Mask-acne aka "maskne". It’s real. 4 tips.

Reminder: Stress Affects Our Skin

2020 has turned our lives upside down in so many ways, including the health and appearance of our skin. Emotions and stress affect the skin because of hormones. Stress stimulates cortisol which is a hormone. The production of cortisol stimulates our adrenal glands which produce testosterone which affects our sebaceous glands that trigger oil production and inflammation, causing stress-induced breakouts that take a longer time to heal due to the stress.In times of a pandemic or global health concern, daily use of a mask is encouraged to protect your health and the health of others, but daily mask use can also inflame and irritate the skin.

Tips for Masks and the Skin

Tip #1: Wear a fresh clean mask every day.Tip #2: Have a strong consistent cleansing routine. Double cleanse, this is especially important at night.Tip #3: Use soothing products to calm irritation from the friction of the mask.Tip #4: Use Active Serum to remedy breakouts.Tip #5: Don't touch your face throughout the day.

Tip #1: Wear a fresh clean mask every day.

My first tip is any and every mask you wear needs to be clean each day, this is the same advice that I tell clients struggling with breakouts about their pillowcases. Similar to pillowcases, the masks need to be washed with detergents that are dye-free and fragrance-free. Avoid using any fabric softeners or fabric softening drying cloths. The reason why is the fabric softeners contain animal fats that are occlusive to the skin and can irritate and clog your pores, which will lead to inflammation and breakouts.This applies to the reusable and disposable masks. Disposable masks are coated with chemicals from the manufacturing facility that they were made in. The disposables need to be placed in a laundry bag and washed on a gentle cycle with dye-free and fragrance-free detergent. After washing on gentle cold water cycle, lay them out flat to dry. The chemicals on the mask can irritate the skin and even the lungs when sitting directly on top of your face.

Tip #2: Healthy skin = Clean Skin.

For those wearing a mask all day long, the skin could be showing more congestion and irritation because you have a physical piece of fabric sitting on top of your face trapping heat, creating friction, sweat, oil and bacteria. If the mask is causing you to sweat more, it is trapped between the mask and your skin which can then turn into redness, ingrown hairs, bumps and breakouts over time.Because of this it is even more important to keep your skin healthy and clean with a solid double cleansing routine. I get asked a lot, "is it necessary to double cleanse in the morning?". My answer is it is most important to double cleanse at night than in the morning, but still important to do at least 1 cleanse in the morning. If you are acne-prone then it is important to double cleanse in the morning as well.The reason that it is more important to double cleanse at night is that we naturally produce more sweat and oil in the day than at night (this is where the term "night cream" comes from). Wearing a thicker, richer, and more moisturizing cream at night because at night our skin gets dryer. This happens naturally due to the circadian rhythms of our bodies. If you are more oily and acne-prone, I would recommend double cleansing in the morning as well. With acne we are fighting extra oil production and an over production of skin cells. Acne-prone skin produces five times more the amount of skin cells than a normal skin type.For the first cleanse I recommend an oil-based cleanser. My favorite oil-based cleansers are Dermalogica’s precleanse oil and precleanse balm. These oil-based cleansers are both oil-based and water-soluble. They are actually great for oily skin types because it works on the principle that "like attracts like", "oil attracts oil". It works by dissolving the layer of all the excess oils, sweat, bacteria, makeup, products, and chemicals that have accumulated on your skin through the day creating a filmy layer of occlusive gunk on top of your skin.Begin by placing the oil into dry hands and then apply it to your dry face, the oil will feel amazing at the end of the day which is a nice bonus. Gently massage the oil into your face, over the eyes, lips, front and back of the neck and chest. Concentrate on any areas of rough texture or bumpy congested breakout areas, use light pressure. After working the oil in dry, wet your hands and add water to the face. When you add water to this product after first working the oil in dry the oil turns into a white milky emulsion. That is what makes this product so amazing because after attracting and dissolving that filmy layer of gunk with the precleanse oil (like attracts like), it then liquefies that layer of oily film along with the precleanse oil into that white milky emulsion allowing you to then take a clean wet wash cloth and wipe it away. This is the perfect initial base cleanse.For the second step in your cleanse use a cleanser that is prescribed specifically for your skin condition. My favorite cleanser is the IS Clinical Cleansing Complex. It is a lightweight gel-based cleanser that is powerful for acne-prone skin but also gentle enough for sensitive skin. It’s amazing for all skin types and ages. It will deep cleanse the pores all the way into the hair follicle where there can be and excess of inflammation and oil. This cleanser includes an ingredient called “Centella Asiatica” which is extremely effective in reducing swelling and inflammation which can be seen in all skin types. It will help to maintain a healthy immune system inside the structure of your skin assisting with wound healing.We come into contact with all sorts of environmental stressors on the skin throughout the day that basically wound the skin. Wearing masks and an increase in chemicals in the air due to the disinfectants we are using to clean the environment around us compounds the situation. The Centella Asiatica ingredient helps to repair the inflammation damage done throughout the day and calms everything down so your skin can rest and repair itself while you sleep. It also contains a liposome-encapsulated antioxidant blend of Vitamins A, C, and E to restore the nutrients to your skin while it deep cleanses with the very mild resurfacing agents. The result is clearer, calmer, and brighter skin. It’s definitely a ride or die product! All the ingredients in IS Clinical products are pharmaceutical grade and botanically based, they use the highest quality ingredients possible. They test every batch of ingredients that come in because they are botanically based, the efficacy of each batch can vary which is why there is so much integrity in the quality of their products. You can cleanse twice with this product if you don't have an oil-based cleanser to use first.

Tip #3. Repair and Heal the Barrier of Your Skin If Any Chapping Has Occurred.

Because masks can rub and cause friction, this can cause raw chapped areas of skin. If this is occurring, having a reparative, calming, hydrating mask like "Hydra-Intensive Cooling Mask" from IS Clinical will be a great next step after double cleansing.The skin is the largest organ in our body and acts as our first line of defense to protect us from environmental aggressors. The skin is a living thing. It is an organ. Maintaining a strong healthy barrier is very important. If the barrier of the skin in impaired, no matter what type of skin you have, as a skin care professional, I have to repair the skin barrier before I can treat anything else.You can think of the mask as an external aggressor on the skin. It is rubbing at the skin which basically is like a constant form of physical exfoliation; the skin is being over-exfoliated which then causes cracks and a loss in hydration and a loss in the integrity of our skin’s protective barrier function. The barrier function of our skin maintains a balance of water and oil that create what is called the "acid-mantle". It is a pH gradient that prevents external environmental aggressors from being able to penetrate into the skin and get inside of our bodies that cause inflammation and irritation that are harmful to us.If chapping is occurring, there are a number of solutions. I would recommend the following options:Having a reparative, calming, hydrating mask like "Hydra-Intensive Cooling Mask" from IS Clinical is an amazing hydrating, healing, and preventative product. It has aloe vera, Centella Asiatica, Grape Seed Oil, and Hyaluronic Acid in a concentration that works amazing to heal sunburns, chapped skin, dehydration and dryness. Apply the mask for ten minutes, gently remove with a warm (not hot) wet wash cloth. Apply your basic hydrating nutrient rich moisturizer like IS Clinical Shield Recovery Balm if you are super dry, sensitized and chapped. This is a product that can be used on burns or post-procedure treatments like laser or peels.Another option would be IS Clinical "Reparative Moisture Emulsion". This is an amazing moisturizer that melts into the skin. It is a great daily moisturizer that does a great job of absorbing. I have clients that don’t like when a moisturizer feels thick and doesn’t penetrate well. Reparative Moisture Emulsion also has this "extremeozyme technology". It's a blend of enzymes from plants upon which scientific studies have proven to show the ability to repair damaged proteins and DNA in the skin. It also has growth factors which will help stimulate the formation of new healthy skin. Growth factors are very healing. After over-exfoliation caused from the friction of wearing a face mask all day the growth factors will help the skin to heal and repair itself quicker.If chapping has occurred avoid any extra exfoliation or any products that are very active. Active means anything that could have a higher percentage of ingredients that exfoliate the skin like retinol, salicylic acid, lactic acid, etc. Stick to soothing, calming, hydrating, and repairing products.Easy over the counter options for chapping relief include organic grape seed oil, hyaluronic acid serums, colloidal oatmeal or aloe vera, all can be bought at a health food store or pharmacy.While healing and calming the skin it is important to also hydrate the skin. Many things occur in the structure of the skin that compromise the barrier that must to be addressed in order to fix the issue. That is why being able to use one product that addresses all the issues is the quickest way to resolve the problem.

Tip #4: Best Product to Treat Breakouts: Active Serum

If you are experiencing chapped skin and breakouts, treat the chapped skin first before addressing the breakouts.With chapped skin and breakouts, the cleansing routine is the first thing to tackle. Next would be healing the barrier, and then if the breakouts are still an issue we can target those breakouts with a clearing, decongesting serum like the IS Clinical "Active Serum".Active Serum changed my life when it comes to battling breakouts. Active Serum can be used as a spot treatment on breakouts or it can be used as an all over every night treatment. I like using it all over at night. It will produce results within one to two days. I’ve actually seen it work immediately! It tingles slightly when you first apply it. Those are the amazing pharmaceutical grade ingredients working to exfoliate, brighten and heal your skin from the breakouts, congestion, and rough texture issues. It will clear your skin from the breakouts and it will also treat the left over post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation that happens after the breakout is long gone, but you are then left with that dark mark on your skin. With four to five drops pressed into the skin at night it will heal your breakouts, pigmentation, lines and wrinkles. If you are experiencing large, inflamed breakouts you can spot treat them with Active Serum in the morning. Take one small drop place it on the spot that the breakouts are happening, let it dry for 30 seconds, and then apply your vitamin C and sunscreen.In short: Active Serum is a breakout game changer.

Tip #5: Don't Touch Your Face Throughout the Day

This one is easy: Don't touch your face! Our hands contain wide ranges of bacteria and germs. Every time you touch the skin it spreads bacteria and germs to the surface of the skin which can cause breakouts and congestion on the skin. Touching your face can also spread viruses which we are trying hard to avoid at this time and should at all times.Stay safe and stay skin conscious for a happy and healthy 2021!