Are you experiencing annoying rashes and irritated skin from having to wear a mask all of the time?

If you answered yes, keep on reading.

Moist and warm (AKA your skin under a face mask) is not the combination you want if you're trying to avoid facial rashes. This kind of environment will eat away at your skin barrier, putting you at risk for skin irritation. 

What contributes to this moist and warm environment is the sweat that gets stuck under your face mask, and because it's trapped under the mask it does not evaporate very easily. Unfortunately, sweat is also an irritant to your skin and will further break down your skin barrier.

Things may look bleak based on these first few sentences, but there's hope! Check out the five simple tips below to learn how to keep your skin rash-free during the pandemic:

• 💄 Abandon makeup during this time. This will minimize the number of things that come into contact with your skin that may further break down your skin barrier. This includes avoiding the use of lip balms and lipsticks that have fragrance, as they may contain irritating dyes and fragrances
• 💦 Consider reducing face cleansing to just once a day. Each time you cleanse your face, you're removing some of your skin's natural lipid barrier protection, which may be leaving your facial skin more vulnerable to irritants

• 🧴 Use a barrier cream, which is essentially a super thick cream, balm, or ointment that help to create a barrier on your skin.
• 😋 Avoid chewing gum. Saliva is more irritating than sweat for your skin, and when you chew gum your saliva will naturally get on the outside area of your mouth and irritate your skin. The substance that adds flavor to gum can also be aggravating to your skin and cause rashes
• 🦷 Beware of the toothpaste you use at this time. Flavored and highly fluoridated toothpaste is associated with perioral dermatitis, which is a facial rash that causes bumps to develop around the mouth