HOW TO PREVENT ‘MASCNE’

Face-coverings have now become the norm in 2020 and are proven to lower the risk of spreading viruses by wearers protecting those around them, but many people are noticing an irritating downside to regularly covering their faces.

Termed ‘mascne’, the phenomena of frequent breakouts and irritation to the skin around the mouth and nose is affecting people of all ages due to the area being covered for long periods.

If you suffer from problem skin anyway, it’s likely you could be one of the thousands experiencing ‘mascne’, but there are some things you can do to manage the problem.

If you’re likely to be wearing your face-covering all day, then it’s better to leave that area free of make-up. If you don’t like to go completely bare-faced then one tip is to really focus on your eye make-up, given that the bottom half of the face will be obscured by your mask for most of the day anyway.

Keep up a good skin routine, cleansing, toning and moisturising, and try not to over-exfoliate as this can dry out the skin and actually make the problem worse. When stripped of its natural oils, the skin will overcompensate in trying to make more moisture – resulting in oily spot prone skin.

For men, beards can also harbour bacteria near the skin, so it might be time to whip out the razor and go clean-shaven in the interest of clearer skin.

Another thing you can do is to choose a washable face-covering with breathable material.  Disposable face masks contain plastic which can trap moisture on the skin and exacerbate skin conditions like acne. They are designed for single-use, but many people do wear them more than once, this can again trap dirt and bacteria near the skin causing spots and irritation.

The Virustatic Shield is a face-covering that’s the perfect choice for the winter months – with its snood-like design.

The 360° shape and its light and breathable material, which contains no nasties, is soft to the skin and will cause no friction like other masks – great news for ‘mascne’ sufferers.

It has been hailed by customers as the ‘softest and most comfortable face-covering around’ with it being so kind to the skin it will not cause ‘device-related injuries’ and allows skin to continually breathe underneath.