COVID19 can live on your mask for many days!

Could consider an over the counter hydrocortisone for bad inflammation but do not use this every day and do not use as prevention. Please see your dermatologist if the inflammation is severe as you will probably need a prescription strength steroid cream or ointment.

See a dermatologist if you are having acne scarring from your flares or if your acne is worsening quickly.

Please check with your physicians regarding over the counter options if you are pregnant.

 I hope that this is helpful in ensuring that you skin stays clear and protected during this pandemic. Please stay healthy and safe while being quarantined at home. We will pull through this together!

#maskuse #maskacne #maskne #acne #rosacea #cleanser #aquaphor #moisturizer #n95mask

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Music: That Day
Musician: Jef

Disclaimer: This video is not intended to be a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment with your healthcare professional. This is for medical educational purposes only.
I am not sponsored by any of the companies mentioned in this video. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Dr. Daniel Sugai
Board Certified Dermatologist

[seekidea]

Receiving free advice from a certified Harvard educated dermatologist is such a huge gift. I’m sure it will be a lot more difficult to upload videos when times normalize so we should enjoy this while we can!

[MIKUKIA]

This is exactly what I was looking for! The face mask is having my face break out around the chin areas and I hate it! Thank you, Dr. Sugai!

[nadahin]

Asian guy ICU nurse here in LA, my face has been terrible from wearing an n95 all day long, finding this video has been gold, thanks doc! Other videos don’t really offer actual advice like yours, so it’s much appreciated!

[theintrosproject]

Hi, doc. Thank you for your free advice. Supporting from the islands of the Philippines 🇵🇭

[nederlandsemuziek]

Thanks as a teen I have noticed I have been getting a lot of acne and it has affected me mentally.

[blackhorse]

I have been getting acne on my nose from my cpap for a couple of years. I discovered that washing my face with castor oil bar soap prior to bed and first thing in the morning has greatly reduced the blemishes

[paumicrob]

I'm a healthcare worker who needs to wear a mask all the time in clinic setting. My face that has never gotten any acne before has started to breakout. I thought it would go away on its own, but it never did :( now that I have started to watch your videos, I have learnt so much on skincare and I hope I can get my acne scars healed as soon as possible as it has definitely affected my self-esteem when I am not wearing a mask. Once again, thank you Dr. Sugai for your wonderful video that gives hope to a "skincare-clueless" healthcare worker like me :)

[naizies]

thank you so much for this and for the description, my skin was healed 2 years ago from my breakouts, now im back again because of the mask 😭😭

[horsegurl]

Thanks for doing this video! I’ve just started to see the effects of mask wearing on my chin, and I was super disappointed because I haven’t had acne since getting off Accutane four years ago. I was planning to start using a salicylic acid cleanser again, but Im going to try to switch to your recommended Cetaphil cleanser instead so that I’m not overreacting with my treatment.

Also! If you have any updated thoughts on treatment/prevention now that we’ve all been wearing them for a while, another video would be awesome! Thanks again :)

[jasminabraham]

Before corona my face is very clear
When i waer the mask my face full pimpiles😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[laurensugai]

Love this video! Definitely want to try the cleansers you recommended!

[ClioD]

I love LA Roche Posay Cicaplast Baume B5. I have been using it for dermatitis and now when I take out my mask I wash my face and put it on. Until now I have no skin issues and I have a very sensitive skin.

[christopherho]

Thank you for the video! I work at the hospital and wearing the masks and n95's all day really takes a toll on my skin! I've had 3 major breakouts or skin infections all over my face since the pandemic started. My first mistake was using a glycolic acid serum and retinoids on my face before work while using the mask which just marked up the irritation. Eventually my skin protective layer broke and i got a really bad skin infection due to all the bacteria that's sitting on my mask. My dermatologist has been working with me diligently though, eventually had to prescribed me accutane (i've been on it twice before)! It's a hard year, but we will follow through! Thank you for the tips!!!

[eriyeomans]

Hello from Seattle :)
I’ve been wearing masks more often and my face has been paying for it D: (breakouts on my chin and one area on the cheek where my mask was touching).

Did acne patches last night just so I don’t touch them. I’ll try your tips. Thank you

[Grateful-qu]

Great video Doc just gained a new subscriber 😊

[lolajayne]

Hi y'all....been watching mask/ skincare videos these days for tips. As time goes on my skin has gotten worse from wearing masks all day for the past 2 years where I myself now have cystic acne😞
Thank you Dr. for the tips but, Ive noticed all the videos no matter who's I watch the only people addressed in the medical fields are Nurses with a Dr thrown I to the mix sometimes.
I myself work in a laboratory in a hospital and have to wear masks as well as other staff not limited to nurses. Just a wee bit disheartening is all when were all affected😔
Again thank you for your time and tips. I will try them.

[Milkywaymist]

This is such a big help! Thank you. I live in asia and I was just wondering if the suggested skin care routine/product is also applicable here? Many thanks and am an avid fan of your channel.. keep it up! 😉🙂

[Banana]

Making sure to wear fresh mask every day or if wearing for a Long time in one day changing it a some stage.this helped my tiny bumps alot to clear up and no makeup!

[suzysanders]

I use those light blue paper like masks and change them and I still get the acne and my skin has never had acne before in my life

[kassiamirellagabriel]

Very informative.Are products like The Ordinary brand safe and good? Would you recommend it ? I have one here which is niacinamide.. I'm having mask acne at the moment Thank you in advance Doc! ❤