Skin irritation, acne caused by wearing a mask for a long time: What to do?

This is an automatically translated article.

Medical masks are an inseparable item of all people today, in the face of the complicated developments of the COVID-19 epidemic. Masks are an effective tool to help protect yourself from the risk of virus infection. However, there are still many people who complain about wearing a medical mask with allergies, wearing a mask with acne. So is it really good to wear a mask a lot, is there any skin irritation and how to fix it?

1. The role of medical masks

Medical masks are used more and more, especially during the complicated Covid-19 epidemic season. However, not everyone knows that medical masks need to ensure what quality standards are safe for the health of users and promote disease prevention.
Quality-assured medical masks are masks that have a clean surface, are properly disinfected, have no holes, no lint ends, and do not cause allergies to the user's facial skin. In addition, the strap of the mask needs to be sewn firmly at the four corners, with good elasticity to make it easy to wear the mask. The nose splint of the medical mask is made of flexible plastic or metal, which clamps the mask tightly on the bridge of the nose.
Although there are no mandatory design requirements, medical masks need to be designed to cover the nose and mouth, when wearing a mask, it must hug the face. The medical mask fabric on the market today usually has 3-4 layers of non-woven fabric, permeable but waterproof, flat and has pleated folds.

Limits of heavy metals that medical masks must meet are: no more than 1mg of lead, 0.12mg of mercury, 0.17mg of arsenic... per kilogram of product. Antibacterial medical masks need to be added with an additional layer of bactericidal effect. With standards on materials or structures, it can be checked with the naked eye, but with standards such as respiratory resistance, filtration efficiency or standards on heavy metal limits, it needs to be verified by a reputable organization. determined.
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2. Is it okay to wear a mask a lot?

The Ministry of Health has recommended in which cases to use and in which cases do not need to use masks. Specifically, when there are no respiratory symptoms and there is no forced gathering of people, it is not necessary to use masks. wear the mask.
Medical masks are used improperly, worn too many times, for too long will accumulate pathogens and become bacteria. In addition, if you buy a mask of poor quality, containing a lot of heavy metals, long-term contact with the face of a medical mask will cause poisoning, skin irritation or an allergic reaction to the medical mask.
The Ministry of Health recommends the use of masks to prevent Covid-19 infection: for healthy people, who do not have symptoms of respiratory disease such as fever, cough, difficulty breathing, runny nose... Wear a cloth mask, it is not required to use a medical mask.

3. Does wearing a medical mask cause acne?

It is entirely possible to wear a medical mask with acne. The reason is that when wearing a mask too much, the already sensitive facial skin is "suffocated", sweat cannot escape easily from the pores, so the skin is easily infected. Besides, because of the pursuit of profit, poor quality masks made from bad materials can also be one of the causes of skin irritation and acne when wearing medical masks continuously. during the epidemic season.

4. Remedies when wearing medical masks with allergies

Wash your hands thoroughly before wearing the mask, before and after removing the mask. When removing the mask, avoid touching the outside of the mask because the outer layer can now contain pathogens. After removing the mask, you need to fold the mask so that the outside of the mask is facing inward, then put the mask in a plastic/paper bag before putting it in a trash can with a lid. Change the mask immediately when it is wet, contaminated (with blood or secretions on the mask) or when the mask is torn. When wearing a medical mask, it is necessary to use extra sunscreen to limit the uneven skin tone. Limit too much moisturizing or too thick makeup when wearing a mask because the skin is easy to "lock up" and produce acne. Need to wash your face with clean water after using the mask.

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5. How to wear a cloth mask

Cloth masks need to cover both the nose and mouth. During wearing, avoid touching the front of the mask with your hands. When removing, only hold the strap, avoid touching the front of the mask to remove it. Wash the mask daily with soap to reuse for the next time. The use of masks should be regularly combined with personal hygiene measures, cleaning items and tools, and washing hands with soap or an antiseptic solution. SEE ALSO:
Instructions for wearing medical masks properly To prevent 2019-nCoV, do you have to wear a mask continuously? What is the correct way to wear a mask? When is it mandatory to wear a mask? Can't wear a mask?