What should I do if I wear a mask all day at work and have acne on my face?

Many people worry that wearing a mask for a long time may lead to acne on the face. Acne and pimples are both common names for acne, a chronic inflammatory disease of the sebaceous glands of hair follicles that occurs in young adults. Because this disease is prevalent on the face, it often causes problems for everyone. Wearing a mask for long periods of time creates a relatively closed environment on the face, and the moisture of the skin causes bacteria to grow and aggravate acne.

　　To deal with this problem, the first thing to do is to pay attention to the cleanliness of the face. If you have makeup or sunscreen, go home to remove makeup, choose a suitable skin type cleanser in the face rubbing clean, and then wash with water. The particular attention is that the formed acne should not be squeezed. In terms of diet, pay attention to less spicy and stimulating food and less sweet food. Diet and sleep should be kept in a relatively good rhythm. If mild acne like whiteheads and blackheads have already appeared, you can use a topical retinoic acid ointment to apply. However, it is important to note that the drug is photosensitive, so try to choose to use it before bedtime.

　　If the lesions worsen again and red papules or pustules appear, topical antibiotic ointments such as fusidic acid and mupirocin can be added. When applying the ointment, clean your hands first to avoid contamination from anything unclean on your hands that could be brought to your eyes or mouth. If further aggravation occurs and moderate to severe acne is formed, it is usually treated with oral antibiotics or isotretinoin. Since these medications have certain side effects or contraindications, it is recommended that they be used under the guidance of a doctor after a visit to the hospital.

　　In addition to acne, care should be taken to avoid or mitigate skin damage caused by wearing masks. Pressure damage to local skin and subcutaneous tissue caused by wearing a mask for a long time belongs to a kind of medical device related pressure damage, which mainly occurs in areas that have been under pressure for a long time, such as the nose, cheeks, cheekbones or behind the ears.

　　We must first take precautions and choose a more appropriate mask, such as a wide-rimmed mask with less local pressure. For the choice of mask style, you can choose the lacing type instead of the ear hanging type, the pressure will also be less. For people with sensitive skin, it is recommended to read the instructions before use to see if the mask has any skin allergy-prone ingredients. For children, parents should help choose a mask of a suitable size and shape to reduce the pressure on the local skin.

　　Second, you can moderately change the position of the mask every two to three hours to reduce the pressure on the local skin. If the mask is used repeatedly or if it has been used continuously for more than 6 hours, it is recommended to replace it. In addition, preventive dressings can be used in advance on frequently pressurized areas, and the skin should be checked regularly to go for treatment if problems have already appeared.

　　For skin pressure injuries that have already appeared, they can be treated in this way: mild indentation generally does not require treatment, if the indentation is heavy, or there is local subcutaneous bruising, you can use some topical ointments that can improve skin circulation, such as mucopolysaccharide polysulfate ointment; if the skin problem is further aggravated, with redness and swelling and breakage, you can add topical antibiotic ointment, or you can also moderate in the already damaged local Use band-aids or medical dressings to avoid further stimulation of the wound; if the skin appears soft, white or wrinkled skin impregnation, mainly caused by local humidity, you can use an emollient cream containing zinc oxide or petroleum jelly before wearing the mask to reduce the stimulation of the skin by sweat and local friction, clean the skin after removing the mask, and use some emollients appropriately to improve the skin condition; if the damage is heavy and there is serious infection or allergy, you must go to the hospital and seek professional help.