How to Care for Your Skin While Wearing a Mask

It’s hard to believe, but face masks have become a common part of our everyday lives for over a year now and will probably continue to be around for a while. That’s why we wanted to spend some time talking about a problem that a lot of people are still having with this adjustment: face acne. It’s such a well-known skin issue that people have even started to call it “maskne”. If you’re having trouble with maskne or just general skincare while wearing your mask, check out our five tips on how you can properly care for your skin!

Cleanse

Your skin goes through a lot in the best of times. Combine that with having to wear a mask every day and it’s going to need extra care and cleaning. Breathing into your face mask, applying makeup below your nose, and touching near that area are just some of the things that could cause skin problems.

The best place to prevent this is to make sure you’re cleansing your skin every day. We suggest twice a day with once in the morning before applying your makeup and once at night to remove all your makeup and any dirt that could have come into contact with your skin during the day. It’s an easy tip that doesn’t take that long and makes a huge difference!

Moisturize

As you’re cleansing your skin, try to take this a step further and give it some added moisture. Applying a moisturizer will act as another barrier between your skin and mask and helps prevent your skin from getting too dry. This step is especially important when you live in a dry climate like Southern California so your skin can get as much moisture as possible!

Avoid Makeup in That Area

If you’re still having skin issues in that area after giving it some extra attention, you can always try avoiding putting on makeup. Start by doing it for a few days to see if there’s an improvement and decide if that’s something your skin needs while wearing a mask. Don’t worry about giving up makeup entirely during this time! Just avoid putting any foundation on the area where your mask is to give your skin there a break. After all, most people won’t even see your makeup there. As a bonus, this will give you more time to focus and perfect your eye makeup!

Try Not to Touch

We’ve bet you’ve heard this tip before. Not only can this help stop the spread of COVID-19, but it’s also useful for those who want to keep their skin as healthy as possible. That’s because our fingers pick up dirt and bacteria throughout the day which can lead to our skin becoming irritated or cause acne if we touch our faces too much. We know it’s easier said than done but try to avoid touching your face, especially the area around your mask. Use the strings of your mask to put it on and take it off.

Wash Your Mask

Who’s been guilty of using the same mask week after week without a proper wash? If you want to properly care for your skin, start washing your mask at least a couple of times each week. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that you wash yours after each use. The last thing you want to do is to put on a mask with last week’s foundation still on it.

There are a couple of ways you can wash your mask. You can wash them by hand or in the washer and dry them in the dryer or set them out to dry.

Learn More Skincare Tips

Interested in learning more skincare tips? At Salon Success Academy, our esthetics program teaches students all about how to care for all different skin types as well as other advanced treatments like facials, microdermabrasion, and more! Contact our team today to learn more about our classes and learn how you can get started.