SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KGTV) - Sharp Rees-Steely dermatologist Nancy Maly said they have seen an increase in people coming in with skin problems related to wearing masks.
“Masks are very important but they do come with some drawbacks,” she said.
She said the type of mask can impact how much it irritates the skin. A more loose mask will not irritate as badly but is not as effective for the fight against coronavirus, so she said to only wear a loose mask if there are no people nearby.
“Obvious trade-off being they don’t function as well as masks so making sure that you’re choosing a face covering that’s appropriate for the situation,” she said.
Maly also said wearing daily products like sunscreen, lotion and makeup on your face can make any acne or irritations worse. She said typical medications to treat acne should help these conditions, like salicylic acid and topical retinoids.
She said bottom line, though, is that while keeping your skin healthy is important, the masks are necessary to keep others healthy.
“I think overall people have been very aware of the overall goal of wearing a mask to protect themselves and protect other people. I think it’s important not to lose sight of that. Obviously getting seriously ill would be much worse than getting acne on your face,” she said.
