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Oh, Maskne! How you have ruined our glassy, smooth, and clear skin!
The past 10 months of dealing with COVID have been filled with danger, sadness, loss, and sacrifice on so many levels.
People have lost family members, friends, and a sense of purpose in life.
We are all feeling the COVID blues!
Unfortunately, COVID even managed to affect the smallest, most insignificant part of this whole situation: our acne.
By no means are our acne problems comparable to all the other obstacles people are facing with COVID, but it is something that is worth talking about.
Wearing a mask 24/7 has coined the infamous term we all know and love now: maskne.
From cystic and inflamed pimples on our jaw to a sweaty lower face, wearing a mask forces us to come up with new and creative acne hacks.
As someone who has suffered from acne for nearly 10 years now, I have definitely figured out some ways we can offset extra mask breakouts.
For more acne tips, visit my post on 5 Tips for Getting Rid of Your Acne.
Don’t worry! So many of us are facing the same problem, and we will get through this together.
This post is going to lay out 5 hacks that you need to do in order to get rid of maskne.
Now, let me put out a little disclaimer. It may take time to see results. Acne is NOT something that disappears within 24 hours.
If you implement these hacks consistently, you should definitely see improvements in your maskne!
Without further ado, let’s get into the 5 need-to-know hacks!
1. Don’t Use the Same Mask Regularly
If there is one thing that is going to keep your breakouts at bay, it’s this first tip!
If you don’t already know, disposable masks are the safest type to wear because they are breathable and protective.
But….we all have the lazy habit of rewearing the SAME mask over and over again. At least I do (yep…#guilty).
I keep a mask in my purse car, backpack….everywhere! I got used to the habit of just reusing the ones already available to me.
Let me just tell you…..what a big mistake!
Can you imagine all the gunky bacteria that collects on the inside of your mask from makeup and breathing?
Gross!
I can’t count the times I’ve seen the inside of my mask COVERED in makeup and gross markings.
All of that is literally spreading all over your jaw and cheeks. Hello Maskne!
I know it’s hard to get out of lazy habits, but you’re going to have to try as hard as possible.
Don’t reuse your disposable mask for more than a few days. I know it may sound wasteful to use a new mask so often, but it’s cleaner, safer, and also more protective in general.
I always keep boxes and boxes of disposable masks in my house, and I’ll have a pack in my car at all times.
They’re super cheap and you can buy them in bulk right here.
For my Canadian friends, click here for the disposable masks.
2. Don’t Bother Wearing Makeup
If you’re going to be wearing a mask while you’re out of the house, why bother wearing makeup in the first place?
Now that masks have become a permanent part of our Outfit of the Day, save yourself from clogged pores by cutting down on the makeup you wear.
After all, no one is even going to see the whole lower half of your face.
If you try wearing makeup, it’s just going to end up transferring onto your mask 5 minutes later.
Why even try?!
When you wear foundation and powder with a mask, all of the germs from your breath are going straight into your pores.
That whole process is clogging pores at a way faster pace than wearing makeup without a mask.
For those of you who feel self-conscious about your bare skin, you can take comfort in the fact that no one will see your acne because of your mask.
If you think about it, the mask is a blessing in disguise for all us acne-prone gals!
Let your skin breathe as much as possible by wearing the least amount of makeup possible.
If you can, aim for none 😉.
3. Cleanse Your Face Like No One’s Business
Cleanse, cleanse, and cleanse!
If you are wearing a mask and breathing gross bacteria onto your skin, you better be cleansing your skin AT LEAST twice a day.
For those of you who go to bed or wake up without washing your face with a cleanser, now’s the time to change that!
There is so much bacteria being pushed into our pores because of these masks.
If you don’t take precautions by washing all of that nastiness off, you will get a bunch of new maskne. No thank you!
You may be wondering, “But I have dry skin. I don’t want to dehydrate my face.”
You won’t. If you are using a cleanser that coordinates with your skin type, you will be just fine.
Here are my cleanser recommendations:
Here are the same or similar products for my Canadian friends:
4. Wash Those Hands
At a time like this, we all have no idea what germs and bacteria are collecting on our hands throughout the day.
If you’re like me, then you have a bad habit of constantly touching your face.
Trust me….I’m working on changing that bad tendency, and you should too.
With COVID around, we all need to make an effort to wash our hands A LOT more regularly.
You don’t want to be touching your face with dirty, bacteria-covered hands (or at all).
Just think of the acne you’ll get because of that!
The best thing you can do for your overall health AND your skin is to rub-a-dub-dub!
5. Use Active Acne Products
Getting a pimple here and there is inevitable!
The trick is having a good collection of acne skincare products to use to treat those spots.
Dermatologists recommend using acne products that contain either salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide.
I apply a topical treatment with at least one of those acids every single night.
Do NOT overapply an acne product to offset the mountains of acne on your face.
More is NOT better when it comes acne treatment. You don’t want to overdry your skin.
Use a bit every night on the affected areas, and make sure to moisturize after.
Here is a list of my favorite topical treatments:
Neutrogena Rapid Clear Treatment
Paula’s Choice CLEAR Treatment
Here are the products for my Canadian friends:
La Roche Posay Acne Controller Gel
Neutrogena Rapid Clear Treatment
Paula’s Choice CLEAR Treatment
Voila! Those are 5 easy hacks you can implement right now to get rid of that annoying maskne!
I know it’s annoying to see your skin get so much worse, but try and see the light!
With these hacks, you will start to see small improvements in the frequency of your acne.
Be patient. Be consistent.
You can do it!
We’ll fight this maskne together 😉!
Feel free to leave a comment with any maskne questions or new topics you want addressed!
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