Maskne

WTH is Maskne?

This word, Maskne, never even existed before COVID-19 hit. Maskne is pretty much acne caused by wearing a mask. I didn’t know what the heck was causing me to break out so much! Then, I realized it was from wearing a mask all day at work. My skin would get better when I was at home and my face was free from irritation and bacteria growth from my mask.

I searched the Internet for solutions to clear my acne. I even started to use Curology. Curology is great but as soon as I put that mask on for a 12 hour shift, I came home with a new pimple. My face did not get a break! For me, I scar from breakouts. And my breakout scars would take FOREVER to heal. I went as far as using skin lightners/ brightners/ whitening (you name it) to make it all go away. There was not a lot information about maskne at the time (2021).

Then one day, I came across a dermatologist who suggested to spray your mask with her products that would prevent growth from wearing the mask. I thought, “Wow! What a great idea.” Her products (and no, I don’t remember right now what and who the dermatologist was, but when I remember, I will definitely share the info) was a little pricey for me, so I tried my own attempts to ‘disinfect’ my mask before and after wearing it.

First, I tried antibacterial spray with lovely eucalyptus and lavender scent. I figured I should make my mask smell good if I’m to spray it… unfortunately, it took too long for the mask to dry. By the time I needed to put it on, I was wearing a wet mask and the smell of the oils was gross. The Lysol disinfectant spray didn’t make it any better.

Then, on another day, I forgot my antibacterial spray, so guess what I used? Rubbing alcohol… yup! Yes, I did. Go ahead, say it… I already know and I did it anyways… boy was it the worse thing to do ever! I literally sprayed my mask with rubbing alcohol (misting it lightly) but strong enough to leave me breathless and dizzy! DO NOT DO THIS!! It was like in the movies when a person gets kidnapped with a handkerchief over their face, except I was doing it to myself. Almost fainted gosh darn it!

After that, I threw the mask away and instead just used a alcohol wipe to wipe my face instead. It didn’t leave a strong smell, cleaned my face and it didn’t have any breakouts. I did have dry and sensitive skin though, my scars didn’t go away, I couldn’t wear any make up, and my skin was peeling and turning red from the alcohol… it was harsh on the skin. So now, I was looking for something to protect my skin. I searched “skin protection”. There were lotions, creams, face masks (Made of silk) and thin Face-masks with silver antimocrobial coating on it. It just got more and more expensive and luckily I was able to return the ones that just did not work out for my skin. And so thankful for sales, coupons, discounts and return policies. Especially at CVS, Amazon, Target, and Walmart. These were my go to places and had the things I was looking for - just not the right routine/material for me.

Finally, I found something that did everything above. And I’ve been using it ever since. Here’s what I love about this product:

1. Affordable
2. Used for both virus and bacteria
3. Light scent
4. Dries fast
5. Gentle to skin

It’s called SkinSmart Antimocrobial Facial Cleanser. It comes in a large 8oz size or in a small 2oz pack of 3. I ordered both - one for home and the other to keep in my purse when I’m out and about. I totally love this product. I break out still but not as much as before.

When I do start to see or feel a pimple coming, I clean and spray with my SkinSmart spray and then I put an acne dot on my pimple.

The Liva Clean Acne dot is one of the better acne dots I’ve used and have continued to use for it’s price and effectiveness.

1. ​Affordable
2. Appearance - discrete, sticks well, and thin
3. Comes in different sizes
4. Can cover with makeup
5. Great packaging

Affordability is always the #1 criteria on my list. One silver microbial Facemask I got was like $12 for two! And they are so thin, it just falls right off my face and if I lose the darn thing then that’s $12 out the window… returned. Used bandaids and skin prep stuff before I found the spray and the dot. Totally love these products and I hope you do, too!

Do you have or had maskne? What’s your regimen? What have you used? Would love to hear your thoughts on these products if you try them.