JUPITER, Fla. — In your wildest dreams, you probably never thought people would be complaining about acne from routine mask-wearing, but it’s a reality for many now.
“Maskne. Is that what they are calling it now?” Celine Pelofi joked. “Wearing the mask with makeup on made me break out a lot.”
Pelofi said she understands mask-wearing is part of life now.
“I had COVID in March and was sick for a couple of weeks,” she said. “I stay in as much as I can. I try to go in and out of places very quickly, so I can wear the mask as little as possible.”
She notices how it affects her skin though.
“A couple of weeks ago, I had a break out so bad that my dermatologist recommended I go on antibiotics for a week.
Now, beauty and skin treatments are adjusting, like a new “face mask facial” at the Wellness Jar Medical Spa. It uses light therapy for acne and dryness.
“What we see is people who never had any acne, or issues or irritation where the mask is touching the skin,” said Ellen Bauer at the Wellness Jar.
It uses red light and blue light technology.
“It’s a really effective treatment for acne,” she said.
It’s a problem dermatologist are seeing first-hand.
“It’s just a function of all the heat and humidity the mask retains. It’s the perfect environment for bacteria,” said Dr. Kenneth Beer.
He suggests taking “little vacations” from wearing the mask while you are home. Also, change your mask frequently and clean your face with something that has salicylic acid.
“I think it’s important to understand we are probably in this for the long run and it’s important to work with someone,” he said.
