Masks play a vital role in reducing the spread of the coronavirus. However, these masks can also irritate your skin, clog pores, and cause flare-ups and breakouts. Friction, moisture, trapped dirt & bacteria create the perfect breeding ground for breakouts, flare ups, and general maskne. This reaction can be more than just a few pimples as patients are also reporting peeling skin, rashes, and raw skin as a result of wearing masks frequently. To help reduce your risk of developing mask-related skin problems, we recommend these steps to protect your skin.

Here’s what you can do to help ease maskne:

1. Minimize makeup. Or at least pare it back. A lot of foundations aren’t pore-friendly so to give your skin the best chance of breathing, ease-up on the contour and full coverage foundation.

2. Cleanse right. Double cleansing in the evening will ensure your skin is clean, nourished and balanced and prepped to soak up your night-time skin care. Be gentle with your skin and focus on keeping it balanced, hydrated and soothed. 

3. Save your rich skin care for PM. (After you’ve done wearing your mask for the day.) The environment created by wearing a mask is fairly occlusive, meaning the good (moisture) and the bad (bacteria) are trapped in there together. Ick. Best practice is to avoid occlusive skin care, like rich moisturizers, during the day when wearing a mask so the occlusive environment isn’t amplified.

4. Wash your mask. (More than you think.) Disposable masks are only intended to be on your face for 4 hours at a time, so if you’re using a cloth one, it’s important to keep it clean. Wash it after every use to ensure you’re not trapping existing dirt and bacteria onto your skin. You know the rules of not touching your face? The same applies to your mask-wearing face

5. Open breakout? Use a pimple patch to create a sanitized space (most pimple patches have benzoyl peroxide or a similar spot stopper) so it can be treated throughout the day. It’ll also act as a barrier between your mask and the irritation to prevent it getting crankier.

6. Exfoliate regularly. Using ingredients that are too harsh can strip away your skin’s natural lipids disrupting your moisture barrier which can often cause breakouts to worsen. But a gentle exfoliator used 2-3 times a week will help clear your face of dirt/grime/old skin cells and allow your hydrating products to sink in deep and work hard. Glycolic acid has a smaller molecule that works better for more oily skin types, and lactic acid is a larger molecule that works better for dry and sensitive skin types.

Belle Vie provides a variety of treatments to help your maskne needs:

• Custom Signature Facials

• • • • Vital C antioxidant facial: This facial treats redness, dry, dehydrated, environmentally damaged and dull skin.
      • Clear Cell acne facial: This facial treats acne prone, oily, and congested skin.
      • Illuma brightening facial: Treats dull skin with hyperpigmentation, helps to even skin tone, and smooth out texture

• HydraFacial: HydraFacial super serums are made with nourishing ingredients that create an instantly gratifying glow in just 3 steps

• • • • • Cleanse + Peel :Uncover a new layer of skin with gentle exfoliation and relaxing resurfacing.
        • Extract + Hydrate: Remove debris from pores with painless suction. Nourish with intense moisturizers that quench skin.
        • Fuse + Protect: Saturate the skin’s surface with antioxidants and peptides to maximize your glow.

• Medical Grade Facial: These facials use traditional steps like cleansing and extraction; however, these steps are performed using medical-grade ingredients. Additionally, medical grade facials typically use peels and microdermabrasion to target specific complexion concerns.

For any advice or questions regarding skin care advice or any of our treatments, schedule a complimentary consultation at our Costa Mesa or Cerritos offices by calling (855)635-0011