Mask Face: How to Prevent it and What to Do About it

By now we are all experienced mask wearers. We do it for our own safety and for the safety of others. But how is mask-wearing affecting our skin? Here at Glow, we’ve had many clients ask us what to do about the breakouts, clogged pores, and congestion caused by wearing a mask.

If your skincare regimen pre-COVID-19 was not focused on treating acne and you’re experiencing breakouts due to wearing a mask, we recommend altering your skincare regimen to include an exfoliating cleanser with glycolic acid or salicylic acid. The Essopi 10% moisturizing cleanser is a great option for those with dry skin and our Nolio salicylic acid cleanser is optimal for oily skin. Glycolix Elite treatment pads with 10% glycolic acid are also a good option. If you sweat in your mask, it is best to cleanse your face and not let the sweat fester on your skin all day. This is a sure-fire way to help the acne flare-up.

We also recommend using our Element 47 acne toner. It is a liquid toner spray that is applied with a cotton round directly onto the skin two times a day. It has aloe vera, colloidal silver, grapefruit extract, and allantoin. These ingredients are anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory. Of course, we would highly recommend that you wear a clean mask, but if you must re-wear your mask without washing it, you can spray the inside of your mask with Element 47 and it will eliminate viruses and bacteria and reduce the reactivity of your skin. Element 47 is one of the least expensive products in our spa, and you can even use it as a hand sanitizer if need be.

Retinols or our prescription-grade acne triple gel are highly effective treatments for acne-prone skin. All available retinol creams are not created equal. We offer medical-grade retinol that won’t break the bank, and when the label says that it has 0.5% retinol, you can be assured that it does. We offer our own topical prescription acne triple gel at a fraction of the price you’ll find at a pharmacy. Most prescriptions are not covered, so we have arranged with an FDA-certified compounding pharmacy to provide you with this at a markedly reduced cost.

As always, if you need help sorting out what changes to make in your skincare routine, we are happy to help.