maskne - it's here. let's realize it

your skin & hair – with the covid precautionary masks  - part 1

new acne? pimples? boils? rashes? itch? red marks? irritation on your face? before you suspect your products and the routines you follow for your skincare,

pl don’t forget that you have added something new in your life - remember  – the new norm lifestyle.

your face masks  & frequent use of handwashes & sanitizerswill have a huge impact on your skin & hair.

the new forced lifestyle with face masks for the covid precautionary reasons can be the major cause of your skin behaving very weirdly. don’t panic.

the purpose of me writing is to create awareness.

in the last 5 weeks, now that we have started moving out of home with all precautions, we are receiving a lot of messages how skin is behaving completely bad. pl note:

  1. it may not be your new #allnatural lifestyle
  2. it may not be your natural products that contain natural herbs, roots, flowers or seeds

i have to give you this major disclaimer here– i am not against masks or the new norms and precautions. but, i am keen in making you realize the impacts & how we could avoid those impacts.

you are always welcome to discuss & clarify any questions on products and #allnatural lifestyle. but, before you decide to point your finger towards the #allnatural lifestyle, ingredients & products for your new skin & hair troubles, pl consider the new norm lifestyle that you are following

 so, your sudden break outs or your skin not healing from your old troubles may be majorly because of the new norm covid lifestyle. don’t underestimate the awful impacts of these facemasks, santizers & frequent handwashes on your skin & hair.

many doctors who are my mentors mentions that there are increasing respiratory problems & throat infections & after a lot of analysis, these mentors do point out the prolonged use of face masks, dirty masks, sanitizers made from unknown ingredients & excessive use of these sanitizers & soap based hand washes

really? why & how masks, sanitizers & frequent handwash can put my skin in trouble?

first thing, let’s remember & never forget – our skin is an organ & the main function of skin is to throw out the toxins.

with masks, we have happily obstructed the flow of our breath through our nose & mouth. our sweat points are clogged & sweat remains in the masks and is again absorbed in. and i am sure you have experienced the itch in the chin area, lips & upper lips. not just that the skin oils and dirt are comfortably sealed in. wow.. whatte blessing for sensitive & acne prone skin. ( pun intended ) not just for problematic skin, but even healthy skin will soon be exposed to be in trouble

next, by wearing masks, there’s constant touch of a different material on our facial skin which is very sensitive than our body skin. this is not good at all. if you worn a tight sleeve blouse, you would know how itchy it is after you remove it… the nose area is all the more sensitive area which is now helping as mask resting area & remember the straps & the plastic ventilation slots. how much do you think your skin can tolerate these friction of ?

ok, now, about the cleanliness of masks.. you might claim, you wash your masks every hour, how do you wash? with detergents right? can’t that cause skin problems? pl think about these?

and, are you the one who can’t miss a jog or walk? and now if you are doing this with the mask, pl realize the impacts on your skin

for some, it’ll be as slight itch, or dry lips, and red spots and acne on the lines of the masks. but it may happen on other parts of your face also. the underneath cause might be the mask again.

now, why sanitizers & soaps – do you know what’s in these? mostly alcohol – right? how much of alcohol is now is absorbed by our skin & after cleaning our hands with these.. we do end up touching our face. let’s not forget - these too will have impact.

looks like i will never end this part 1. there’s a lot we need to observe & be mindful about.

the key takeaway of this blog

  1. pl consider your new norm of face masks, sanitizers & soaps for your skin troubles before you point your fingers on your regular skin care routines.
  2. the material of masks makes a lot of impact.
  3. the continuous touch of mask material is not ok
  4. wearing a masks for prolonged time is not ok for your breathing & also makes your masks very dirty. and dirty masks are not good for facial skin.
  5. detergents used in washing the masks also will have impact.
  6. frequent hand washing can cause dry, chapped hands & touching face with these dry hands is also not ok
  7. not just skin, lips also are impacted due to the constant friction created by these masks

 what can we do?

  1. let our skin breathe as much as possible – do this with social consciousness. let’s find a balance
  2. clean mask – choose wisely between single use or re-use. take care of the detergents used
  3. clean face & hands – moistured & hydrated well
  4. to balance the obstruction of breath created due to masks & to balance our internal health, do a lot of pranayama. 

ok, i haven’t spoken how our hair health could be affected. there’s so much to share that i have learnt & discussed with doctors & experts.

for now, i am signing off. discussing with every mentor of mine. will come back with more information & how to tackle these challenging times while protecting our skin & hair

till then, take care. love you all loads

wishing you health & happiness in abundance

- krithika prasad

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