Putting Your Best Face Forward: How to Get Your Mask Acne Under Control in 2021

It looks like these masks are here to stay – at least until there are more people in the population vaccinated. While masks have reduced transmission of the virus, they’ve left many of us with the worst acne we’ve had since our early teens. The conditions the mask creates for our skin are no doubt unfavourable, and have caused many-a-breakout. I’m going to share with you my top tips for getting your mask acne under control in 2021, and how you can put your best face forward going into this year!

Related Post: The Nighttime Skin Care Routine You Need in Your Life

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Fighting Mask Acne First Hand

First of All: Make Sure Your Mask Is Clean

Not only is it important to keep your masks clean for Covid reasons, but also to help prevent mask acne!

Wash Your Mask

Ideally, you want to treat your fabric masks like underwear – wear and then wash. According to WHO, you should be washing them once a day. I personally do a wash and wear kinda deal, and have many different ones so I can rotate and have several options to choose from. You can click the link for the WHO site to see exactly how to wash your fabric masks, the point is make sure your masks are clean. Masks not only become dirty on the outside, but they become dirty on the inside (your breath contains moisture, your mouth naturally has bacteria, and now you’re creating a moist environment for bacteria to flourish in).

Make Sure You Change Your Mask

If you’re wearing a disposable or medical mask, make sure you change it whenever it gets damp or soiled. For the same reasons above, not only is the mask less effective, but you’re creating unfavourable skin conditions with a damp mask.

Secondly: Set Your Skin Up For Success

SKip the Makeup

This is more for those who wear their mask for long periods of time, for example a whole shift at work as opposed to running out to the grocery store.

It’s a hard habit to break, but putting on makeup under your mask may be setting you up for skin care woes. Makeup is known to clog pores, and with the addition of an enclosed, moist environment, you’re making it more difficult for your skin to breathe (and likely contributing to that mask acne!). If you’re serious about getting rid of the maskne, skipping makeup can help a lot!

If you feel naked without it, try doing your makeup on only the top half of your face. If you still can’t go without, make sure you clean your skin REAL well before going to bed to remove all traces of makeup.

Thirdly: Cleanse, Treat & Pamper

When it comes to treating your skin, here are some ingredients you want to keep an eye out for in the products you’re using (these are known to help diminish and treat acne prone skin and breakouts!).

BENZOYL PEROXIDE | ALPHA HYDROXY ACIDS | SALICYLIC ACID | SULFUR (SOURCE)

Cleanse

Clean skin really is the key to success here. I clean my skin twice a day – morning and night. Whatever your skincare routine is, you may want to consider upping it to at least be cleaning your skin twice a day.

I switch back between two cleansers (Youth to the People’s Kale Superfood Cleanser & La Roche Posay’s Purifying Foaming Cleanser). If I have makeup on, I will use Farmacy’s Makeup Melting Balm to remove makeup first before cleansing my face (a good ole double cleanse action).

Tone

Toner is the double check you do on your skin. Toner removes any last traces of dirt or makeup. I use The Ordinary Glycolic Acid Toning Solution. Clinique’s Acne Solutions toner works wonders if you’re having frequent breakouts (I’ve used this in the past during breakouts, but don’t use it on a regular day to day basis).

Hydrate

Keeping your skin healthy and hydrated is key when it comes to preventing acne. Dry skin produces excess oil, which doesn’t help with preventing acne (read more here). I use La Roche Posay Effaclar Mat, a non-comedogenic (won’t block pores) mattifying moisturizer (I have super oily skin, so I use this to keep the oil at bay).

Treat

Spot treating your pimples is something you can do if you have breakouts or random pimples popping up. Ideally, by spot treating you’re targeting the affected area and preserving the healthy skin around the flare up. I switch between Saje Natural Wellness Zap rollerball and Dermologica Overnight Clearing Gel. I find that my skin will get to used to one formula, and by switching them both up I get a better spot treatment regime going.

Pamper

These are all of the additional things you can do to the above mentioned routine. Building a routine around the basics (cleanse, tone, hydrate and treat) will help you get rid of the bulk of your acne, the pampering extras may help you achieve those results faster/longer.

MASKS

A little different from the ones that are causing you so many problems, doing face masks can help improve the appearance of skin.

CLAY MASKS: clay masks can help unclog pores and assist with excess oil. I use the

FOR ACNE: Choose a mask that specifically has salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide listed in the ingredients (source). I’m currently loving Dr. Jart+ Dermask Clearing Solution Ultra-Fine Microfiber Sheet Mask.

Steamer

Steaming your face can help open up the pores on your skin, meaning it’s easier to clean your face and that your skin care products will go deeper into the skin (source)! I use the Vanity Planet Aira Ionic Facial Steamer!

Make Sure Your Skin Can Breathe

It’s important to make sure you get some solid time throughout the day with your mask off and exposed to fresh air. This can be a little difficult to do at work, but try your best to have moments with the mask off (safely away from others), while you get to eat, and if you can head outside and get some fresh air! This one is a game changer when it comes to preventing mask acne!

RECAP

We can’t change the fact that we have to wear masks for a while, so let’s learn to work with it and prevent mask acne while we’re at it. Make sure you set yourself up with clean masks, avoid makeup when you can, and at the very least cleanse, tone, hydrate and spot treat your skin!

Have you had any holy grail products you absolutely swear by? Drop them below! I always love to hear from y’all!